X-raid presents the MINI John Cooper Works Rally Plus
12/12/2022
- Powerful vehicle for the T1+ category
- Significant CO2 reduction through use of innovative HVO fuel
The X-raid vehicle family continues to grow: X-raid will compete in the upcoming Dakar 2023 with two MINI John Cooper Works Plus in the T1+ category. With the new desert racer, X-raid not only wants to have a say in the overall victory, but also to take a leading role in the area of sustainability for vehicles with combustion engines.
The MINI JCW Rally Plus runs on second-generation HVO fuel – the biodiesel is made from used vegetable fats and plastic bottles, for example. As a result, the fuel does not compete with food production like HVO1. In addition, in future the engine power will no longer be regulated by an air restrictor, but electronically. Together with the HVO fuel, X-raid thus achieves an enormous CO2 saving.
The MINI JCW Rally Plus is based on the all-wheel-drive MINI JCW Rally and thus retains the typical MINI appearance in many areas. Noticeable exterior changes are the longer and wider front and the wider wings. In addition, the engineers were able to optimise the aerodynamics, which improved the cooling of the brakes and dampers.
The T1+ category was introduced in 2022 and is a mixture of the 4×4 and buggy regulations. For example, the MINI JCW Rally Plus features all-wheel drive, paired with a wider wheelbase, increased track width and higher suspension travel. However, the ability to control tyre pressure from the cockpit is reserved for the buggy category.
On 31 December 2022, the MINI JCW Rally Plus will celebrate its debut at the prologue to the Dakar 2023.
Sven Quandt: “Sustainability is clearly at the forefront of our forward-looking MINI JCW Rally Plus project. The future, motorsport will have to get used to the fact that without sustainability there will be no more motorsport. In this respect, it was clearly a matter of the heart for us that we will operate the ninth MINI more sustainably. With HVO we are entering new territory for the cross-country scene and I am looking forward to introducing our latest addition to the family, the MINI JCW Rally Plus with significant aerodynamic changes. In our opinion, HVO fuel is an important complement to other low-emission powertrains – and not just in motorsport. The Dakar offers a very good platform to test this fuel and raise awareness.”
