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MINI’s racing legacy dates back to 1964 and includes historic victories at Monte Carlo. Today, The MINI JCW RACE TEAM honors our racing heritage on the track and on the podium.
| 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 |
| SCHEDULE SUBJECT TO CHANGE |
The MINI JCW RACE TEAM competed at 7 tracks across the US chasing John Cooper’s legacy. 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. Follow the 2023 season to see our MINI heritage and JCW performance in action.
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.
Learn MoreYou 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.
(Please Note: the MINI New Passenger Car Limited Warranty may not cover vehicles used in competitive events, and it specifically does not cover damage to the engine, transmission or any related components caused by improper operation of the vehicle or shifting.)
Learn MoreMotorsports 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.
Every MINI is equipped with the tools and the attitude to tackle the track, but we’ve got a few special tune-ups for the committed. John Cooper Works performance parts, rims and tires heighten all of your MINI’s senses – improving stability, reducing shock, tightening handling – giving you more control over the glorious machine at your disposal.
Son of a mechanic, pioneer of the rear-mounted engine and founder of the Cooper Car Company, John Cooper had three Monte Carlo Rally titles and 16 Grand Prix wins to his name. That name lives on in the MINI John Cooper Works models. Ferocious, street-legal racecars bred for the track and rigorously tuned to the most exacting performance standards. Because just as it was a half-century ago, racing is in our blood.
In 1959, the first Classic Mini was introduced to Britain: an unassuming, inexpensive 4-person “saloon” that didn’t use up a lot of gas or take up much space. And though at first, some people didn’t quite know what to make of this quirky newcomer, other people began to get big ideas.
One of the gentlemen most intrigued by the Classic Mini’s racing potential was the legendary F1 car builder, John Cooper. Already famous for his unique, extremely successful rear-engine F1 designs, it was only natural that an auto company bold enough to defy convention by placing its engine differently (sideways) would impress him.
Cooper immediately recognized that the same features that made the Classic Mini such an innovative people mover – a transverse engine, four wheels pushed out to the corners and minimal size – also gave the car incredible balance, an extremely wide stance and amazing agility. Just the attributes needed to turn it into a small, but ferocious racer.
And so, in 1961, with a few tweaks to the engine, a set of slightly bigger brakes, and a new contrasting roof to make it stand out in the pack, the Classic Mini emerged from the Cooper Car Company garages as the Mini Cooper.
What happened next (much to the dismay of the competition) is that John Cooper’s grand hypothesis was proven correct. The Classic Mini Cooper and Cooper S went on to dominate the 1960’s race scene, winning almost every international competition imaginable, including historic wins at Monte Carlo in 1964, 1965, 1966 and 1967.* And a car for the ages was born.