The pocket rocket looks ready for the ultimate showdown this May
MINI John Cooper Works is set to make a comeback at the Nürburgring 24 Hours race following a 10-year hiatus. Private team Bulldog Racing, which is based in the Eifel region, just a few metres away from the Nordschleife, will field a specially built John Cooper Works hardtop in the SP3T class.
Under the bonnet of the race car sits a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine carried over from the John Cooper Works Clubman and John Cooper Works Countryman with 306 hp (225 kW) and 450 Nm on tap. The engine breathes through a sports exhaust system which has a racing catalytic converter.
Power is channelled to the ground via an eight-speed Steptronic gearbox taken from the series-production model. It features an integrated, mechanical differential lock with a locking effect of up to 70% to ensure that the drive torque gets to the wheels without any losses.
To beef up its chassis, Bulldog Racing has fitted model-specific racing suspension with adjustable rebound and compression damping, and replaced all moving chassis and suspension parts with reinforced Uniball bearings. Also installed were BMW M Performance brake components and a pneumatic lifting unit for quick tyre changes.
Needless to say, the interior has been largely stripped down to make room for a specially developed racing cage and a single OMP racing seat. Original glass windows have been swapped out for Makrolon window panes to further reduce weight, while the fuel tank volume has been increased to 100 litres.
On the outside, the race-prepped John Cooper Works sets itself apart from the road-going version with a huge adjustable rear wing, a completely covered underbody, a rear diffuser and a protruding front splitter.
The 50th edition of the legendary endurance race will take place this year from 26 to 29 May but before that, Bulldog Racing’s John Cooper Works will go on further tests scheduled on the Nordschleife (North Loop) of the Nürburgring and at the BMW Group testing centre in Miramas in southern France.
