MINI USA AND THE MINI JOHN COOPER WORKS RACE TEAM CELEBRATE THE LIFE OF LEGENDARY RALLY DRIVER PADDY HOPKIRK WITH TWO WINS AT WATKINS GLEN

Woodcliff Lake, NJ,  July 26, 2022. MINI USA and the MINI John Cooper Works Team celebrated the life of legendary rally driver Paddy Hopkirk, who passed away on Thursday, July 21, 2022, at age 89, with two victories this past weekend at Watkins Glen International. Upon hearing the news of the passing of Hopkirk, who made the iconic red No. 37 Mini Cooper famous with a victory at the 1964 Rallye Monte Carlo, MINI JCW race team members dedicated their upcoming performances in the fourth race weekend of the 2022 SRO TC America series to the racing icon.
 
“When the team learned of the passing of Paddy Hopkirk our immediate thought was that we had to race this weekend for Paddy,” said Luis Perocarpi, team owner, LAP Motorsports. “The spirit of MINI and Paddy were alive and well in the paddock and on the track this weekend.”
 
MINI JCW racer Clay Williams piloted the #60 MINI JCW Pro to the top spot in the Touring Car (TC) class of Race 1, alongside teammate Cristian Perocarpi in #61 MINI JCW who also took home the victory in the Touring Car A (TCA) class. It was Perocarpi’s first career win and Williams second win in the series this year. Williams also took home a third-place finish in Race 2 on Sunday. PJ Groenke also piloted the #62 MINI JCW in the TCA class at Watkins Glen this weekend.
 
The Brownsburg, Ind. -based LAP Motorsports team, which operates the MINI JCW Team, was supported by three qualified MINI Dealer technicians this weekend, working alongside the team during practice, qualifying and race days as part of the MINI Technician Race Crew Program. The three dealer technicians were from dealers in the Eastern Region, including one from Towne MINI in Williamsville, NY, one from MINI of Rochester, NY, and one from MINI of Bedford, in New Hampshire. Each of them supported the team for the entire weekend at Watkins Glen. 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:                      New Orleans Motorsports Park (COMPLETE)
• June 17 – 19:                     Virginia International Raceway (COMPLETE)
• July 22 – 24:                      Watkins Glen International (COMPLETE)
• 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 MINIUSANEWS.com.