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15 August 2012

Red Bull X-Fighters World Tour 2012


Breathtaking motocross stunts thrill 30,000 spectators in Munich’s Olympic Stadium. MINI John Cooper Works is the sports partner of the Red Bull X-Fighters World Tour 2012.



The battle for the coveted championship points in the Red Bull X-Fighters World Tour reached a further climax when Thomas Pagès took victory on the fifth stop of the tour in Munich last Saturday. 30,000 thrilled spectators witnessed a Flair never before displayed in a contest when Pagès executed a 540-degree turn in the air with his bike. Even without a backflip in his repertoire, the young Frenchman won the penultimate stage of the tour while simultaneously writing FMX history.
This event series sees the world’s best freestyle motocross riders competing against each other in six contests. With its John Cooper Works sub-brand, MINI is the official partner of the Red Bull X-Fighters World Tour.


Sporting event of superlatives.

In a sensational contest, participants give of their best, pushing the boundaries of what is physically possible. The world’s 12 best freestyle motocross riders wowed the crowds with their daredevil leaps and stunning tricks at dizzying heights, repeatedly taking the spectators’ collective breath away. In a nailbiting finale, it was ultimately Frenchman Thomas Pagès who sealed a close-won victory against defending title champion Dany Torres of Spain and Eigo Sato of Japan. “Right up to the end I wasn’t sure whether I could make a clean landing after the really difficult tricks. Plus, in the final I was already a bit exhausted. But then I could feel how the crowd was behind me and cheering me on, and that gave me a real energy boost. The spectators were just amazing,” said a delighted Thomas Pagès. After his win, the 24-year-old is now level-pegging at the top of the overall standings with Saturday’s sixth-placed finisher Levi Sherwood of New Zealand. They have 235 points each.


Munich was hosting the event for the first time in the history of the Red Bull X-Fighters World Tour. Following Dubai, Glen Helen, Istanbul and Madrid, the Bavarian capital was the fifth and penultimate stop before everyone heads down under to Sydney for the exciting final on 6 October 2012.


MINI is involved in action sports around the world through cooperations and sponsoring activities. As a partner of trend-conscious sports, MINI supports young and creative sportspeople and, in so doing, promotes the development of their sport. MINI became the official partner of the Red Bull X-Fighters World Tour in 2012.

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06 August 2012

Mini MINI


BMW GROUP ADDS ONE MORE MODEL TO ITS ELECTRIC VEHICLE LINE UP FOR LONDON 2012

BMW, Official Automotive Partner to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, is keeping the Games moving with a range of fully electric vehicles as part of the fleet. The 160 BMW 1 Series ActiveE models and 40 MINI E’s are being used for many duties including shuttling athletes and officials within the Olympic Park and surrounding Games sites. They also helped support elements of the Olympic Torch Relay convoy on its journey around the UK and will do so similarly for the Paralympic Torch Relay.

Today, BMW is proud to introduce another critical electric vehicle to the Olympic and Paralympic fleet: the Mini MINI. This specially developed and designed radio controlled electric car will be used on the field of play in the Olympic Stadium to ferry javelins, discuses, hammers and shots back from the field to the throwing area, saving valuable time during competition.


Three Mini MINIs will be deployed for this crucial task and will be operated by Games Makers assigned and trained for this duty. The cars are roughly a quarter scale of the full-sized car and carry the athletic equipment situated inside, accessible through the adapted sunroof. The Mini MINIs are all blue and feature the same Games livery as the ‘full-size’ official fleet vehicles.


“The MINI team was thrilled to be given this challenge to develop a vehicle with such an important and high profile role during the Olympic and Paralympic Games,” commented Dr Juergen Hedrich, Managing Director of MINI Plant Oxford. “I know that everybody was inspired by the challenge and the knowledge that these models will be seen in action by millions of people around the world.”

The cars were designed and built to a specification agreed with LOCOG to ensure their role on the field of play is successful in saving time during competition. Each of the three Mini MINIs will cover around 6,000 metres per day in four-hour shifts across nine days of Olympic and nine days of
Paralympic competition.


The Mini MINIs will:

  1. Carry a load of up to 8kg; a single hammer, discus or shot or two javelins.
  2. Be operated with a simple control system requiring minimum technical support.
  3. Be powered by batteries that can sustain 35 minutes of continuous usage with a radio control range of approximately 100 metres and be fully re-charged in 80 minutes.
After the closing ceremony of the Paralympic Games, the three Mini MINIs will return to base for well-earned rest and relaxation before their next athletic adventure.

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03 August 2012

MINI Design concept cars.


