Well went out on Sunday to tryout Autox(SCCA sanctioned)) in my Countryman, but it was a NO GO since the Countryman does not have a classification yet. I am new to the sport and was not aware of the details on how they class the car, so i guess it was a learning experience.

Based on what I was told the Countryman was literally on the line based on measurement, and there are currently no gov't(Roll over Rating) or SSF ratings on the Countryman so the can put it in a class.

I think this really stinks, you would think that a MINI Countryman would get some type of classification by now. It has been available for over a year already and nothing has changed. I have done some research and it appears that there have been other Countrymans that have been turned away from autox for the same reason. I mean if a Sienna van can get out there then i don't see why my Countryman can't. I mean if they can allow the Abrath Fiat race even though the stock version is not allowed then can't they take into consideration that the Countryman has a better suspesion and handling than most other vehicle out there and are not gross off on measurement like the Abrath.

Is there a way to get this changed or get some type of classification?
If I lower my Countryman, and move from stock class, will they allow it or is still not allowed since there is no classification?


Sorry, I am a bit dissappointed in this and not sure what to do and if it would even be worth the time and money.

 

If they don't have a stock class for the stock Countryman, they wouldn't know where it would fit with modifications either. The stock Clubman is in HS with other Justas, and the Clubman S is in DS with the other S's.

I'm surprised that they wouldn't let you run somewhere though. We had an old Plymouth Valiant run at our SCCA autocross last weekend; it's not listed in any of the classes, but they found a place for it.

 

From SCCA Fastrack Feb 2012-
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j...XV-5T2wnb3spTg


NOT RECOMMENDED

Stock -
- Mini Countryman classing. This model does not meet the provisions of Section 3.1 relating to rollover risk, as it does not have a published SSF rating and its average track width is smaller than its overall height.

So for now due to unknown rollover risk, the MINI Countryman will have to sit things out.

Like the Fiat 500 it might be possible for the Countryman to sneak into Street Touring class later.

IIHS rating for rollover strength of Countryman is Good-
http://www.iihs.org/ratings/roof/detailsbyclass.aspx?40

Better than with the MINI hardtops models.

However rollover protection is not the same as rollover risk.

 

As a rule, SUV's are prohibited from autox for safety reasons.

 

What hurts the Countryman the most is that it is specifically mentioned as not recommended. The SCCA rulebook specifies that the vehicles on that list are examples, meaning that there are other vehicles out there that don't meet the requirement but are simply not listed. It's kind of unfair because it singles the Countryman out over other unlisted vehicles that are inherently more unstable.

Funny enough, the Paceman, which is very similar to the Countryman, is not listed, nor is it classed by SCCA. I did the math last year and the Paceman is just short enough (due to absence of roof rails and sloping roof) that it sits just within the acceptable range of the overall height - average track width relationship graph found on this year's p.28 of the SCCA Autocross rulebook. SCCA should have classed it already.