Mini’s objectives for its return to rallying

The story’s the same. Sixty years on, the story’s the same. It’s just the cars that have changed.

For Ford, read Fiesta rather than Falcon and for Porsche 911 see Subaru. Impreza or WRX.

Mini is back. Back rallying, back in the role of underdog and back delivering giant-killing performances. When Mini USA confirmed a two-car (John Cooper Works Countryman ALL4 and John Cooper Works 2-Door) ARA National Championship effort for this season, it was made very clear this was a toe in the water. The stated aim for year one? A class podium.

Cristian Perocarpi rewrote that script on round one as he set foot on the snow for the first time and found the winter-tired front-wheel drive JCW was perfect for Michigan’s frozen forests. The 22-year-old finished Sno*Drift third in Open Two-Wheel Drive (O2WD).

“We set out with this attitude of seeing how things worked out,” Mini USA’s head of communications Andrew Cutler told DirtFish, adding with the smile: “it worked out pretty darn good: we got a podium finish in class.”

What’s fascinating here is that Cutler doesn’t push the point of the podium, instead he reaches for another story. Cristian’s father Luis is driving the all-wheel drive Countryman in ARA.

“Luis finished well himself,” he added, “despite stopping and helping try to pull a Subaru out of a ditch.”

That Subaru was the one belonging to outright rally leader Travis Pastrana.

Yes, this Mini adventure is about demonstrating the potential of the car, but there’s more to it than that.

“For us,” continued Cutler, “it’s not all about podiums – it’s about emotional storytelling. Yes, of course, it’s also about our heritage and the performance story. People, they love the underdog story.”

The Perocarpi father and son team certainly tick that box. Cristian started his first ever rally last fall. His dad’s done a few more events, but not many. Both have found circuits more familiar – and successful – in the past. But now, the Mini-focused family team has switched its allegiance from track to stage.

And Mini USA is delighted to partner them down this new road.

Cutler: “We’re a small niche brand, you know. And, as much as everyone likes to think that the BMW Big Brother has the deep pockets, the reality is that we have to come up with creative solutions to really make this stuff happen.

“The multi-million dollar program? That’s never going to happen for Mini. We’re always going to be the underdog that’s nipping at Subaru’s heels – but that’s fine. We’re good with that.”

And why wouldn’t they be? This ARA program is designed to further the brand’s sporting pedigree, while leaning into its astonishing history and heritage. But it’s also about selling metal. And that message couldn’t be more route one.

As most of the cars cross the finish line, their drivers flick a switch from stage to road mode. The Perocarpis can flick their cars back into Car Play mode to ease the navigation while Spotify puts some music around the picture. These cars are stock. Like stock.

“The modifications are so minimal,” said Alexia Kurz, who oversees Mini USA’s rally program, “really, it’s all the safety requirements needed to compete. Essentially, you can drive our car out of the dealership and into the stages – and that’s just the way we want to reinforce the performance story.

“That’s the way the community wants it as well. One of the things that made Mini successful was an organic community that was already doing a lot of activities, whether it’s car clubs, racing – this was all with the classic [Mini]. And when the new car came about, one of the things we saw was many people gravitating towards Mini as an excellent platform for autocrossing and so many other opportunities on the track.

“The community just organically embraced this and did it among themselves. We were a very small brand. I mean, when we first launched, we only had two versions you know, the Cooper and the Cooper S: two-door hatches. We were in a building phase as well, so we were happy, more than happy that, organically, the community embraced the car as a motorsport platform.

“[Now] We’re looking at ways where motorsport is an opportunity for us to tell the story that gets beyond the current enthusiasts, and invites new enthusiasts into the brand. And, like we said, it’s so accessible from the club standpoint. I mean, to walk into the dealer, buy the car, [do some] minimal prep, and you can play in the dirt. It’s perfect.”

And rallying is ready for the returning giant-killer. When Cristian’s white-roofed, red John Cooper Works arrived in Atlanta wearing a pair of #37s on the doors and the famous 33 EJB registration plates, fans couldn’t get enough of it. Yes, there was the brief foray into the world of the World Rally Car, but talk Mini to anybody in rallying and they’ll tell tall tales about colossal wins for Paddy Hopkirk on the Monte and Timo Mäkinen on the 1000 Lakes.

That’s special. That’s a history worth drawing on. And the timing couldn’t be better, with the World Rally Championship coming nicely into sight on the Stateside horizon.

Predictably, Cutler connected the dots long before many even considered the dots might be a thing.

“We watched very carefully,” he said. “I think you’ve seen [the growth] of F1 over the last 10 years in the US. It was sort of niche here, where NASCAR dominated pretty much everything. Formula 1 has come such a long way in terms of what the audience and what the interest is in the US.

“I feel like rally is poised to do the exact same thing. We hedged a bet on whether or not WRC would come back to the US and it looks like there’s a strong possibility for that. We’re getting in on the ground floor of something that hopefully will flourish in the coming 10 years.”

History has served Mini well before. Why not again?