One thing that can ruin a track weekend is a broken belt, resulting in your tensioner slamming down on your crank pulley, etc. For this very reason, I have been testing out various tensioner stops that will keep the tensioner from slamming down if the belt were to break. I am currently running the Detroit Tuned tensioner stop, but not sure how long it will stay on due to reports from the MINIs in the Grand Am series having the stop snap upon belt failure (not a good thing). ALTA’s latest tensioner stop looks to be a promising solution (see video below).

My concern with these devices is how bad they rattle or vibrate at wide open throttle. I have had a stop make so much noise in the past that I just had to take it off due to the harmonic resonance. I will see if we can get a unit from ALTA to test with and report back.

[ ALTA Tensioner Stop ]

WOW! That is almost all I can say about this past weekend. I had sooooo much fun out there, which is quite a switch from last year’s Homestead event. While I still had fun last year, the frustration level was pretty high due to the fact that in 2007’s event, it was my first time going out there solo. Passing higher horsepower in student classes is one thing, trying to pass higher horsepower in the solo group when the other cars running with you are being driven by instructors, well, that is another story. The point-by’s just don’t come as easy since the cars, not only have more power, but they are being driven by people who know how to use it!

This weekend was all about taking my driving to the next level for me. Applying some skills I touched on at Daytona (and some skills I observed while watching Randy Pobst toss my MINI around the track), I was able to shave 6 seconds off my lap times from last year!! In 2006, which was the first time I had ever been on the Homestead track, I was running 1:59 lap times. In 2007, that number decreased to 1:56. This weekend, I was clicking off 1:50 laps!! Granted, I was running shaved Toyo RA1’s and Hawk HT-10 race pads this time around, but a lot had to do with some new skills I was trying to master, specifically trail braking and modulating the throttle through the turns to make the back end come around just enough to point you in the right direction so you can stomp on the gas and go. What a rush! Needless to say, the point-by’s are starting to be received again, rather than given. Don’t get me wrong, there are still cars running out there that will kick our little MINIs arse out there, but it does feel good to not be the slowest thing out there.

I want to give a huge thanks to my “track junkie crew” – Jamie and Greg – you guys ROCK! To our newest track junkie, Daniel – hope to see you at many more events dude! To Minis of Miami – AWESOME show of support gang – thank you so much for coming out and cheering us on! To our resident MINI instructor, Bill, glad you came to hang with us out there – it sure was fun battling an instructor who drives a MINI! And to Jeff and Phyllis – even though you brought the Porsche instead of the MINI – we’ll still let you hang with us (by the way – thanks for taking the photos! I’ll be posting them soon). Thanks to the entire PBOC/PCA staff for putting on a safe weekend. And last, but not least, a HUGE thanks to Pete over at Minspeed for keeping Team Minspeed flying!