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View Full Version : Jan Brueggmann and Fireball Tim Racing show us El Diablito


daygoVR6
11-02-2005, 07:28 AM
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El Diablito
Jan Brueggemann and his lil’ devil

words and photos by Brad Harvey-daygoVR6 socaleuro.com

After being voted one of the top favorites among consumers in 2004 and 2005, it’s no surprise to see more people bringing Mini Coopers into the European tuner community. The light weight chassis design combined with an engine package that has a wide range of aftermarket options make these cars desirable for everyone young and old. Jan Brueggermann’s Mini is certainly a great example of how extreme you can go with these cars...and he isn’t even done yet.

Bought new by Jan in 2002, this Mini Cooper S model already had a supercharger from the factory and came equipped with 17 inch wheels, but that wasn’t enough. The 1.6 liter 4 cylinder has the addition of a custom turbo charger from Garret Turbo. That’s right, this engine is also boasting a turbo charger, feeding 30 PSI into the factory supercharger. The supercharger itself produces about 13 PSI on its own, via a custom-made pulley from JLM. This “twin-charge system” as it is being called, has been designed and installed by Hubie Fuh from Fireball Tim Racing. “This car certainly surprises a lot of people,” Jan tells me, "They dont expect to see a car using a turbo combined with a supercharger to create reliable power.” Although the engine block itself was kept stock, Jan installed a set of custom CP pistons to handle the boost levels, along with a custom ground camshaft by “Joe” as Jan puts it. “There is a lot of technology in this engine that I can’t reveal, but i can assure you there are more hours of development time in this set up than I can remember.”
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ARP bolts are used throughout the engine to help hold things together. The port matched intake manifold feeds into a custom ported and polished cylinder head that was also built by Fireball Tim Racing. The exhaust manifold has also been given the same port matching treatment. Scott Murphy installed the custom 3 inch down pipe that feeds into 3 inch exhaust piping. Exhaust gasses then exit out the back of the car via twin Apexi N1 mufflers which certainly gives this car one hell of a shock factor when going down the road. An Alta intercooler has been installed to help keep excessive heat under control as under hood temperatures go up quicker than normal. Engine management is done with an Apexi AFC fuel controller, and a Greddy boost controller has been installed to help keep boost levels under control on the turbo. RC 550 injectors were used to feed the engine's need for extra gas through a custom fuel system, combined with an SX boost activated fuel pressure regulator and fuel filter to help feed the beast within.
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The development of the engine package also required a beefed up transmission to handle the extra power. A B&M short throw shifter has been installed with the Getrag 6 speed tranny to help with precise gear changes. High boost levels and power are transfered through a custom RPS pressure plate and 6 puck clutch that have been bolted to a lightweight RPS flywheel, bringing the engine rpm's into boost levels quicker.
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Suspension duties are all business, utilizing Leda Coil-overs with Hypercoil 400lb front springs, and 500lb rear springs giving the car its lower stance. H-Sport camber plates have been installed to help with alignment issues. H-sport front and rear sway bars combined with the H-sport rear adjustable control arms have also been installed in the mix, really giving this car the ability to handle corners and help keep the car planted on the road when Jan puts the go-pedal to use.
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Even though the stock body lines were kept, the exterior is excellent play on how extreme this car is. The wild graphics you see were designed by custom car designer Fireball Tim Lawrence himself to help make this car stand out from the crowd. Jan opted for a set of black Volk 18 inch TE-37’s and a set of Kumho MX 215/35/18 to help grip the road. Braking duties are done with a fully upgraded Wilwood brake system on all four corners.
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When it came time to start modifying the interior of the car Jan opted to keep things simple. The factory front seats were removed in place of a set of Sparco’s that were custom stitched to go along with the color scheme of the car. Schroth harnesses are also in place to help keep Jan in the seat during Sunday drives. A Pioneer AVIC N1 has been installed to keep the music flowing through the custom speaker set up. So that engine vitals could be kept a close eye on an Autometer boost guage anbd wide band air/fuel gauge is in place on the steering column.
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Jan and the team at Fireball Tim Racing certainly has built a great Mini Cooper that will keep turning heads in the European car community Jan and his team aren't done yet. They are still in the process of developing reliable power that can still be daily driven. As it sits the car is getting around 340 horsepower to the wheels on the dyno with pump gas. In addition they are looking to add an NOS intercooler sprayer and fogger system to the mix to see just how far they can take this car. Keep in mind, Jan’s car is also daily driven in Los Angeles traffic so it certainly is put through the paces when it comes to realibilty, which many tuners start thinking about when a car with this kind of horsepower is driven on the road. Be on the look out for this Mini Cooper as it will be making an appearance in the up coming Fast and Furious 3 movie and it is the only other red car in the film aside from the hero's car.
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Now if you think this is insane you should see the Mini Cooper drag car that has been built by Fireball Tim Racing as well. Utilizing the same set up Jan has here but with a larger Garrett turbo, a lot more boost and the aide of nitrous to help pull the drag car through the traps. By press time the car has only had a couple of shake down runs which were done during the NHRA Sport Compact World Finals in Pomona California, which resulted in a broken engine mount. The program is hoping to see a 10 second pass by the end of the season, “assuming we can get the kinks worked out of the car,” according to Jan. Be on the look out for Fireball Tim Racing next season as they will certainly be a strong force in the Quick 16 and Sportsman Front Wheel drive classes at import drag events throughout the west coast as well as Jan’s Mini Cooper on the show scene.

