may 02, 2022 - Mini Motorsport

MINI John Cooper Works completes another milestone on its way to the 24h race.

Preparing for the prestigious endurance race at the Nürburgring, MINI John Cooper Works successfully completes first test drives at BMW Group testing grounds in southern France.

Miramas / Nürburg. The new MINI John Cooper Works from Bulldog Racing has passed its baptism of fire. On the Circuit de Provence near the southern French city of Marseille, the car completed the extended test programme in recent weeks.

The aim of the extensive tests was to collect data and knowledge regarding the continuous loads exerted on chassis and drive components and their durability. Chassis engineer of the BMW Group, Patrick Häussler, was behind the wheel of the approximately 225 kW (306 hp) MINI. This is a great advantage for the racing team: Patrick develops BMW and MINI series products full-time and knows the Miramas test site from years of testing.

"During our rollout in March, the task was to ensure that the MINI John Cooper Works basically works. We were now able to test the entire range of development at the BMW Group test site in Miramas. In addition to the obligatory endurance runs and set-up, we were able to make modifications and repairs to our vehicle quickly on site here," says Friedhelm Thelen, team boss of Bulldog Racing.

"I drove the MINI John Cooper Works for the 24h race at Miramas for the first time. The MINI John Cooper Works is brand new, which is precisely why it's fascinating how far the car has come already. We were able to do more kilometres every test day and start with setup work and tyre testing. My impression of the car is consistently positive. For me it was a great pleasure to be able to play my part in making sure we hopefully have a great race at the Nürburgring."

Bulldog Racing will continue the development programme with the new MINI John Cooper Works on the Nordschleife in the coming weeks. The first race will be from 06 to 08 May 2022 at the ADAC 24h Qualifiers at the Nürburgring.