Mini has announced that it, too, will get in on the new B-Spec racing action with a race-prepped Mini Cooper Hardtop. Mini USA has partnered with Mini of Charleston, South Carolina, to offer B-Spec–compliant turnkey Cooper race cars. Like most of the other participating automakers, Mini will also sell Spec-ready conversion kits for those who already own a 2007-2012 Mini Cooper and have the racing itch.
Who knew small, cheap race cars with their own competitive racing class would catch on? The 2012 SCCA, Grand Am, NASA, and World Challenge seasons haven’t begun yet and already the B-Spec field is crowded. The Mini B-Spec racer, per B-Spec regulations, is mostly stock—its engine produces the same 121 hp and 114 lb-ft of torque as a normal Cooper. It gets required safety equipment like a roll cage, racing seat and harness, and a window net. The Mini rides on KW V1 coil-overs and the brakes get heavier-duty pads and braided lines. Finally, the Cooper rolls on a set of itty-bitty 15-inch alloy wheels and Hoosier racing slicks. Like Mazda, Mini backs amateur race drivers with its Motorsport Awards Program, which awards cash prizes for racing successes.
Mini USA will announce pricing for both the racing kits and the fully prepped, turnkey Coopers closer to the start of the 2012 racing season. In the meantime, the company will show off a B-Spec prototype at this week’s L.A. auto show. We don’t know about you, but the Car and Driver office is geeking out over a racing series for inexpensive, buzzy little hatchbacks.
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