The 2025 F66 MINI Cooper JCW Wins it’s Class at the Nürburgring 24 Hours!

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MINI has done it – it’s won its class in the Nürburgring 24 Hours And not just in any car. They’ve done it in a prototype 2025 F66 MINI Cooper JCW driven by a driver line-up including the Charlie Cooper. Let’s look at how they did it and this performance tells us about the forthcoming MINI JCW.

After coming in second last year with the manual transmission equipped 1to6, MINI has finally won and in a car that has yet to be released. However it’s worth noting that this year’s race wasn’t the typical 24 hours. With heavy fog setting in during the night, organizers had to red-flag the the event hoping it would eventually lift. Unfortunately it never did and they had to call the race after only 10 hours. Mind you 10 hours on the ‘Ring is probably equivalent to a typical 24 hour race.

Despite being only 10 hours in total length, the 317 MINI JCW PRO (note that name) had to deal with rain, insane traffic and eventually sliding flog. Even with less than half the race distance, only seven cars finished in its SP3 class.

The other MINI from Bulldog racing was last year’s 1to6 MINI JCW. Once again the only manual transmission car in the race (out of 130 cars). This year it just missed out on 2nd place and finished in the final podium position in the VT2 Front class.

The highly anticipated MINI John Cooper Works PRO #317 and the reliable MINI John Cooper Works #474 both achieved remarkable results in difficult weather conditions, reinforcing MINI’s strong presence in motorsport.

F66 MINI Cooper JCW Modification For The ‘Ring

Inside the F66 JCW race car. 

The new MINI John Cooper Works PRO #317 was built as a pre-production model at the Oxford Plant and then modified extensively for the race. That means a full roll-cage, KW suspension, race specific braking system and what look like 17-inch OZ HyperGT light alloy wheels. Additionally Bulldog has stripped out the interior for weight savings. But outside of these necessary modifications, this is a stock F66 MINI Cooper JCW. Which makes its 10:06.773 lap time even more impressive.

The same stock mentality goes for the F56 1to6 JCW. And like last year it features a manual transmission – likely the only car at the race with a manual. 

Both cars “Made in Nürburg” were fitted with high-performance Pirelli tires, further enhancing their competitive edge on the challenging Nürburgring circuit. In the overall standings, the MINI John Cooper Works PRO #317 achieved an impressive overall position of 71, while the MINI John Cooper Works #474 secured an overall position of 78 out of 127 starters, showcasing the brand’s resilience and prowess in one of the world’s most demanding endurance races.

The Drive Line-Up Once Again Featuring Charlie Cooper

The drivers for MINI John Cooper Works PRO (#317), which competes at the SP-3T class features:

The manual F56 MINI Cooper JCW 1to6 Edition

– Charlie Cooper (GBR)
– Markus Fischer (AUT)
– Christoph Kragenings (GER)
– Sebastian Sauerbrei (GER)

The MINI John Cooper Works, with #474, is the only car equipped with a 6-speed manual transmission starting at this year’s edition of the race. Drivers for MINI John Cooper Works 1to6 edition (#474), which competes at the VT-2 class are:

– Michael Bräutigam (GER)
– Andreas Hilgers (GER)
– Sascha Korte (GER) 

Nurburgring 2024 Hours Gallery

Why The 24 Hours of the Nurburgring is Such a Huge Test

A couple of years ago we checked-off something major from our bucket-list in attending the mythical Nurburgring 24 Hours. The race and the atmosphere blew away our already high expectations but the team struggled. And it’s easy to see why. This is a grueling race on a track that doesn’t seem real. Add in weather that can range from sun to rain to snow and you have an event like none other.

The 24 Hours of Nurburgring- Experiencing the Ultimate Race For the 1st Time (VIDEO)

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