Diesel-Powered Rally Clones Dominate The World’s Toughest Race

Diesel-heads are well aware that the rest of the world has oil-burning innovations that aren’t U.S.-compliant. A diesel Jeep Wrangler is just one of the overseas offerings that makes American enthusiasts salivate.

A diesel MINI is another we-can’t- have-it-yet proposition. In other parts of the world, the four-door Countryman Cooper SD is powered by the BMW N47 2.0L I-4. This engine is rated at 143 horse-power/221 lb/ft of torque and allegedly gets around 60 mpg. BMW also offers a twin-turbo 2.0L diesel, which shatters the 100 horsepower-per-liter barrier at 218/332 lb/ft (@ 1,500-2,500 rpm).

In the meantime, the X-raid racing team in Germany created what are probably the world’s most exotic MINIs. The company’s fleet of 11 rally-raid MINIs was built from the ground up to compete in multi-day overland FIA rallies in Europe, South America and the Middle East. These MINIs have won the prestigious 5,000-plus-mile Dakar Rally the past three years. French champion Stéphane Peterhansel won the “car” class in an X-raid MINI ALL4 in 2012 and 2013. Nani Roma of Spain topped the car class in 2014. In fact, the entire X-raid armada finished Dakar 2014 in the top 20.

Like most race vehicles, the X-raid MINIs don’t have much in common with their corresponding Countryman consumer versions. X-raid adopts an early NASCAR approach to proportions. Whereas Smokey Yunick created a 7/8-scale stock car to cheat without being obvious, X-raid’s 11/10 MINI complies with FIA “car” class regulations. If an X-raid car isn’t parked next to an assembly-line Countryman, one of the few visual cues that the body is larger than stock is its asymmetrical A-pillars. The only factory MINI part number X-raid uses is the windshield. Because the race car is six percent larger than OEM, X-raid chose to offset the windshield to the driver’s side to maximize visibility.

The bodies are possibly the X-raid MINIs’ most exotic feature. They’re made entirely of real, no-expenses-spared car- bon-Kevlar by the French company Faster Racing, which has supplied composite components for racecars since 1983. Al-most every component that would be sheet metal or fiberglass on a production vehicle is executed in carbon-fiber on the X-raid MINIs. That includes the instrument panel and even the underbelly skidplate. Scoops are sculpted into molds, and the body parts channel air for optimal cooling.

Underneath the skin, the X-raid MINIs are proportionally and mechanically closer to a production BMW X3 than to a Countryman. They’re even powered by the BMW TwinPower 3.0L straight-six diesel, available here in the BMW sedans and X- series SUVs. FIA rally rules mandate production engines and limit servicing during races, so 15-day events such as Dakar are engineering testaments to an engine’s durability. The cross-country rally-raid races often traverse desert terrain, and the engines wind up above 100 mph for extended periods. X-raid lists the cars’ top speed as 110 mph.

Unlike the classic American agricultural-based diesel, the BMW 3.0L I-6 N57 model is all-aluminum. Variants range up to 380 horsepower/550 lb/ft (triple-turbo). The X-raid MINI ALL4 cars run the 307 hp/ 516 lb/ft (@ 2,100) twin-turbo version. X-raid is willing to sacrifice some power for durability and packaging.

Class rules don’t allow whiz-bang engine modifications, so the X-raid power-plants supposedly come off the same assembly line at the Magna-Steyr plant in Austria as ones that go in BMW cars and SUVs. (The MINI Countryman is also assembled by Magna at the same plant.) It’s a common-rail system with Bosch piezo-electric injectors and twin variable-geome-try turbochargers. Also, the engine has dry-sump oiling, making it well-suited to off-level operation during off-road rallies.

Just as North American-created off-road buggies often run specialty gearboxes from niche manufacturers such as Fortin, Albins or Rancho, the MINI ALL4 Racing cars use a Sadev SC90 single-range all-wheel-drive gearbox. It’s a French-built sequential six-speed manual transmission that’s shifted without a pedal. X-raid backs the boxes with AP Racing clutch discs.

Like the gearbox, the MINI ALL4s’ differential is engineered specifically for FIA and WRC cars. It’s an aluminum-case Xtrac model 633, complete with a cable-operated rear-drive disconnect and removable third member.

X-raid commissioned German masters Heggemann Autosport to build the MINI race chasses. The skeleton is made from 2.0-inch OD chromoly tubing, which is liberally gusseted for strength. Suspension is dual A-arm independent all around. Each corner has application-specific dual remote-reservoir coilover shocks from Dutch manufacturer Reiger Racing. Like most other high-end coilovers, these units are tunable and rebuildable.

Brakes are big AP Racing cross-drilled rotors with six-piston calipers. The carbon-Kevlar body panels duct air to the brakes for cooling. The rear brakes also have water reservoirs for cooling and cleaning. With a fuel capacity of 96 gallons, these brakes are responsible for stopping a significant amount of liquid weight.

The interior is all business. Recaro FIA-approved seats and six-point harnesses keep the driver and navigator secure. The carbon-fiber IP houses an array of switches and gadgets. Vitals are displayed in the center, visible to both the driver and co-pilot: A Motec ADL3 LCD monitor shows speed and rpm, and additional data for the various temperatures and pressures are displayed on a Gems LDS4 LED screen. The displays are mounted to be fully replaceable in about three minutes for easy bivouac servicing during events. For double-redundancy, the co-driver has two TerraTrip rally computers, should one malfunction.

X-raid’s MINI ALL4 cars have been so successful on the rally/raid circuit that the sanctioning bodies are apparently contemplating rule changes. The fear is that others won’t show up to play in remote sand-boxes if their toys don’t stand a chance against X-raid. Should that happen, hedge-fund managers, casino owners and foreign princes might be able to get good deals on well-maintained, sand-ready MINI ALL4s. Otherwise, X-raid will gladly build qualified buyers a new one for 800,000 Euros, about $1.1 million. UDBG

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X-RAID MINI ALL4 RACING SPECS:

ENGINE: BMW N57RS12 2993cc I-6 TwinPower Turbo Diesel

HORSEPOWER: 307 @ 3,250

TORQUE: 516 @ 2,100

TRANSMISSION: Sadev SC90 six-speed manual, AP Racing clutch

DIFFERENTIALS: Xtrac (front, mid, rear)

BRAKES: Six-piston AP calipers, 12.6-inch rotors

SUSPENSION: Independent, Dual Reiger Racing remote-reservoir coilovers

WHEELS: 16×7 BBS alloy

TIRES: 245/80R16 all-terrains

WHEELBASE: 114.2 inches

LENGTH: 170.6 inches

WIDTH: 78.7 inches

HEIGHT: 77.4 inches

CURB WEIGHT: 4,188 lbs.

FUEL CAPACITY: 96.4 gals.

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