Mini, in winning back mode

November 28 ^th 2016 - 17:48

A Dakar that concludes with three cars in the top six would satisfy a large number of teams. That is how it went for the X-Raid team last January, but the 2016 edition saw the string of victories that began in 2012 come to an end. Since then, the German team’s engineers and technicians have doubled their collective effort to develop a new Mini to take on Peugeot and Toyota, with whom they will have to battle in a few weeks. At the Trebur shop as well as in testing, the Mini was considerably revised: the lowered centre of gravity, accompanied with some mechanical solutions has increased top speed to 184kph. In addition to improved performance, this new Mini John Cooper Works Rally also evokes the makes glorious history. The original Mini Cooper was all the rage on the Monte-Carlo Rally in the 1960’s.

To try to take a fifth Dakar title, Sven Quandt formed a reworked team with the objective of capitalizing on the very promising debut of four-time world rally championship runner-up, Mikko Hirvonen, who finished 4th on the 2016 Dakar. Three Mini John Cooper Works Rally cars have been expedited to South America. The Finn will be joined by the latest arrival to the X-Raid squad, Yazeed Al Rahji and American off-road racing star Brice Menzies, who is awaited to make his debut in the rally-raid world with a bang. To complete the armada, five Mini All 4 Racings will be confided to drivers capable of making a strong showing, with “Orly” Terranova leading the way, but also Boris Garafulic, Jakub Przygonski, Mohammed Abu-Issa and Stephan Schott.
 
Technical specifications
Make: X-Raid
Model: Mini John Cooper Works Rally
Engine: BMW 6-cylindre turbo diesel
Power: 340 bhp.
Weight: 1952.5 kg
Top speed: 184 kph