The MINI Countryman was used to win the Paris-Dakar rally, one of the most brutal off-road races known to still be running. And to add insult to injury for the competition, EVERY MINI entered was 100% reliable: no breakdowns or engine failures!! That's unbelievable in a race so brutal that HALF of the over 420 cars, trucks and motorcycles broke down/crashed! I previously expected at least 3 or 4 MINIs to drop out. The driver was a Spaniard named Nani Roma. Oh, and they achieved total domination: Rival MINIs also took 2nd and 3rd on the podium!

http://autos.yahoo.com/blogs/motoram...183702996.html

 

Of course it should be noted that the Dakar Mini is not very Mini after the racing modifications - they share only a windshield and headlight/taillights, and use a 3.0-liter twin-turbo diesel inline-six as the power-plant - wish I could have one of those!


See here:


http://blog.caranddriver.com/dakar-w...ni-countryman/