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MINI works

And now for the motorsports news: the MINI John Cooper Works, in collaboration with Bulldog Racing, takes second place in its class at the Nürburgring 24 Hours.

  • Text
    Matthias Mederer
  • Fotos
    BMW AG

Another top achievement: second place at the Nürburgring 24 Hours. The great equalizer of a race, demanding a brutally honest response from every single car – and getting it. The toughest test of endurance on earth, nearly 25 kilometers of punishing asphalt winding through the Eifel. These 24 hours don’t just wear a race car down to the bone – they strip away everything down to the soft tissue, exposing strengths and weaknesses alike. And right here, in this legendary race, the MINI JCW fielded by Bulldog Racing finishes second in the SP3T class. That’s the third podium finish in a row, after clinching the class win last year. The team completed 111 laps and 2,700 kilometers, including a nighttime power outage that put the race on pause for two hours.


The toughest test of endurance on earth, nearly 25 kilometers of punishing asphalt winding through the Eifel.

What does that tell us? Maybe that even in 2025, a MINI John Cooper Works doesn’t make its mark at the Nürburgring with brute force – but with endurance, team discipline and performance. Over sixty places gained in the overall ranking. No technical issues, no chaos, no drama. Just four drivers from four different countries – including racing icon Samantha Tan – delivering consistent performance across 24 hours.


So here, belatedly as it were, are a few thoughts on the unique challenges of this race and the qualities they bring out in the MINI John Cooper Works. No other name within the MINI lineup embodies the brand’s racing heritage, technical ambition and stylistic stubbornness quite like this one. The name doesn’t just nod to legendary race car builder John Cooper – it still stands for the idea that greatness has nothing to do with size.

JCW models are the brand’s DNA in its purest form: powerful, precise and unapologetic. You can’t help but feel a certain reverence for them. And it all goes back to 1964 – the Monte Carlo Rally, where the MINI’s David vs. Goliath story first made automotive history.

What does that tell us? Maybe that even in 2025, a MINI John Cooper Works doesn’t make its mark at the Nürburgring with brute force – but with endurance, team discipline and performance.

Which also explains the design: the MINI JCW x DEUS collaboration. No sterile, technocratic dominance here – instead, hand-drawn logos and an oversized “DEUS” across the side. A MINI that presents itself as a sketch – not as a finished answer, but as a counter-question. It looks cunning, aggressive and just a little bit disdainful. A look that says: “Anytime, my friend.”

→ mini.de

Matthias Mederer

Matthias Mederer

Editor & Photographer
A colleague once introduced Matthias Mederer to a new intern like this: “This is Matze. He's never actually here, but he gets paid full salary.” At least he has a good excuse: he's been hunting stories for ramp.space for over ten years – in words and pictures. And all over the world. His style: cinematic, carried by a keen sense of narrative dramaturgy that can only be found on the road.

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