After four years of absolute dominance, MINI lost the last edition of the Dakar to Peugeot. The answer now comes in the form of the new MINI John Cooper Works Rally.
MINI and X-Raid have once again joined forces to attack the biggest and most popular off-road race in the world: the Dakar.The starting base was apparently the MINI Countryman. Apparently because of the Mini Countryman all that's left is the looks.
The body is made in Kevlar, the chassis is tubular and the engine is a 3.0 Diesel unit of BMW origin. In terms of power, this MINI John Cooper Works Rally develops 340 hp and 800 Nm of maximum torque.
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As you might have guessed from the advertised power, contrary to what we might assume – given the superiority shown by the two-wheel drive solution of the Peugeot 2008 DKR – MINI will continue to invest in four-wheel drive. As we know, Dakar regulations allow two-wheel drive prototypes to be more powerful, lighter and have longer-travel suspensions.
Thus, MINI bet on improving the model's aerodynamics to achieve a higher top speed – the brand claims 184 km/h – and on lowering the model's gravity center, for greater agility and stability. Will it be a winning bet? The brand bets its chips in the most difficult areas of the Dakar, where it will be able to take full advantage of the traction system and cancel the disadvantage of fast areas.
The 2017 Dakar starts on January 2nd with pilot Mikko Hirvonen leading the British manufacturer's fleet.
