MINI USA AND THE MINI JOHN COOPER WORKS RACE TEAM KICK OFF SRO TC AMERICA SERIES WITH A STRONG WEEKEND AT SONOMA

Woodcliff Lake, NJ,  April 19, 2022. MINI USA and the MINI John Cooper Works Team came out of the gates at full speed for the 2022 SRO TC America series kick off weekend at Sonoma Raceway in Sonoma, Calif., with Clay Williams piloting the #60 MINI JCW to two podium finishes on the weekend. Williams showed his endurance and patience after falling to the back of the pack in Lap 1 of Race 1 to work his way back through the competition to take third place. Race 2 found Williams continuing to hold his own in a competitive field that included teams represented by Honda, Hyundai, Subaru and BMW. Williams put pressure on the race leader for almost the entire race holding on to the second-place finish.
 
“We could not have asked for a better start to the season,” said Luis Perocarpi, team owner, LAP Motorsports. “This team has a long season ahead, but they showed this weekend they have that MINI underdog spirit and are ready to fight for the championship.”
 
The Brownsburg, Ind. -based LAP Motorsports team, which operates the MINI JCW Team, fielded two other cars in the Touring Car (TC) class this weekend, with Cristian Perocarpi in #61 MINI JCW and newcomer PJ Groenke in #62 MINI JCW. Both drivers performed well and demonstrated the burgeoning young talent this team has in the paddock.
 
This weekend MINI USA brought forward seven qualified MINI Dealer technicians to work alongside the LAP Motorsports team during practice, qualifying and race days as part of the MINI Technician Race Crew Program. The seven dealer technicians were from the Western Region (Seattle MINI, MINI of Portland, Crevier MINI and South Bay MINI) and supported the team for the entire weekend at Sonoma. The race team relies on the skill and knowledge of the technicians that work, day to day on MINI, to bring that expertise to the track.

2022 SRO TC America

• April 15 – 17:                     Sonoma Raceway (COMPLETE)
• May 20 – 22:                      Ozarks International Raceway
• June 17 – 19:                     Virginia International Raceway 
• July 22 – 24:                      Watkins Glen International
• August 19 – 21:                  Road America
• September 23 – 25:           Sebring International Raceway
• October 7– 9:                     Indianapolis Motor Speedway

About the MINI JCW Team
The MINI JCW Team, operated by LAP Motorsports, drives MINI’s most powerful Hardtop ever in the two-door MINI John Cooper Works Hardtop. The team competes in the fiercely competitive SRO TC America Series. For additional information please visit minijcwteam.com or email luis@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 authorized MINI USA dealer organization is represented by a network of 115 locations comprised of 105 MINI full passenger car sales and service dealers and 10 service exclusive outlets located throughout the US.  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 five unique vehicles.
 
Journalist notes: Media information about MINI and its products is available to journalists on-line at www.miniusanews.com.