Last Manual JCW Hits 24 Hours of the Nürburgring

Even the qualifying sessions for the famous 24-hour race on the 25.378-kilometre circuit posed major challenges for man and machine. A long series of major tire problems affected several teams, including Bulldog Racing, which had to withdraw its starter in the SP3T race car class at short notice. Tension could be felt as the team looked forward to the race, finally, all hopes rested now on the black MINI John Cooper Works with the starting number #126, which started from position nine of its class into the race. But soon confidence spread, because in the early stages of the race start driver Sebastian Sauerbrei made up several places in the class and in the overall classification. By the end of the 24-hour marathon, the MINI John Cooper Works 1to6 Edition with start number #126 had made up eight places in class and an impressive 49 positions in the 131-car field, impressively underlining its reliability with a podium finish.

The MINI John Cooper Works 1to6 Edition race car completed 114 laps, the distance driven equating to approximately 2,893 kilometres. On the way to the podium, the race car with a manual transmission did 15 pit stops.

"I am very happy about this great result - for the Bulldog Racing Team, for MINI John Cooper Works, for everyone who cheered along, helped and did a great job," says Stefanie Wurst, Head of MINI. "I am very impressed by the whole atmosphere at the Nürburgring. The enthusiasm for motorsport is in the genes of our MINI John Cooper Works models. With the new MINI John Cooper Works 1to6 Edition, we celebrate our legendary motorsport history. We couldn't think of a more fitting opportunity to present this new edition to our fans here at the Ring and also surprise them with this excellent race result."