Popular on the road and successful on the track, the original MINI was an inspiration for the team behind Racing MIMI. It originally debuted in 2020 as a purpose-built electric machine in Romania’s Hillclimb National Championship. Last year, it tackled an extended motorsport season and now it’s changing its name for 2022. It’ll be known as the MIMI EVO to signal it’s a follow-up to the original build to become more competitive.
In the past three months, the zero-emissions race car has been subjected to several modifications to shave off weight. For example, Brembo brakes are taken from the MINI John Cooper Works while the handbrake is now hydraulic. The engineers have also stiffened up the body and suspension to make the MIMI EVO sharper around the corners.
Mandatory for the road-legal Cooper SE, the anti-lock brakes and dynamic stability control have been deactivated. These major changes come after nearly 20 races in the last 18 months during which two weeks were spent testing on the circuit. Some electronic modules had to be rebuilt and there’s now a new system to monitor the battery pack and drivetrain.
New Year, New Name, New Look For The MIMI EVO
The MIMI EVO has been fully inspected and repaired to make sure it’ll be up to the task for the 2022 season. A race car’s development never ends, hence why subsequent updates are planned to be implemented in the coming months. For this season, the revised track-only MINI Cooper SE will take part in approximately 20 races in four different Romanian championships: Women Rally, Super Rally, National Super Slalom, and National Coastal Speed.
In the aforementioned Hillclimb National Championship, the MIMI EVO will wear the #128 number as a nod to 1968. What happened that year? Niki Lauda made his motorsport debut behind the wheel of a MINI Cooper S. He finished second in his inaugural race before winning the next three. Aside from switching to a different number, the 2022-spec racer wears a new blue livery with contrasting yellow accents.
Source: MINI
