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The Mini JCW 24h Nurburgring Race Edition is as cool as it sounds.
Mini has done it again, they have taken a regular hatch and turned things to 11. Or rather 24, in the case of their 2022 hot hatch – the Mini JCW 24h Nurburgring Race Edition. As the name suggests, it is the most extreme Mini hatchback on sale in the world right now, but before we get to the finer details, let’s just take a moment to appreciate the name of the car. It is not every day that you get to visit a dealership and drive out in a car that has ‘Nurburgring’ - also known as the ‘Green Hell’ - in its name. Of course, having the name of one of the most technical and revered race tracks in the world means the automaker making such a car must back it up with mind-bending performance. Add ’24h’, short for 24 hours, next to the word ‘Nurburgring’ in the car's name, and you take notice of those who love cars and racing with all their heart. But, Mini has also taken up the challenge of pleasing some of the most well-informed communities, who will, rather passionately, tell you that the car may not have done the name justice. Yet, it seems like Mini has pulled it off.
At the core of it, the reason is quite simple – bragging rights. If you are someone who loves cars and has been following the history of automakers selling cars based on their racing pedigree, it is more than often about bragging rights. Yes, you may never take this Mini to the Nurburgring but the fact that it has been made to dominate the legendary race track, unlike your friend’s regular Mini Cooper, is indeed cool.
But what makes it cool? You see, the 24-hour Nurburgring race is said to be the ultimate endurance test for both - the man and the machine. And this ultimate test is reaching the half-century mark as the 50th edition is scheduled to take place from May 26 to May 29, 2022. It is during these days, that the 25.378-kilometer circuit will have a Mini John Cooper Works going for glory.
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The glorious record of Mini starts back in 1962 when Pat Moss secured the first international rally victory for the company at the Tulip Rally. Her victory kicked off the Classic Mini's successful run in rally sport as the car would go on to have three successive overall Monte Carlo Rally wins - in 1964 by Paddy Hopkirk, 1965 by Timo Mäkinen, and in 1967 driven by Rauno Aaltonen.
In modern times. Mini has also scored six overall Dakar Rally wins. The first win came in 2012 with Leonid Novitskiy. The team repeated the feat in 2013 and 2021 with Stephane Peterhansel, once with Nani Roma in 2014, Nasser Al-Attiyah in 2015, and in 2020 with Carlos Sainz Sr.
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It took Mini only seven months to take the Mini JCW 24h Nurburgring Race Edition from being an idea at the start of this project to it being rolled out for the world to see. While the final product has taken shape, Mini says that there are still some more tests that need to be run on the Nordschleife and also in Southern France, at BMW’s testing center in Miramas.
Mini says that the chassis of the racing car, from the house of Mini John Cooper Works, was subjected to an extensive and varied test program.
It was in September 2021 when the project was given a green light at Bulldog Racing in the Eifel region, a few meters away from the Nordschleife.
Painted in the colors that pay homage to the classic 1960s race cars in red and white, the Mini JCW 24h Nurburgring Race Edition gets a 4-cylinder turbo engine. This makes 306 horsepower and 332 pound-feet of torque. The engine is mated to an 8-speed Steptronic transmission with an integrated, mechanical diff lock.
Other modifications include a racing cage that was specially developed for the Race Edition, a 100-liter fuel tank, and a race suspension that comes with adjustable rebound and compression damping. Mini also installed a pneumatic lifting unit and replaced moving chassis and suspension parts with reinforced Uniball bearings. Stopping duties have been handed over to BMW M Performance brake components, weight has been kept to a minimum using Makrolon windows and of course, a sports exhaust system with a racing catalytic converter is fitted as well.
Lastly, aerodynamics play a big role in adding speed and agility to this Mini as the air is sliced through using an adjustable rear wing, a rear diffuser, a completely covered underbody, and a front splitter.
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