MINI Countryman Headed to Dakar as Service Car
MINI will once again provide the cars for the X-raid team to defend its championship title from the 2012 Dakar Rally.
Just like last year, X-raid will take a group of ALL4 Racing cars, but this year a host of MINI Countryman cars will offer support over the nearly 5,000-mile race. Of course, they won’t be quite the same as a standard Countryman coming out of the factory, but all the parts come from the brand’s off-road package, meaning owners can deck their Countryman out to be Dakar-ready.
Then again, the package doesn’t really add any extra off-road credentials. You can add 18-inch wheels and run-flat tires. There’s also silver-colored add-ons for the car’s front and rear ends. Mud flaps are also available, and are possibly the only item geared specifically toward sloppy driving conditions.
Suspension lifts, different gearing or any other modifications to bolster the car’s off-road ability are absent. Regardless, the cars will be trekking through the rally’s notoriously challenging mix of terrain, which probably speaks to the car’s stock capability more than anything.
Luke is an energetic automotive journalist who spends his time covering industry news and crawling the internet for the latest breaking story. When he isn't in the office, Luke can be found obsessively browsing used car listings, drinking scotch at his favorite bar and dreaming of what to drive next, though the list grows a lot faster than his bank account. He's always on <A title="@lukevandezande on Twitter" href="http://twitter.com/lukevandezande">Twitter</A> looking for a good car conversation. Find Luke on <A title="@lukevandezande on Twitter" href="http://twitter.com/lukevandezande">Twitter</A> and <A title="Luke on Google+" href="http://plus.google.com/112531385961538774338?rel=author">Google+</A>.
More by Luke Vandezande
Comments
Join the conversation