Mini's Big Embarassment

I am not sure how many of you have been following this week's amusing publicity stunt gone wrong from Mini USA, but I'll summarize it for you.  Basically, Mini's marketeers (not to be confused with Mouseketeers) thought it would be a bit of snarky fun to challenge Porsche to a race, just to prove that their modestly priced giant-slayer could take on Germany's finest sports car.  They proposed the venue of Road Atlanta, and wanted to pit a Mini Cooper S against a stock 911.  Seems like a bad idea by Mini, right?  BUT, rather than racing on Road Atlanta's legendary road course, they set up a lame autocross track in the infield that is more of a go-kart course than anything else.  Porsche declined to take the bait since they clearly have nothing to prove given their illustrious racing history, and thousands of car buffs proceeded to mock Mini on Jalopnik and Mini's facebook page for trying so blatantly to stack the deck in their favor.  But that didn't stop them from trying the stunt anyways using a Porsche 911 they apparently brought themselves!  Here is the result:  Even on this Mickey Mouse parking lot track, the Porsche wins by 2 full seconds.  I don't know why they even bothered.  My favorite comment on Jalopnik encouraged Porsche to bring a 914-6 instead of a new 911.  I would wager good money that the 38 year old 914-6 could STILL beat the Mini on this course. Just pathetic. I think if Mini wants to run with the big boys, they should look back in their own history, and go back to Rally. I would love to see Mini take on Subaru, Peugeot, Ford, Mitsubishi and the rest on the WRC circuit.  But the new Mini is apparently more interested in cheap publicity stunts than real racing credibility.

Comments

[Gabe]

I still think porsche should have sent this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GaQB_tgS7f0&feature=player_embedded#

[bulgogi brothers]

oof. that was painful to watch!