The Confederation of Australian Motor Sport is pleased to announce the approval of a new one-make national racing series to be known as the ‘MINI Challenge’ which will hit Australian circuits starting from 2008. The series is expected to visit all states and territories around the country and will join the likes of Formula 3, Formula Ford and Carerra Cup as domestic racing categories which also have strong links internationally.

It is great to welcome the iconic MINI back to the Australian motor racing scene after so many years

said Graeme Emerton, Chairman of CAMS’ Australian Motor Racing Commission.

The MINI Challenge, which is already being run in a number of European countries and also New Zealand, has been an incredibly successful initiative and MINI’s long term commitment to Australian motor sport with this series will provide confidence to competitors and event promoters alike.

The MINI brand has had a long association with motor sport in Australia, particularly in Touring Car racing with their most significant achievement coming in 1966 with Rauno Aaltonen and Bob Holden at the helm of the victorious Morris Cooper S at Bathurst, a race in which Mini cars amazingly filled the top nine places.

More recently, Australian MINI motor sport activities have focused on tarmac rallying with a three-car team campaigned in 2006 and 2007. The lead Team MINI racer, driven by Paul Stokell, finished ninth outright in the 2007 Targa Tasmania rally in April.

According to Justin Hocevar, National Manager MINI, the MINI Challenge is the most exciting new international series to reach Australian motor sport for several years.

We have very solid competition credentials both overseas and here in Australia thanks to Team MINI.

Thanks to the gripping on-track action, MINI Challenge is sure to find a strong and loyal following among racing fans both trackside and on TV.

The series is the ideal entry point to motor racing with competitors expected to be drawn from the ambition-rich ranks of go-karting and open-wheel formulae.

With MINI Challenge we will be bringing an affordable, competitive and very exciting series to Australia. It will be good for racers, spectators, sponsors and for motor sport in general.

The series will also mark the international motor sport debut of the brand new R56 generation MINI Challenge race cars which will be built to a global racing specification in Germany later this year.