Car Spec
ENGINE
The MINI John Cooper Works WRC’s 1.6-litre turbo-charged direct injection engine has been developed by BMW Motorsport. The engine is based on the standard 1.6-litre unit found in the MINI Countryman and retains the road car’s cylinder block and heads before it is then extensively re-engineered for competition. The rally engine is almost identical to that used by BMW in the World Touring Car Championship. The ECU is remapped for the unique demands of the different rally stages. Under FIA regulations, the performance of the engine is limited by a 33mm air restrictor and a maximum turbo boost pressure of 2.5 bar (absolute). The engine produces over 300bhp and more than 400Nm.
CHASSIS
The MINI John Cooper Works WRC chassis is based on that of the MINI Countryman road car. The extreme stability of the MINI Countryman allows the engineers to exceed the FIA safety requirements with comparatively little additional steel tubing. Prodrive’s uniquely designed roll cage is not only one of the safest, but also one of the most spacious safety cells in rallying.
SUSPENSION & DRIVETRAIN
The MINI John Cooper Works WRC has Macpherson strut suspension front and rear. The suspension has been developed in collaboration with motorsport damper specialists, Öhlins. The MINI John Cooper Works WRC has three-way adjustable dampers, so that it can be tuned to specific surfaces and the needs of the individual driver. The obligatory four-wheel drive allows maximum traction. The MINI Countryman road car is also available with four-wheel drive. The 1.6-litre turbo engine is mated to the drivetrain via an Xtrac six-speed sequential gearbox and AP Racing sintered twin plate clutch with the driver selecting gear via a manual shift mounted on the steering column. The car has passive limited slip plate and ramp differentials on the front and rear axles.
AERO
The rear wing is the most important aerodynamic device on the MINI John Cooper Works WRC. It produces significant downforce and sideforce at the rear of the car to help improve high speed stability. The shape of the rear wing has been modelled using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) which simulates wind tunnel testing. Its design must meet strict FIA regulations. The wing on the WRC-spec car is the most significant difference with the S2000 car – it is much larger producing greater downforce and makes the biggest difference to the performance between the two cars. The rear wing is made from lightweight carbon fibre.
