This is how Carlos Sainz's MINI for the Dakar will look

In 2017 the manufacturing process of the MINI John Cooper Works Buggy was approved. More than 50 engineers from X-raid took part in its design, in order to provide Carlos Sainz with the best product to complement his incredible talent.

The Dakar 2018 became the perfect testing ground for this new car. In 2019, the evolved version will be the perfect ally for Carlos Sainz.

In the words of Quandt himself:

“Carlos’s support during the development of the MINI John Cooper Works Buggy has moved us forward in terms of setup”.

The construction was carried out over a month; however, before it could be completed, all of the vehicle’s components first had to be approved through the exhaustive studies by the FIA, which extends the process by many more months.

The MINI John Cooper Works Rally was launched in 2016, replacing the successful MINI ALL4 Racing (winner of the Dakar 4 times, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015).

It features a lower centre of gravity, a renewed chassis and better manoeuvrability. Its competitiveness was demonstrated this year with victory in the FIA World Cup Rally Cross-Country.

Both prototypes have been designed for competition and comply with the FIA’s technical safety regulations. The base of both is a tubular chassis that houses the mechanical and safety components, on which a carbon-fibre body is mounted.

The differences between the Rally and Buggy versions are clear.

On the one hand, the two MINIs in the Dakar have an engine based on the production BMW M50d powerplant, adapted of course to meet the requirements of their respective categories.

The engines are assembled by hand in BMW Steyr.

As for their gearboxes, both are six-speed sequential units, built by X-Trac on the Buggy and by Sadev on the Rally.

All-wheel drive is present in both models, and they carry only 3 spare wheels (2 on the Buggy), which gives them an advantage in visibility, but also increases the risk of having no spare parts in the event of unexpected situations.

As for weight, the regulations allow the Buggy version a weight of less than 1,675 kg and 1,859 kg in the 4×4 version. The engine is located in the front half of the vehicle.

Another great advantage of the Buggy is that it can fit suspension with greater travel, as well as larger-size tyres. It also benefits from a very effective element on sand and dunes, since it can be equipped with a tyre inflation and deflation system operated from the cockpit.

This advantage is evident, especially if we take into account that the drivers of the 4x4s have to get out of the car and carry out this operation manually, which obviously means a clear loss of time.

The two-wheel-drive car performs better off-road, thanks to its greater suspension travel, tyres and wheelbase. After testing the vehicle for the first time, one of the drivers taking part in the Dakar 2018 – who had competed with the 4×4 the previous year – stated that:

“It is a very different car to drive. When you reach the bend you have to analyse it, because it slides more and you have to think about how to attack it to do it cleanly. But, on the other hand, if you are on a straight full of potholes you won’t have to worry about them. It’s incredible how fast you can go over holes or bumps, and you don’t notice it from inside the car”.

Carlos Sainz and Lucas Cruz will have more difficulty seeing the terrain ahead as they sit with their bodies lower and have poorer visibility, but they will suffer less physical punishment thanks to gentler suspension with greater travel, and tyres with a superior absorption capacity.

And in the extremely demanding stages of the Dakar, being more comfortable is a major advantage. Moreover, by moving less mass, the inertia is lower, landings are easier to handle and pure performance is easier to achieve.