Concept cars serve as a “creative playground” for car designers. All have a focus on the future in common and visionary potential comes as standard. From innovative lighting concepts and novel door mechanisms to the creative realisation of specific thematic areas, concept cars offer an open-door policy to ideas of every kind. Some concept cars are conceived to aid the development and implementation of new technologies, others showcase an innovative design language or visualise how a future series-produced model might shape up.
 
2012.
MINI Rocketman Concept.




This new edition of the MINI Rocketman Concept was conceived in 2012 and combines innovative ideas for personal mobility in major cities with classical, unmistakably British design features for the interior and exterior. Decked out in the colours of the British national flag, the concept car features eye-catching details such as a distinctive lighting design for the Union Jack in the roof area. The MINI Rocketman Concept embodies sporting elegance in typical British form.

2011.
MINI Rocketman Concept.




This well received concept car fused traditional values with innovative technology to redefine MINI’s core principle of the creative use of space. As a 3+1-seater with 3 doors, an exterior length of just over 3 metres (approx. 10 ft.) and a unique space utilisation concept up its sleeve, this concept car shone a spotlight into the future. Its visionary character was defined by the systematic application of lightweight design principles on a carbon spaceframe canvas.

2010.
MINI Paceman Concept.




MINI positioned this concept car – a classical crossover concept based on the MINI Countryman – as the first Sports Activity Coupé (SAC) in the premium segment. The study’s dynamic and powerful, yet at the same time luxurious, appearance sent out a message of exclusive sportiness. Visually it had an air of the muscle car about it, showing off its dynamic credentials impressively from every angle.

MINI Beachcomber Concept.



This precursor to the MINI Countryman focused on maximising driving fun and boasted a radical, open-air body concept. A very masculine concept, it referenced the legendary Mini Moke from the 1960s and focused on highlighting various interior design features. At the heart of the action was the versatile Centre Rail, to which a MP3 player, mobile phone, additional light sources, a cool box, a laptop or GPS tracker, a stopwatch, a glasses case, a bottle holder or a food box could be attached.

MINI Scooter E Concept.



This electrically driven study took cues from the MINI E, a Germany-wide test project for emission-free driving. The MINI Scooter E Concept saw MINI Design transferring the brand’s central design language from four wheels to two for the first time, demonstrating in the process the potential of MINI. Hallmark MINI details were reflected in three different design variants: one focused on “Britishness”, another on the Mod movement which is such an important part of scooter culture, and the third model adopted the appearance of the MINI E.

2009.
MINI Roadster Concept and MINI Coupé Concept.




In their own distinctive ways, the “Oxford Twins” showcased a wealth of exciting features offering a fresh interpretation of the traditional values, individual style and innovative character of MINI. The Coupé delivered undiluted driving fun wrapped up in an ultra-sporty coupé skin, while the unadulterated, elegant Roadster positively exuded stylish open-top motoring.

2008.
MINI Crossover Concept.



A model variant without any historical reference points and measuring over four metres (13 ft.) in length, this taster concept for the MINI Countryman offered plentiful space for rear passengers and unprecedented load capacity for a MINI. The flexible interior layout and an innovative stowage system similar to the Centre Rail allowed the interior to be adapted widely to individual requirements.

2005/2006.
MINI Concept Frankfurt / Tokyo / Detroit / Geneva.




This series of four concept cars was shown at the world’s most important motor shows over a two-year period, each variant tailored to the venue for its presentation. The four variations on the theme acted as previews for the upcoming MINI Clubman and each borrowed cues from MINI history. The Concept unveiled in Frankfurt was billed “Travel in style” and played the elegance card to resounding effect, while in Tokyo the car’s British origins were brought to the fore. A winter sport theme highlighted the versatility of the “Sports Equipment Carrier” shown in Detroit, and in Geneva the MINI Concept reprised the role of the service car in the Monte Carlo Rally, thus recalling the brand’s legendary sporting exploits.

All four versions impressed most prominently with an innovative door concept that revolutionised the utilisation potential of the interior. The split rear doors offered extremely generous access to the luggage area of the MINI Concept – and would soon do likewise in series-produced MINI models, starting with the Clubman.

1997.
MINI Concept Monte Carlo Rallye.




This right-hand-drive two-seater recalled the victory of the classic Mini in the 1967 Monte Carlo Rally. Design icons such as the hexagonal radiator grille and circular headlights were given a fresh interpretation for this concept car for the 21st century, MINI design having remained pretty much unchanged since 1959. This concept car was followed in 2001 by the arrival of the first MINI of the modern generation.

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