X-raid Team will bring a petrol-based Mini John Cooper Works Rally to the Rallye du Maroc in October, a break their usual diesel-engined Minis. The Mini JCW Rally 3.0i was revealed on Wednesday.
The 3.0i uses an engine dubbed the RS24, which generates 263 kW of power at 570 Nm of torque; by comparison, the BMW diesel engine produced 263 kW and 570 Nm. Both motors have 2,993 cubic centimetres of displacement, while the diesel counterpart has a higher top speed of 180 km/h to the RS24’s 170 km/h, though the latter is due to FIA regulations.
Otherwise, the car is generally the same as its predecessors.
“For many years, we have successfully fielded the X-raid Mini JCW Rally with a diesel engine, which has been powered by the environmentally friendly HVO fuel for the past two years,” said team principal Sven Quandt. “Since the team was founded in 2002, we have been very successful with BMW diesel engines and have won the Dakar Rally six times and many championships with this concept. With the high-performance turbo petrol engine that our development team has spent the last nine months working on with Alpina, we are taking a big step and breaking completely new ground.
“With immediate effect, our customers can choose between the two engine variants. Our proven and highly reliable diesel engine will continue to be offered alongside the petrol engine. The Morocco Rally will be the first test under competitive conditions for the MINI JCW Rally 3.0i. After that, we will know where we stand.”
The car underwent testing in Germany, France, Morocco, Poland, and Spain across various environments. Germany is where the team is headquartered, while Poland and Spain have rounds on the FIA World and European Baja Cups that X-raid take part in. Morocco, where the Rallye du Maroc is held, provided the car with its first desert experience. In Germany, testing took place at a military training area in Trier.
João Ferreira currently leads the European Baja Cup standings in his diesel-powered Mini JCW Rally Plus, while the marque is currently third in the World Rally-Raid Championship’s manufacturers’ standings with drivers like reigning Dakar Rally winner Carlos Sainz, João Ferreira, Sebastián Halpern, Krzysztof Hołowczyc, and Pau Navarro, and Vaidotas Žala. X-raid’s reveal also comes a day after reports surfaced indicating Guillaume de Mévius has joined the team, suddenly moving over from Toyota.
The Rallye du Maroc will take place on 6–11 October.