The JCW Race Team Finishes The Olympus Rally Outside of the Top Three

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After a podium finish in its first rally, the JCW Race Team’s rookie season is becoming a bit grueling. Both the JCW Cooper and JCW Countryman finished off the podium in what is known to be one of the toughest rally’s in North America.

In Open 2WD, the MINI John Cooper Works 2-Door (car #567, Quillen/Myers) finished 4th in the National class, with a total time of 4:09:50.5. That places it behind a mix of more developed builds, but crucially, it finished.

In Limited 4WD, the MINI John Cooper Works Countryman ALL4 (car #265, Perocarpi/Schrunder) finished outside the front runners in the National class, posting a 4:00:08.1 total time after factoring in penalties. Again, not a headline result, but a complete one.

Breaking Down The Classes

One of the more confusing aspects of the American Rally Association is how classes and categories overlap. For MINI’s effort, there are really two that matter.

Open 2 Wheel Drive (O2WD)

This is where the MINI JCW 2-Door competes, and it’s arguably the most varied class in the field.

O2WD is open to front- or rear-wheel drive cars with a wide range of modifications. You’ll see everything from modern Rally4 machines like the Peugeot 208 to older builds like BMWs, Volvos, and even the occasional oddball. That mix makes it one of the most competitive and unpredictable categories.

Within O2WD, there are two layers:

• National: The top-tier championship competitors
• Regional: Local entries running a parallel classification

MINI’s JCW 2-Door is competing in National O2WD, where it finished 4th at Olympus. That puts it behind more purpose-built Rally4 cars, but ahead of a large portion of the broader field. For a relatively lightly modified car, that’s a credible result.

Limited 4 Wheel Drive (L4WD)

The JCW Countryman ALL4 runs in Limited 4WD, a class designed to keep costs and modifications in check.

Unlike the open classes, L4WD restricts how far teams can go with upgrades. The result is a field dominated by production-based AWD cars, most commonly Subaru WRXs, with performance that’s closer to showroom spec than full rally builds.

Again, the field is split into:

• National: Championship contenders
• Regional: Local competitors

The Countryman competed in National L4WD, going up against deeply experienced Subaru-based teams. While it finished further down the order at Olympus, the result reflects both the competitiveness of the class and how early MINI still is in developing the platform for rally conditions.

Why This Matters

On paper, a 4th place and a mid-pack finish don’t jump off the page. But within the context of these classes, they tell a more nuanced story.

O2WD rewards agility, driver skill, and momentum. That’s where MINI’s traditional strengths naturally shine.

L4WD, on the other hand, is about traction, durability, and setup. It’s a tougher category to break into quickly, especially against platforms that have been developed for years.

Taken together, MINI’s results at Olympus show a program that’s competitive in the right places and still learning where it needs to be.

And three rallies in, that’s exactly where you’d expect it to be.

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