Mini will contest next year's Dakar Rally with an All4 Racing developed and
run by the Monster Energy X-Raid team.
The project was first discussed in the summer
of 2009 and the competitive debut of the new Mini All4 Racing will be in the
hands of the French rally crew of Guerlain Chicherit and co-driver Michel
Périn in January's 33rd Personal Dakar Argentina-Chile. The event starts in
Buenos Aires on New Year's Day and finishes in the Argentine capital on
Sunday, January 16th, 2011. The new Mini All4 Racing will form part of
X-raid's seven-car Dakar team - the largest ever entered by a team in the
33-year history of the world's most famous off-road rally - and the third of
three vehicles running on the event under the Monster Energy X-raid Team banner.
X-raid team director Sven Quandt began looking at the
feasibility of the project in 2009 and held initial discussions with
automotive engineering and manufacturing company Magna Steyr and BMW to see
whether the new model was a realistic replacement for the BMW/Mini X3 CC -
which has earned the Trebur-based team three successive FIA World Cup for
Cross-Country Rally titles since 2008.
Quandt received the green light
for the new project from BMW in June 2010 and Magna Steyr gave their full
approval on September 24th. Initial plans for the new project were discussed
at length throughout October in Graz, Austria.
The Mini Design team and Magna
have managed the design of the vehicle. Quandt and engineer Martin Ertl, a
former X-raid staff engineer who also manages a Formula 3 racing team, have
overseen the new project on behalf of X-raid.
Construction of the new
Mini
All4 Racing cross-country rally car began in November and has continued into
December. The car will be put through a first series of tests in France on
December 13/14th. It will then be transported by airfreight to South America for
final preparations for scrutineering in Buenos Aires at the end of the month.
315-Horsepower Diesel Engine
The Mini will be powered by variable twin-turbo diesel engine that is fitted
to the 2011-specification BMW X3 CC and built in Steyr the same place as the
Mini and BMW diesel engines are made. The power unit delivers in the
region of 315 hp and 524 lb-ft of torque. This is an increase compared to the
output of the 2010-specification BMW X3 CCs used on the Dakar Rally to seal
fourth and fifth places last January.
"This is a major development in
cross-country rallying and something of which we are very excited," admitted
Quandt. "There has been a very short time between the decision to go ahead
and the roll out for the next Dakar, but we are confident that the new Mini
All4 Racing will be competitive out of the 'box.
"Compared to the BMW X3CC, the
Mini will be characterized by improved handling
as the overall length is shorter and it is lower. We have also been able to
improve on many other smaller details, such as the relocation of smaller
components to lower the centre of gravity."
Designed in Germany and
Austria
The Mini benefits from larger air
intakes, a one-piece bonnet and a revised and improved ventilation system
using a front air intake and a roof intake. Visibility inside the Mini All4
Racing is not on a par with the BMW X3 CC and entry and exit of the vehicle
for the occupants is slightly more difficult, but Quandt is delighted with
general improvements nonetheless.
Quandt confirms that the Mini All4 Racing
is 4 inches shorter than the BMW X3 CC, about 1 inch lower than its predecessor
and has a half an inch reduced rear overhang when compared to the BMW. Magna Steyr
under the project lead of Hermann Pecnik has been responsible for concept
design, the technical drawings and calculations, as well as the production
data and compliance with stringent FIA regulations governing cross-country
motor sport.
The frame and chassis components were designed by Büren-based
Heggemann Autosport GmbH and Faster worked on the complete carbon-kevlar body
and provided Magna-Steyr with assistance on the construction of the Mini.
Quandt reckons that the Mini All4 Racing is more service friendly than the X3
CC, as all the body panels can be removed within minutes to give easier
access to important mechanical components. The skin of the Mini, for example,
can be changed within less than 30 minutes. The BMW X3 CC was developed over
a period of five years and all this development has been utilized by the Mini
All4 Racing.
The new car runs fully within the 2010 regulations and should be
competitive from the outset.