Mini John Cooper Works Challenge (2017)

Chassis: tuned on road and track

Not only were the team searching for ultimate track performance, but MINI John Cooper Works Challenge was also to be a car that rewarded enthusiast drivers on the public road, while maintaining everyday usability. To that end, it seemed imperative that John Cooper Works Challenge featured a suspension that could be adjusted by the driver to the environment in which the car was being driven.

UK-based suspension supplier Nitron has provided coilover spring and damper units based on its NTR R1 system. These are adjustable for bump and rebound, as well as for overall ride height. The R1 is a direct development of the racing dampers used on the John Cooper Works racing car, and is hand-built with many titanium and hard-anodised parts to the very highest quality standards. Camber adjustment plates on the front axle allow for an increase in negative camber, with John Cooper Works Challenge possessing two degrees of negative camber on both the front and rear axle. Thanks to both camber and castor being adjustable, the suspension geometry of the new car is significantly different to that of the standard car. MINI John Cooper Works Challenge is supplied with recommended settings for both road and track driving, the damper units offering adjustment through numerous 'clicks', but owners can choose to experiment with their own settings to tune the car precisely to their own tastes.

For superior traction when powering out of corners, John Cooper Works Challenge is fitted with a Quaife automatic torque biasing (ATB) limited slip differential in place of the standard car's open item. This proven component, which uses helical gears instead of a plate-type LSD, offers a seamless operation without any abrupt 'lock up', and assists braking performance as well as transferring power away from a spinning front wheel during acceleration. The Quaife ATB differential works in combination with all standard fit electronic systems (DSC, Performance Control, etc).

Wheels and tyres: more grip, less weight

Few aspects of a car affect track performance more than tyres, and the John Cooper Works Challenge engineering team spent a lot of time during the development process testing different makes and compounds to find not only a tyre that gave the most grip on a circuit, but one that also worked well on the road.

The solution was the acclaimed Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2, original equipment for a host of high-performance cars, and uniquely able to summon extremely high grip levels without causing any refinement issues.

MINI John Cooper Works Challenge retains the 17" wheel size of the standard John Cooper Works Hatch, but features 215/45 R17 tyres on a 7.5" wheel, 0.5" wider than the original specification rim that uses a 205/45 R17. The wheels are also specifically chosen for ultimate performance: the Team Dynamics Pro Race 1.2 rims save 1.5kg of unsprung mass per corner. Combined with the Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2, this weight advantage further increases to 2.5kg per corner.

Braking: greater reserves of retardation

John Cooper Works Challenge employs grooved and part-drilled 330mm front discs with four-pot Brembo-developed calipers, sourced from the MINI JCW Pro Accessories range. These are paired with specially developed Mintex brake pads. This combination offers superb braking power with excellent resistance to fade on track. Even so, no compromise with on-road braking response has been required, even when used from cold.

John Cooper Works Accessories fitted as standard

The new John Cooper Works Challenge takes full advantage of the MINI JCW Pro Accessories already available for John Cooper Works Hatch.

The JCW Pro Aerokit, which features lower front splitters, rear spoiler add-ons for the already large roof spoiler, rear diffuser and rear splitters for additional aerodynamic performance, enhances the already distinctive, aggressive exterior styling. The carbon fibre air intake further complements enhances the look of this new model, as do the Carbon Fibre Mirror Covers.

A JCW Pro exhaust with carbon fibre tailpipe finishers not only maximises the flow of spent gases, but also gives John Cooper Works Challenge a purposeful roar. It can be controlled via a Bluetooth link, offering a choice of Sport and Track sound levels.

The grooved brake discs are also taken from the JCW Pro Accessories range, although the Mintex pads fitted to the Challenge are unique to this model.

Unique specification

MINI John Cooper Works Challenge will be built in no more than 100 units, and is available with one fixed specification and exclusively with MINI's acclaimed 6-speed manual gearbox.

Every John Cooper Works Challenge is painted in White Silver, can be readily identifiable by a bespoke graphics package, and has the 17" alloy wheels finished in black. Black roof and mirror caps complete this unique style.

Inside, the Dinamica/cloth interior combination is also finished in Carbon Black. The passenger side facia of each car bears its unique build number in the series, testament to the exclusivity of this unique model. The standard specification includes Piano Black interior trim, rear Park Distance Control, Rain Sensor with Auto headlight activation and Adaptive LED headlights. No amendments to the standard specification are possible, and the OTR price is £32,000.

MINI John Cooper Works Challenge will be unveiled to the public for the first time on the MINI stand at 2016 Goodwood Festival of Speed and is available to order at MINI retailers across the UK.