MINI Officially Congratulates X-raid Motorsports on their Dakar Win

Sections: Countryman Dakar | Motorsports Jan 17th, 2012 9 Comments

The MINI All4 team has won Dakar. No it’s not an actual Countryman like the WRC rally car is but this is the Dakar. Something much more serious is required to not just race but survive. Therefore the X-road Countryman is a tubular framed off-road race car that was designed by the MINI Design team and is powered by a BMW Motorsport engine. And now we can also call it a Dakar winner.

Official Release: Stéphane Peterhansel (FR) and his co-driver Jean-Paul Cottret (FR) have made it. At the end of the last of 14 demanding stages, the duo and its green MINI ALL4 Racing was confirmed as the winner of the legendary Rally Dakar in a time of 38h 54m 46s. This was Peterhansel’s tenth victory at the “Dakar”. He had already claimed six titles on a motorcycle, and now has four wins in the car category to his name.

Dr. Kay Segler, Senior Vice President, MINI Brand Management and Business Coordination, said: “On behalf of MINI, I would like to congratulate Stéphane Peterhansel, his co-driver Jean-Paul Cottret and the entire X-raid team on their triumph at the 2012 Rally Dakar. To stand on the top step of the podium on ten occasions after the toughest rally in the world is quite simply an unbelievable achievement. Sven Quandt’s team has once again proven its class with all five MINI ALL4 Racings finishing in the top ten.” Joan “Nani” Roma (ES) and Michel Périn (FR), also driving a MINI ALL4 Racing, finished runner-up to complete a one-two for the German Monster Energy X-raid Team. When the rally came to a close in Lima, Peru, the gap between the two leading MINI cars was nearly 42 minutes.

Written By: Gabe

JonPD

Great victory for the BMW/MINI sponsored team! This is Countryman in name only. When they cast the CF it could have been a BMW or just about anything else they wanted it to be. This is not really about MINI as much as it is about a racing victory by the team on one of the toughest races out there.
- Vanmini
  
  guys,I beleive we need to stop griping about this can not being “MINI” enough. Nascar, IHRA, Indy and F1 all have manufacturers attached and you dont hear the Mercedes or the Honda crowd, saying “great win, but it didnt look like my car very much, therefor this really isnt a win for “my brand/car” GET OVER IT.
  
  BMW/MINI (in whatever shape or form it took), beat Robby Gordon and his stoopid Hummer in a “girls car”.. see you in the morning Robby, we rollin!
- http://BimmerFile.com Gabriel Bridger
  
  You’re really complaining about MINI and BMW partnering with a race shop and helping them design the car and develop the power train? Am I missing something?
  - JonPD
    
    Not even the least Gabe, just saying this is more advertising for MINI than a MINI. This is the case with a huge number of race cars that share nothing with the brand outside of a general shape and a badge. Saying brand X won something is a lark when the entire vehicle is a custom. At least with this BMW Motorsports what involved in the design so its related to the brand.
    
    This is not a bad thing just lauding success for a brand when the vehicle has nothing to do with it is odd in my view. Still great to see the team do well in this MINI shaped BMW engined race car.
    - R Burns
      
      Don’t forget that all Minis are conceived since 2001 by the same BMW engineers (Munich)
      
      Some motors are common and some frames soon between the two brands
  - BilboBaggins
    
    This a great accomplishment for the whole X-Raid team. Dakar is one of the toughest race series in the world.
    
    I just wish that BMW/MINI would invest more in the Continental Tire Grand-Am ST class where a team has been developing and racing a R53 chassis for the past five years. This is a premium series with at least ten different manufacturers represented on the starting grid.
    - Anonymous
      
      BMW does not support racing dead chassis- you can’t even be considered for prize money doing so unless in a heritage class.
      
      They do support the Rolex and Grand Am Series- only with awards to race winners as part of the privateer racing program. Grand AM is for privateers more or less- works teams are in ALMS, VLN, WRC and DTM. BMW doesn’t even support WTCC anymore- strictly privateer. This stuff isn’t cheap and they put money where development occurs for the future and in products that can market the brand. Last I checked MINI was not selling the R53 so why would anyone invest money into that since there is zero return in marketing? That’s how racing works and the reason BMW pulled out of F1 and today, Peugeot pulled out of LMP1…. too much money for little returns.
- http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1786586697 Jack Empson
  
  Try to find a NASCAR style V8, rwd,Camry at your local dealer.
  - BilboBaggins
    
    Why do you think NASCAR is losing so many fans? Too little connection to what is in the showroom. That, and all of those left hand turns. Enough to make one dizzy.
    
    Why do you think NASCAR bought the Rolex Grand-Am series. Trying to attract some fresh fans from another series. That is why NASCAR is allowing or even encouraging their drivers to participate in the Rolex series.

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