Jan and the rest of the gang from Fireball Tim Racing will be Attending the SEMA show in Las Vegas, NV November 1st - 4th.

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Check out Fireball Tim Lawrence and his projects at www.fireballtim.com
Vehicle Breakdown

Owner – Jan Brueggemann
Location – Orange County, California
Occupation - Financial Planner and Sales & Marketing for Fireball Tim Racing

Year - 2002 Make – Mini Cooper Model - S
Engine – 4cyl Size - 1.6L - Turbo and Supercharged

Engine Mods - Custom Pistons by CP, Custom camshaft by “Joe”, custom pulley for supercharger by JLM. Custom Turbo by Garrett. ARP bolts, custom head by Fireball Tim Racing. Intercooler by Alta. Custom Twincharge kit by Hubie Fuh at Fireball Tim Racing. Apexi AFC fuel controller, greddy boost controller. Custom fuel system to feed the devil with SX boost actuated fuel pressure regulator and fuel filter. Port matched intake and exhaust manifold. 3” custom downpipe.

Transmission - 6-speed Getrag, B&M short shifter

Suspension - Leda Coilovers with Hypercoil springs 400 lb front and 500lb rears, H-sport camber plates, H-sport front and rear swaybars. H-sport rear adjustable control arms.

Exterior - Volk T-37 wheels with Kumho MX 215/35-18s. Graphics by Fireball Tim Lawrence. Custom 3” exhaust with dual apexi N1 mufflers. Custom battery box with lightweight battery

Interior mods - Pioneer AVIC N1, custom stereo.Sparco seats, schroth harness. Boost gauge and wide band a/f gauge

Quick shout outs - Mini-USA, Moss Mini, Meguiars, Kumho, Volk, Johnnys Auto and EFI Motorsports for making it all happen. Custom exhaust done by Scott Murphy. Special thanks to Brian White who has spent numerous hours ironing out the little stuff! Also DRS in La Habra for all of the dyno time!
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MORE PHOTOS HERE (http://www.snapandshare.com/photo_album-uid-11046-fid-30809.htm)

bugzy
11-02-2005, 11:31 AM
Thing looks pretty mean ! :tup:

Brk4Euros
11-02-2005, 12:53 PM
Sweeeeeeeeeet looking Mini.

oc-audica
11-02-2005, 01:02 PM
oh man that is sweet... twin charge *drool*

netnet
11-02-2005, 04:51 PM
nice ride!
:tup:

bugzy
11-02-2005, 04:54 PM
is this car gonna be at SEMA?

el diablito
11-02-2005, 07:02 PM
is this car gonna be at SEMA?


No but our Mini-USA drag car is... look for it in the Kumho tires booth:tup:

wikedgolf
11-02-2005, 07:47 PM
awsome article! thats a badass mini!

Monster8V
11-02-2005, 07:51 PM
Was there a reason why the photoshoot was done at a storage facility?
Theme of some sort?

beehotch619
11-02-2005, 09:15 PM
oh heavens..... that is rad.... i love minis, my pop used to have one.... for some reason my fav part of the mini, other than the scharged engine and crazy handeling, is the fact that the headlights are part of the hood..... its very unique... im a nerd and i catn spell

frankthetank_86
11-05-2005, 09:56 PM
Do any of you have pics of that Drag MINI.

el diablito
11-06-2005, 08:24 AM
Do any of you have pics of that Drag MINI.


go to www.fireballtim.com (http://www.fireballtim.com) to see the pics of the dragster

then go to the blog

bugzy
11-06-2005, 09:24 AM
No but our Mini-USA drag car is... look for it in the Kumho tires booth:tup:
snap some pics at SEMA :)

XKROMX
11-13-2005, 02:17 AM
Did DRS build this car?