MINI has revealed their contenders for the next season of the Dakar Rally. The first is the standard Mini John Cooper Works Rally. The British carmaker has also revealed an all-new rear-wheel driven Mini John Cooper Works Buggy.
The new rear-wheel driven Buggy has been introduced to capitalise on the certain advantages reserved for the front-wheel-drive cars in the world’s toughest rally. The Buggy is powered by the same 3.0-litre straight-six diesel engine with 340bhp and 800Nm. The transmission and drivetrain are however new, says the carmaker. Sebastian Mackensen, senior vice president of Mini, commenting on their Dakar contenders, said, “With these two cars we have the most powerful MINI family that ever raced at the Dakar Rally.”
The Buggy employs special tubular steel frame for safety, covered by carbon fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP) and Kevlar bodyshell. Mini says that the all-new Buggy has already undergone an intensive test programme over all types of terrain in Hungary and Morocco. Meanwhile, the standard all-wheel-drive Mini JCW Rally received a new chassis construction featuring greater suspension travel and weight reductions among other things. The Rally finished sixth in the overall rankings of 2017 Dakar Rally. Overall, Mini and X-raid won four consecutive victories from 2012 to 2015.
To continue their streak, Mini and X-raid range for this year’s rally will comprise of seven cars. With its driver line-up and the crew of organisers and technical and medical specialists, the X-raid Team is confident to be perfectly equipped for the endurance race.
