MINI CHALLENGE 2007

MINI CHALLENGE 2007 - Thrilling Motorsport and Fascinating Lifestyle Eight Times Over. Interview with Ludwig Willisch, Director German Region BMW Group. Interview with Alexander Burgstaller, MINI CHALLENGE Ambassador. MINI CHALLENGE 2007 - Technical Highlights. Specifications MINI Cooper S Racing Version. Essential Facts and Figures of the MINI CHALLENGE Regulations. MINI CHALLENGE 2007 - Participants. Presenting the Partners in the MINI CHALLENGE. MINI in Motorsport - on the Winning Road for Four Decades. Racing Success of the MINI Works Team. MINI CHALLENGE 2007. MINI CHALLENGE 2006 - Final Score Driver's and Team Category. MINI CHALLENGE 2004-2005 - Winners. Racing Calendar 2007. MINI CHALLENGE Press Contacts. Press Accreditation Offices for MINI CHALLENGE Events.

In 2007 the MINI CHALLENGE will be held on no less than eight racing weekends
with a total of 15 races for the title. And even the very first race is a
genuine highlight, with 38 MINI Cooper S battling it out at Hockenheimring on
the occasion of the DTM German Touring Car Masters. Then the teams will also be
enjoying a spectacular backdrop at two races held on the occasion of major
Formula 1 events, the German Grand Prix at Nürburgring and the Belgian Grand
Prix in Spa-Francorchamps, where the MINI Cooper S is bound to thrill a large
crowd of enthusiasts.

The MINI CHALLENGE will then enjoy international flair on the Dutch race track
in Zandvoort, where the local races will be the sporting highlight of the MINI
United Festival, the meeting of MINI fans from all over the world.

The MINI CHALLENGE 2007 will also be making a guest appearance at the World
Touring Car Championship in Oschersleben, in the 24-Hours of Nürburgring on the
famous Nordschleife, and on the occasion of the Oldtimer Grand Prix also taking
place at Nürburgring.

By tradition, the grand finale of the MINI CHALLENGE will be held on the
Salzburgring in Austria. And like in the last three years, this famous
Clubsport Series will be entering the new season in 2007 once again with a
complete line-up of 38 technically identical MINI Cooper S.
The MINI CHALLENGE owes its exceptional appeal and popularity to a truly
innovative concept: motorsport meets lifestyle! Adding to the spectacular
atmosphere of motorsport, famous guest drivers provide the final touch, with
numerous VIPs also having sat in the cockpit in recent years - among them
celebrity enthusiasts such as German actor Thomas Heinze, singer Hadda-way, or
TV comedian Axel Stein. And at the same time former Formula 1 stars such as
Jacques Laffite, Christian Danner, and Johnny Herbert have also been carried
away by the MINI CHALLENGE bug.

In the meantime numerous VIPs have expressed their interest in the
MINI CHALLENGE for the new, upcoming season, among them Fanta Vier singer Smudo
and film star Götz Otto, the "bad guy" in the James Bond movie "Tomorrow Never
Dies".

Lifestyle is also the name of the game in the MINI CHALLENGE beyond the race
track: in the Paddock Lounge chill-out music, a special bar, large plasma
screen TVs and a special cuisine varying from one location to the other combine
international flair with a truly relaxed, laid-back atmosphere. So it is no
surprise that MINI CHALLENGE hospitality has become a regular highlight and a
popular meeting place for drivers, teams, sponsors, and guests alike at the
races. And in 2007 MINI CHALLENGE hospitality will also be the scene as well as
the "base camp" for a number of spectacular events beyond the race track as
such.

The sporting highlight of the MINI CHALLENGE is the absolute equality given to
each driver: With all drivers entering the races in a technically identical
MINI Cooper S, the one and only decisive factor is the driver's talent at the
wheel. All cars are prepared at the same location on behalf of MINI, being
optimised for the race track by means of the John Cooper Works Tuning Kit.
Major components such as the engine and gearbox of the 154 kW (210 hp) racing
machines are specially sealed in order to prevent any undue modification of the
components and units involved.

A feature absolutely unique on a clubsport car of this kind is that the
anti-lock brakes (ABS brake technology) remain fully functional after being
adapted to the respective race track (see the section on Technical Highlights
for further information in this context).

Another exemplary feature is the prescribed use of the HANS (Head and Neck
Support) system effectively protecting the driver's head and neck area. Indeed,
this feature combining superior sportiness with outstanding safety makes the
MINI CHALLENGE particularly interesting for the rookie racing driver entering
motorsport for the first time as well as the ambitious amateur driver wishing
to enjoy the unique thrill of such an outstanding motorsport series. A further
benefit for all teams is that they have a fully equipped working area at their
disposal at the Driver's Club, a special tent sent up in the pits.

To maintain a steady balance and equal opportunities among all participants in
the course of the season, successful drivers are required to carry along a
racing handicap in subsequent events, with the winner, for example, being
required to take on an additional 25 kg. Then, depending on ongoing results,
this ballast is either increased step-by-step to a maximum of 50 kg or it is
reduced once again (see the chapter on Regulations for further information).
Points are awarded not only in the overall category, but also in a special
category for Gentleman Drivers (drivers over 50 years of age) and in the Team
Category.

Over and above the overall prize money of some Euro 340,000.-, no less
than three MINIs are given away as additional prizes for the most successful
drivers.
The regulations specifically allow the teams mostly organised by BMW dealers to
change their drivers in the course of the season. Still, the Championship
Category is restricted to a maximum of two drivers per car who must have
registered in advance for the MINI CHALLENGE.

The MINI CHALLENGE is becoming an increasingly international pheno-menon of
growing significance in many countries. This year the MINI United Festival in
Zandvoort (22-24 June 2007) marks yet another highlight in this process, with
the organisers expecting the same kind of crowd at the event near Amsterdam as
at the first event of this kind in October 2005, when some 6,000 MINI
enthusiasts from 40 nations all came together in Misano, Italy.