I don't know, I heard that Mini's spin out in the rain pretty easily

 

Brilliant marketing campaign by the MINI guys. Win or lose, MINI wins. I'm not too sure if the porsche guys will accept.... would be fun if they did though!

 

The drivers spin out, the Mini's don't....

 

I think it would be foolish of Porsche to take the challenge, if MINI were to win there would be no living it down, and if they win, what are they going to crow about "we beat MINI!", big deal. I hope it comes off, would like to see the run.

 

As Ivan Vanko said in Iron Man 2 when a smug Tony Stark told him he didn't beat him, "If you can make God bleed, then the people will no longer believe in him. Then there will be blood in the water, and the sharks will come."
Win or lose, if people see what a MINI can do up against a Porsche, especially with the size differences (engine displacement AND car dimensions), could be a sales phenomenon!!!!

 

Good quote from an awesome movie!

 

id say one would be stupid to think the mini will come close to the porsche on a huge course like Road Atlanta, especially with the long straights.

Only chance mini has is if it makes a really short course and verrrry bendy.

Even then, the porsche is no slouch.

Either way, this is whole marketing campaign is in the spirit of all mini marketing so yay.

 

All I hear is a bunch of people hating on MINI and it is sad cause they own a MINI. When and if MINI wins these same people ripping on MINI will be the first to be on the bandwagon of MINI winning.

 

You drive a Mini and you own a PC? Really? Apple rules!

 

Dude, don't be an idiot please. It's a marketing strategy. Even if MINI loses, what do you expect from a 1.6 liter inline 4? Driver's skill will come into play. I've seen be ey weights taken out by smaller competitors all because of the driver.

 

like i said

 

Sounds a lot like the scene from 300 where Leonidas wounds the Persian King (who they previously believed was a god)

 

All I can say is that WHEN MINI wins I will still end up owning both a MINI and a Porsche!

 

Good quote and analogy!!

 

You originally said in your post that "one would be stupid to think MINI could win." That last bit you said was inserted because I think you knew someone like me would comment on your statement. Enthusiasts want to see races like this. Comments stating that MINI is stupid for calling Porsche out are irrelevant. How do we even know that Porsche isn't in on this. It's great publicity for both sides......no matter who wins or loses.

 

+1

 

as much as I think Randy Pobst is a great driver.........if they went on the long course he has absolutly no chance.......unless I'm driving the porsche

 

Everyone is saying Porsche is crazy to do this--I see it exactly the opposite--why WOULDN't Porsche do this? The consensus is the Porsche would beat the MINI handily, provided the drivers are of equal ability (on a long course I agree wholeheartedly). Provided it's a long course, Porsche gets to flex their muscle, the MINI will look better than most people would have anticipated, and everyone wins.

These cars don't naturally compete in the showroom (the track is a different story); it's not like most people are cross-shopping GT3's with MINI's; the publicity will be great for both.

 

Sense in Mini's statement, they said they were designing a course, don't think it will be the long course...thank goodness.

 

Now your talking an "unfair advantage " for Porsche....

 

I would just like to see them go at it. A Mini-S against a Boxter would be ok but a Mini JCW against a Cayman would be really fun. It would not matter to me which one won because I like them all. I have seen The Mini Coopers compared to Cadilacs, Suzuki's & now Porsche is getting into our act. I 'm really liking this. WAYYYYY TOOOOO COOOLL

 

The ad said it was a 911

 

Porsche has declined to participate. End of story.

Randy
M7 tuning

 

Porsche's Official Response:

Dear Jim,

Imagine our surprise to discover our former employee, now the head of Mini, has challenged us to a head-to-head race. As you surely know, Porsche has a long history of racing success, with more than 28,000 wins over the last 60 years. In our early days, we pitted ourselves against the giants, so we've been in your shoes.

But as you also know, Porsche doesn't race for fame, stunts or publicity. We race to challenge ourselves; we race to push sports car technology; we race to translate every win on the track to our cars on the road. If you need a reminder of our intent, please take a look at this short video:

YouTube - Racing. Not posing.
YouTube - Racing. Not posing.

While your challenge seems like a fun and lighthearted campaign, we'll stick to racing the way we have over the decades. We welcome you at Sebring, Le Mans, Daytona or any other sanctioned race where there is more at stake than T-shirts and valet parking spaces. We also invite you to any of the thousands of tracks around the world where Porsche owners compete each weekend.

Good luck with your race at Road Atlanta on June 21; we hope you enjoy the day.

Sincerely,

Detlev Von Platen
President and CEO, Porsche Cars North America

 

Great post by Detlev