Three circular images from MINI’s racing history – a black and white photo of a vintage MINI race car, two TEAM JCW race cars coming down a bend, and a MINI racer holding up a trophy – with a John Cooper Works logo in the corner.

MOTORSPORTS

A DRIVING FORCE.

Alec Issigonis built a practical car, a car for everyone. So, it came as quite the surprise when John Cooper, auto racing legend, saw the MINI for something the world had yet to consider - a rally demon. After a few minor tweaks, the MINI Cooper 997 hit the tracks, and the rest was history.

Three circular images from MINI’s racing history – a black and white photo of a vintage MINI race car, two TEAM JCW race cars coming down a bend, and a MINI racer holding up a trophy – with a John Cooper Works logo in the corner.

INTRODUCTION

MINI CAR.
BIG WINS.

Stay in the loop on all things Team JCW with our 2024 racing schedule. We hope to catch you at the tracks this year.

Date

Location

April 5-7

Sonoma Raceway
Sonoma, CA


May 3-5

Sebring International Raceway
Sebring, FL


May 17-19

Circuit of the Americas
Austin, TX


July 19-21

Virgina International Raceway
Alton, VA


August 16-18

Road America
Plymouth, WI


September 6-8

Barber Motorsports Park
Birmingham, AL


October 4-6

Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Indianapolis, IN

The front-view of a TEAM JCW race car making a stop at the pit.
The rear-view of two TEAM JCW race cars driving down the race track.
A TEAM JCW race car with a checkered roof speeds down the track from a birds-eye view.
A black and white image of a vintage MINI race car speeding down the race track with smoke coming from the tires.

MINI’s racing legacy dates back to 1964 and includes memorable victories at the Netherlands Tulip Rally, a historic win led by female auto racing legend Pat Moss, and the Monte Carlo. Today, the MINI JCW Race Team continues to honor our racing heritage on the track and on the podium. During the 2023 racing season, TEAM JCW was named Crew of the Year.

PRIVATEERS

A front-view of a MINI JCW Hardtop 2 Door drifting on a race track with hills in the background.

DRIVE IT LIKE A PRO.

Motorsports prowess. It’s earned on the racetrack, but it’s learned at the MINI Performance Driving School, where professional instructors teach participants to unleash a MINI’s racing soul in Spartanburg, SC or Thermal, CA. 

The front-view of a TEAM JCW race car coming down the track with a giant flag in the background and cloudy skies.

YOU RACE? GET REWARDS.

You can win cash prizes racing a MINI in amateur or professional competitions through the MINI Motoring Awards Program. It’s just a little extra incentive for MINI owners to get out there and give racing a go. Not that the sheer fun and adrenaline rush of pressing a MINI through a closed course isn’t already enough.     

PRO TEAMS

The side-view of a TEAM JCW race car speeding down the track against a background of blurred grass and track.

JOIN THE 37 CLUB

Almost 60 years have passed, but the memory of the great triumph achieved by the small car with the starting number 37 has not faded. In 1964, the classic Mini Cooper S clinched the first of three overall victories at the legendary Monte Carlo Rally. Behind the wheel was rally driver Patrick “Paddy” Hopkirk. MINI has been claiming corners on racetracks and roads ever since.

Two TEAM JCW racers celebrate by popping champagne on a podium against a red background with logos.

TEAM JCW

The MINI JCW RACE TEAM competed at 7 tracks across the US chasing John Cooper’s legacy in 2023. The team finished the season in 2nd place for the Touring Car (TC) class and 3rd place for the Touring Car A (TCA) class. Driver, Clayton Williams, in the #60 car, finished 2nd in the TC class with Christian Perocarpi, in car #61, finishing in 4th place and PJ Groenke in 9th for the TCA class. 

Front-view of a TEAM JCW race car making a stop at the pit.

A LEGACY LIVES ON

MINI has always felt at home on the track. John Cooper’s name has stood for excellence and performance since he first discovered the racing potential of the Classic MINI in the early 60s. The MINI John Cooper Works team, named after his legacy and spirit, is owned and operated by Indianapolis-based LAP Motorsports and has three cars participating in the TC America class of the World Challenge series. 

The front-view of a MINI race car participating in the Dakar Rally leaving dust in its tracks in a rocky terrain.

The Dakar Rally
The Dakar Rally is a race unlike any other. Its extreme nature, daring backdrops, and rigorous stages are known to bring the best of the best to their knees. But not for MINI. In 2021, MINI saw its sixth overall win in the Saudi Arabian desert when Stéphane Peterhansel triumphed in his MINI JCW Buggy.

Luis Perocapri smiles in front of a TEAM JCW race car.

Meet Luis Perocapri
Luis Perocapri has been the heart and team owner of the JCW Race Team for over nine years — leading the crew to a number of historic victories. He founded LAP Motorsports LLC in 2008 and has been a longtime champion and supporter of MINI Motorsports.

The Bulldog Race Team
The heart of Bulldog Racing, a private racing team based in Nürburg with an impressive resumé of podium wins, lies within its two MINI John Cooper Works race cars - one of which competed in the Nürburgring, a legendary 24-hour long endurance racing event in Germany.

A black and white photograph of a racer driving a Cooper Mk.VIII.
The side-view of a TEAM JCW race car speeding down the track with blurred background.
PLACEHOLDER