MINI JCW Team Finishes 1 - 2 in the Street Tuner Class of the Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge Series at Sebring

Woodcliff Lake, NJ,  March 16, 2018. The MINI JCW Team and MINI USA left no doubt about their desire for a series championship during today’s Alan Jay Automotive Network 120 at Sebring International Raceway in Sebring, Fla. The race was dominated by the MINI JCW race cars, with Mark Pombo and brother Mat Pombo, battling for the 1 – 2 positions in the final hour of the race. When the checkered flag waved Mark Pombo was in the lead in the #52 MINI JCW with Mat right behind him in the #73 MINI JCW. Teammate Derek Jones did an outstanding job recovering from earlier contact while leading the race to drive an injured #37 MINI JCW to a fourth place finish.

The MINI JCW Team kicked off the weekend with a front row sweep of qualifying with Nate Norenburg taking the pole in the #37 MINI JCW and 2013 ST Driver Champion Mike LaMarra coming in second in the #73 MINI JCW. Jay Salinsky qualified the #52 MINI JCW in fourth.

The MINI JCW Team shuffled their drivers during the offseason to give every MINI JCW the opportunity to get to victory lane and a shot at the series championship at the end of the season.

“I am so proud of all three of our cars today and the entire MINI JCW team, including our MINI technicians in pit lane,” said Luis Perocarpi, team owner, LAP Motorsports. “Sebring is one of the toughest tracks we will battle this year and the team and our equipment proved we are ready to bring home a championship this season.”

Throughout the entire season, technicians from MINI dealerships all over the country help support the team as part of the MINI Service Technicians Education Program (STEP). This weekend at Sebring the team will be supported by five MINI technicians from dealers, including one from Tom Bush MINI in Jacksonville, one from Cincinnati MINI in Cincinnati, Ohio, two from Ferman MINI of Tampa Bay and one from South Motors MINI in Miami.

The Indianapolis-based MINI JCW Team competes with a fleet of production-derived MINI John Cooper Works Hardtop race cars closely related to the John Cooper Works Hardtops that are currently on sale at MINI dealerships across the U.S. For information about the MINI JCW Team visit MINIJCWTeam.com.

About MINI in the US
MINI is an independent brand of the BMW Group. In the United States, MINI USA operates as a business unit of BMW of North America, LLC, located in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey and includes the marketing and sales organizations for the MINI brand. The MINI USA sales organization is represented in the U.S. through a network of 128 MINI passenger car dealers in 39 states. MINI USA began selling vehicles in the U.S. in 2002 with the introduction of the MINI Cooper and MINI Cooper S Hardtops. Since then, the MINI Brand in the U.S. has grown to encompass a model range of four unique vehicles.

About the MINI JCW Team
The MINI JCW Team, operated by LAP Motorsports (@lapmotorsports), drives MINI's most powerful Hardtop ever in the two-door John Cooper Works. The team competes in the fiercely competitive IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge. For additional information please visit minijcwteam.com or email luis@minijcwteam.com

Journalist notes: Media information about MINI and its products is available to journalists on-line at www.miniusanews.com.