MINI John Cooper Works announced a spectacular performance at the 2024 Nürburgring 24 Hours race, showcasing the brand’s enduring spirit and engineering excellence. The highly anticipated MINI John Cooper Works Pro #317 and the steadfast MINI John Cooper Works #474 both delivered remarkable results, cementing MINI’s place in motorsport.
The #317 MINI John Cooper Works Pro, a new generation model set to premiere in fall 2024, emerged victorious in the SP-3T class, securing first place with a stunning lap time of 10:06, achieved by Markus Fischer (AUT), who shared the cockpit with Charlie Cooper (GBR), Christoph Kragenings (GER) and Sebastian Sauerbrei (GER). This remarkable performance underscores the capabilities and future potential of the next-generation MINI John Cooper Works models.
The #474 MINI John Cooper Works, featuring a six-speed manual transmission, continued its legacy of excellence by securing a commendable third place in the VT-2 class. Building on its previous year’s success of a second-place finish, the car, driven by Marco Zabel, Sascha Korte, Andreas Hilgers und Michael Bräutigam (all GER), recorded a fastest lap time of 10:44.118, showcasing the consistency and competitiveness of the MINI brand in endurance racing.
Stefanie Wurst, Head of MINI, commented on this outstanding achievement: “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” were equipped with high-performance Pirelli tires, further enhancing their competitive edge on the challenging Nürburgring circuit. The overall standings saw the MINI John Cooper Works Pro #317 achieving the impressive overall position 71, while the MINI John Cooper Works #474 secured an overall position of 78 out of 127 cars, showcasing the brand’s resilience and prowess in one of the most demanding endurance races globally.
The petrol version of the MINI Cooper, namely the MINI Cooper C and MINI Cooper S were launched earlier in May 2024 with first cars being delivered to customers worldwide. The all-new MINI John Cooper Works will premiere in October 2024. The John Cooper Works product line-up will comprise both all-electric and petrol-powered vehicles.
