A MINI for the Dakar rally series?
This is the MINI All4 Racing by X-raid Team developed for the 2011 Dakar rally season. It will make its debut on New Year's Day in Buenos Aires for the start of the Personal Dakar Argentina-Chile rally.
The MINI All4 Racing, based on the MINI Countryman, is part of the X-raid's seven-car Dakar team. It took just 90 days to complete the racing model with the MINI Design team and Magna Steyr partnering with X-raid on the project with the frame and chassis designed by Heggemann Autosport GmbH.
The car will undergo a series of tests next week in France.
The new Dakar racer is powered by the same twin-turbo diesel engine as in the 2011-specification BMW X3 CC, developing 315 PS (232 kW) and 710 Nm of torque. The MINI All4 will replace an outgoing 2010 BMW X3CC.
"Compared to the BMW X3CC, the MINI will be characterized by improved handling as the overall length is shorter and it is lower," said Sven Quandt, the X-raid Team director, in the release.
The car will be driven by the French rally team of Guerlain Chicherit and co-driver Michel Périn.