MINI USA has announced that the MINI John Cooper Works Team (MINI JCW Team) will enter the 2019 SRO TC America race series (TC America). MINI USA will continue its partnership with Indianapolis-based LAP Motorsports and will sponsor a vehicle in the Touring Car A (TCA) Class of the 2019 TC America, which kicks off at Circuit of the Americas (COTA) on March 1, 2019, just outside of Austin, Texas.
Most recently, the MINI JCW Team took home the 2018 Manufacturer’s Championship in the Street Tuner class of the Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge Series, beating the likes of BMW, Porsche, and Mazda.
As we enter into our fifth year partnering with Luis Perocarpi and LAP Motorsports, we’re thrilled to take the MINI JCW team into TC America for 2019. Given the incredibly hard work and success the team has achieved over the last few years, John Cooper can rest easy knowing his namesake racing team continues to exemplify the racing spirit he started almost 60 years ago.
— Patrick McKenna, Department Head, MINI Product Planning and Consumer Events
Continuing MINI USA’s successful program from last year, technicians from MINI dealerships all over the country will help to support the team throughout the entire season as part of the MINI Service Technicians Education Program (STEP).
The entire LAP Motorsports team is incredibly excited to continue our partnership with MINI. I used to race Classic Minis with my father and uncle, so owning and running this race team has been an absolute dream come true. We can’t wait to tackle the challenges that await us in 2019.
— Luis Perocarpi, team owner, LAP Motorsports
With a super-wide stance, ultra-rigid body and incredibly precise handling, MINI has a long history in motorsports and has always felt right at home on the track. Ever since John Cooper first recognized the racing potential of the classic Mini in the early 1960s, his name has stood for success and performance on the race track with MINI. The MINI JCW Team competes with a fleet of production-derived MINI John Cooper Works Hardtop race cars closely related to the John Cooper Works Hardtops that are currently on sale at MINI dealerships across the U.S.
Note: Press release courtesy of MINI USA.
