MINI John Cooper Works had an outstanding performance at the 2024 Nürburgring 24 Hours race, showing their strong spirit and top-notch engineering. The MINI John Cooper Works Pro #317 and #474 achieved great results. The #317 MINI John Cooper Works Pro, a new model set to debut in fall 2024, won the SP3T class. Driven by Markus Fischer (AUT), the car secured first place with an impressive lap time of 10:06. The #474 MINI John Cooper Works, with a six-speed manual transmission, also did well by finishing third in the VT2 class. Building on last year’s second-place finish, the car, driven by Marco Zabel (GER), recorded a fastest lap time of 10:44.118.
Stefanie Wurst, Head of MINI, shared her excitement: “What an achievement for MINI and Bulldog Racing to win their class at the hardest race in the world. On the year MINI celebrates the 60th anniversary of the famous first Monte Carlo victory, we continue to keep the MINI racing spirit alive. The legacy that John Cooper created continues to drive us forward.”
Both cars, made in Nürburg, used high-performance Pirelli tires, which helped them perform well on the challenging Nürburgring track. The MINI John Cooper Works Pro #317 finished 71st overall, and the MINI John Cooper Works #474 finished 78th out of 127 cars. These results show MINI’s strength and skill in one of the toughest endurance races in the world.
The MINI John Cooper Works PRO, designated as #317, is based on the new MINI John Cooper Works model, making its debut at the Nürburgring ahead of its world premiere in the fall of 2024. This car is camouflaged in a striking red and white motorsport wrap designed by the MINI Design Team, adding an element of intrigue and excitement. Built in Oxford, UK, and refined in Nürburg by Bulldog Racing, the MINI John Cooper Works PRO shows that endurance motorsport can still be exciting and fun.
MINI will unveil not one, but two John Cooper Works variants at the 2024 Paris Motor Show in October. The “J01” Cooper electric will be joined by the “F66” Cooper JCW with a gasoline engine before the end of this year. If you want the extra practicality of having rear doors but find the Countryman too big, the forthcoming subcompact Aceman crossover is also getting the JCW treatment in Q4.