Mini Challenge 2022 unveiled in Milan. There is the new EVO category

Milan – In the late morning of today, in the Watt 10 Location space which is located in the San Cristoforo sul Naviglio district, MINI italia and Promodrive presented the 2022 edition of the MINI Challenge Italia, a single-brand store that will involve the MINI Cooper Works in 3 levels different.

In the room where the 2022 championship was presented there was a MINI Cooper Works EVO, that is the car designed for the new category that bears the same name – EVO, in fact – and which will be the spearhead in terms of performance of the new Italian season by MINI.

3 categories: the EVO makes its debut

Detail of the new Mini Challenge Evo

Photo by: Giacomo Rauli

This is precisely the great news unveiled today. The JCW EVOs will be the best performing cars in the championship with their 306 horsepower (Approximately 500 Nm of torque). The first test with the new car – strongly desired by MINI Italia so much so that it will be available only for the Italian single-make – was carried out by Gianni Morbidelli and it is estimated that, on the same circuit, the EVO is about 3 “5 faster per lap than the PRO version, that is the one that until 2021 had represented the reference car.

As far as the category pyramid of the MINI Challenge 2022 is concerned, everything remains unchanged, with the PRO and the Light being the lower steps of the EVO. The PRO cars will have 265 horsepower and a sequential gearbox at their disposal, an aspect that will make the difference compared to the light cars with these that will have a manual gearbox and significantly slower gear changes.

Another important difference between the PRO and the Light is the weight of the two cars. The PRO will be 40 kilograms lighter than its little sister, in fact a MINI JCW practically standard, revised only with the necessary safety systems to be able to pass the homologation.

The MINI Challenge 2022 championship will once again have the fundamental support of ACI and Promodrive. ACI will allow the championship to often follow the Italian GT calendar, racing on the same tracks. While Promodrive will take care of the preparation of the cars on race weekends.

Calendar and prize pool

The interior of the new Mini Challenge Evo

Photo by: Giacomo Rauli

Mini Challenge will offer a total prize pool of 80,000 euros and the possibility, for those who win the various categories, to be able to enroll in the higher class the following year so as to make a championship even more sustainable whose costs are already quite low if compared to other single-brand stores.

The MINI Challenge 2022 will be held in 6 overall events, for 12 races that will outline the champions of the three categories that will compete from July – when the first appointment will be held – to October.

In July the category will start its season on the Vallelunga track in Lazio, but during the year the event will be repeated on another occasion. Same fate for Mugello, another track where 2 appointments will be held. The riders, on these occasions, will have the opportunity to understand well if and how much they will have improved between the first and second round of the year. The two remaining races will be held at the Enzo and Dino Ferrari of Imola and at the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza.

MINI Academy

The new Mini Challenge Evo

Photo by: Giacomo Rauli

MINI also has its own academy and is for all drivers under 25. Following the boys is Gianni Morbidelli, an exceptional coach who teaches the children the secrets to become better drivers from the top of his experience and competence in motorsport.

MINI’s goal is to help its young drivers to minimize mistakes and, if they are made, also to avoid repeating them. To take part in the entire season made up of 12 races, spread over 6 events, the cost is 37,000 euros.