Is anybody rallycrossing their Countryman?

I will be participating in my first rallycross May 24th. Any tips or experiences in your Countryman would be greatly appreciated.

I picked up a set of 16x6.5 et20 wheels to mount 205/60r16 snow tires to. I will be competing in the SCCA Stock All Wheel Drive class.

 

you might want to look at dunlop grandtrek sj6 tires, they are rated by dunlop as studless ice / snow and also as AT tires

i am running 205/70R16 on mini oem 16 inch alloy wheels on my all4 with sport suspension with no problems, they are spectacular in the snow and ice

 

that sounds like a complete blast!

I used to offroad all over Lake Tahoe area, Santa Cruz mountains, and the Rubicon (old jeep and 4x4 trucks)
I can only imagine how the All4 would do in rallying.

 

That's good to know. I didn't want to go too big so I don't lose any torque. It looks like my class is dominated by WRX's and EVO's. I'll have to hold it down for Mini!

 

You need to get in touch with Jillrnc about rallycross...

 

You may want to look at the SCCA rules. The Countryman may not be permitted to participate. Per SCCA regs, it isn't allowed to enter Solo/Autocross. It may be the same for RallyCross.

 

I am not sure why the Countryman ALL4 is rated a Passenger Car by the NHSTA not a Multipurpose Vehicle, simply look at the placard label inside your drivers side door.
Also, not sure what it means...
http://scca.cdn.racersites.com/prod/...%20reduced.pdf

EXCLUDED FROM STREET CATEGORY FOR REASONS OF STABILITY PER SECTION 3.1:
Dodge Caliber (non-SRT)
Fiat 500 (non-Abarth)
GEO Tracker & Suzuki Sidekick
Jeep CJ series
MINI Countryman
Nissan Juke
Suzuki Samurai
Scion xB

EXCLUDED FROM STREET-R CLASSES FOR REASONS OF STABILITY PER SECTION 3.1:
Dodge Caliber (non-SRT)
Fiat 500 (non-Abarth)
GEO Tracker & Suzuki Sidekick
Jeep CJ series
MINI Countryman
Nissan Juke
Suzuki Samurai
Scion xB (2004-06)
Scion iQ

 

The Countryman is a "rollover" risk in autocross due to its "high" center of gravity. I think with my wider wheels and slightly lower sports suspension, I wouldn't have any issues, but it is specifically listed in the SCCA rulebook so no one will risk letting me compete. The rules for rallycross are much less strict though and the Countryman is allowed. I think it might actually be more fun from a drifting standpoint. It's just a little harder on your suspension. Here is a video of the course I will be competing on at the end of May!

 

 

I'm hoping to revive the rallycross here in the Reno SCCA region. I guess it died out because of too little interest.

I live on a dirt road so my CMS is always dirty anyway and I might as well have fun with it.

I have never done anything like rallycross or autocross before, so I'd love to hear how it goes. Definitely hold it down for MINI countryman! show them evo's and subie's some tail!

 

Getting out and playing in the dirt - WooHaa!!!

 

Rallycross was awesome. Video evidence above!

 

Hmm...not quite sure how that music goes with the video. You are only doing 30-35mph.

Looks like fun though!

 

The speed doesn't get too high but the faster sections get pretty crazy!