Andrey Magiy’s Lohen racing team began racing in 2010, with a view to develop and test components for MINIs and bring that back to our retail customer base.
Successful in the MINI Challenge, Lohen is now seeking creative freedom to develop components outside of the sprint race format, as Andrey explains: “We chose the ERS as we were looking for an Endurance Championship, that would allow us to run a vehicle for a longer race distance (2-3 hours) rather than the shorter sprint races. This would give us both an opportunity to run the car in for a longer period of time as well as test part in prolonged race environment”. Working from a MINI Cooper S – 1.6L Turbo base car originally built for shorter races, Lohen’s R56 MINI has now been upgraded for endurance racing. The highlight of the car is a multipoint T45 weld-in roll cage, which not only provides the safety structure for the driver, but also picks up and strengthens the full chassis. The A-pillar bars are triangulated to the front strut tops and the bulk head to provide a very rigid and responsive front end. The rear suspension pick ups are also linked into the roll cage. Specialised electronics are featured, supported with BOSCH Motorsport M4 ABS (fully switchable for all weather conditions). And the car is fully prepared for night racing. The engine and drive train are heavily upgraded with a Lohen Stage 3 turbo, Upgraded Intake and Exhaust systems, tuneable LSD differential and a race clutch. The MoTeC electronics allows Lohen to extract the maximum out of the components whilst providing the kind of driver aids we have become used to on the road. In previous championships the car has been a front runner in its class and has won a number of races. Andrey is no mean pedaller himself and will take the wheel in ERS races if necessary, but the plan is to fill the entry with external drivers. So what are the hopes and aspirations for 2015 in the ERS? “We hope our participation in ERS is the proper start to our Endurance racing “career” as a team and will lead us to pastures new. Hopefully this will act as a stepping stone for us into 10, 12 & 24H racing. We will also be building ourselves up to a 2016 season when the championship will be for the taking. We want this season to have a few podium finishes and be either at the front of our class or pressuring the leader. We believe we have the skills and expertise, the right car and just now need to find the drivers to help complete the package”.
