Mini at Goodwood's Festival of Speed
20th June, 2010
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Mini will appear at the 2010 Goodwood Festival of
Speed from 1st-4th July. Apart from displaying the full range of the current Mini models, the British
Mini brand will mix old and new. Goodwood will be the venue where Mini’s past meets the brand’s
future.
Mini E Race to set electrifying pace
Monte Carlo Rally driver, and one of the original ‘Flying Finns’, Rauno Aaltonen will drive the
Mini E Race up the hill at Goodwood.
The Festival will be the first in the UK to host the appearance of the Mini E Race, a modified
race-equipped version of the emissions-free Mini currently undergoing road trials in the UK, USA
and Germany.
The Mini E Race made its public debut at the Nurburgring in May when it covered several laps of
the challenging 20.8 km Nordschleife driven by Thomas Jäger. Jaeger managed a lap in 9 minutes 51.4
seconds and achieved a top speed of 117 mph.
Extensive preparations were made before the car could undertake tests under racing conditions.
The Mini E Race was fitted with a special light weight body and a roll cage in order to ensure
optimum performance and safety. Other components, such as the suspension, brakes and tyres, also
follow race specification. Other than that, however, the car relies almost on the standard technical
make-up of the Mini E. For example, it shares the same 150 kW/204 hp electric motor, supplied with
energy from 5,088 lithium-ion battery cells. The power from the emission-free motor is channelled
to the front wheels via a single-stage helical gearbox with a lengthened gear ratio.
Explaining why Mini had decided to build a Race version of Mini E Peter Krams, Head of the
project said “The length and profile of the Nordschleife place extreme demands on the technology
of our electric car. But the Mini E Race met this considerable challenge with great authority. The
aim of this unique undertaking was to provide an impressive showcase of the great potential of the
Mini E and its environment-friendly drive concept.”
The driver was clearly impressed too. “I’ve driven this circuit many times, but never in such
an extraordinary car,” said Jäger. “The power of the electric motor has an incredible effect,
as you can access its full reserves of torque at all times. Another element of this fascinating
experience is the lack of noise from the drivetrain. All in all, that was certainly the cleanest
and quietest race lap I’ve ever driven.”
The Mini E Race demonstrates that Mini is leaving no stone unturned to prove the Mini E under
all conditions. The public trials are approaching halfway and are proving highly successful. They
are also helping to inform the BMW Group about the use of electric vehicles in real world
conditions and contributing to the mass of planning and knowledge that is accumulating in BMW’s
Project i. The company has already announced its decision to start production of a
Megacity
vehicle in 2013.
Set up like a race track to celebrate Mini’s glorious racing heritage, Rauno Aaltonen will also
be on the Mini stand for interviews and to meet enthusiasts over the three days.
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New Mini models make Goodwood debut
Visitors will be able to take a closer look at the current range of Mini models including
examples of the Hatch, Convertible and Clubman. Making an appearance at this highly regarded
motoring event will be the new
Mini Countryman
that goes on sale in the UK on 18th September 2010. The Countryman opens up a new era in the Mini
story. It is the largest Mini model ever made and it is also the first to offer four doors and the
option of four wheel drive in the ALL4 models.
The Mini Countryman range will form the fourth pillar of the Mini brand and it seeks to offer a
solution to Mini owners who love the brand but feel forced to move to another make when they need
more space in their car. The Mini Countryman will be available in five models, two of which will
offer ALL4, Mini’s new four wheel drive option.
The Countryman retains a familiar Mini appearance, albeit distinctly different to any that have
gone before. It is 398 mm longer than a Mini Hatch, 106 mm wider and 172 mm higher. With the seats
up it offers 190 litres more luggage capacity than a Mini Hatch, with a total of 350 litres. With
the rear seats folded flat, capacity increases to 1,170 litres. This large load space is accessed
through a wide-opening tailgate. For the first time ever a Mini has four wide-opening doors,
passenger capacity for five occupants and a flexible, activity-orientated interior packed with
innovations. All UK models will be built as five seat cars, although customers can specify the four
seat option at no extra cost.
Featuring that typical ‘wheel at each corner’ stance with short overhangs, the Countryman not
only has larger dimensions than its 'cousins' but also a higher ride height. This provides the
commanding driving position preferred by many drivers as well as the ground clearance for soft
off-road driving. Its ground clearance is 10 mm higher than any other Mini model.
Many design characteristics are familiar such as the high window line and window graphics
circumnavigating the glasshouse while others are new interpretations of iconic features. For
example, the roofline with roof rails, the reinterpretation of the hexagonal radiator grille and
the prominent headlight units integrated into the bonnet.
The Countryman range will include three petrol and two diesel models, as well as two ALL4
all-wheel drive models – the Cooper D ALL4 and Cooper S ALL4. The petrol engines are equipped with
the new 1.6 litre power plants already announced for the Hatch, Convertible and Clubman models
and introduced in March 2010.
The petrol engines all feature VALVETRONIC variable valve timing that produces more torque low
down and aids overall efficiency. The Cooper S model also features a twin-scroll turbocharger and
direct fuel injection that enables performance with modest fuel economy and low CO2 emissions. All
engines meet EU5 emissions standards.
Two models in the new Countryman range will offer four wheel drive, for the very first time in
Mini’s 51 year history. The Mini Cooper D ALL4 and Cooper S ALL4 models will be available as models
in their own right from day one. A Mini Cooper ALL4 will follow in 2011.
Four-wheel drive is not needed for much of normal driving and it does consume more energy to
drive all four wheels. Mini has an answer for this conundrum: the Countryman ALL4 is a front wheel
drive car in most normal circumstances, but when an electro-mechanical clutch in the rear axle
detects any sign of wheel slip it engages drive to the rear wheels to improve traction. To enable
this imperceptible change to the driven wheels a propeller shaft from the front axle is driven
constantly and is ready to direct drive forces from the front axle to the rear. The amount of power
fed to the rear wheels is infinitely variable between one per cent and 100, depending upon the slip
encountered.
Forest Rally Stage
Rauno Aaltonen will also drive a classic Mini Cooper S on the Goodwood Forest Rally Stage. Aaltonen,
along with Paddy Hopkirk and Timo Makinen, is part of the legend that saw the tiny BMC car defeat all
comers in the top echelons of rallying during the 1960s.
Aaltonen, known as the ‘Rally Professor’, 'invented' the idea of left foot braking to balance the
car as it entered corners. He enjoyed a long professional driving career from 1956 to the late 1970s and
enjoyed a particularly patch when driving for the works BMC team winning the 1965 European Rally
Championship in 1965 and the Monte Carlo Rally in 1967. He won countless other events too, including
Britain’s RAC rally and the Bathurst 500 in Australia in a Morris Mini Cooper S.
This legend of the world of rallying will be driving a privately-owned 1964 Monte Carlo car on the
challenging Goodwood Forest Rally Stage on both the Saturday and Sunday of the Festival. One or two
lucky people will experience the passenger seat to see at first hand the Flying Finn deliver a
masterclass of Mini action.
Aaltonen has for many years been chief instructor for BMW’s driver training programme that operates
winter and high performance driver training for customers in Austria, Germany, Finland and elsewhere
around the world.
England's Festival of Speed is being held from 1st-4th July 2010 at Goodwood. Entry is by purchase of
a ticket in advance of the event.
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