defending champions MINI JCW desert buggy wins again at dakar rally 2021

update [01.18.2021]: it is yet another victory for the MINI JCW buggy at the dakar 2021 – the manufacturer’s second consecutive win and their sixth overall championship. it was also another record-extending victory for driver and, now, 14-time winner of the dakar rally stéphane peterhansel with co-driver edouard boulanger. crossing the finish line in jeddah, the pair and their buggy conquered the deserts of saudia arabia in 44 hours, 28 minutes and 11 seconds, followed 1 hour and 57 seconds later by their MINI teammates driver carlos sainz and co-drover lucas cruz in third place.

relive the world’s most extreme, unique adventure – designboom raced with REBELLION, the official timekeepers of the dakar rally 2021, from january 3-15.

image courtesy of MINI

the MINI JCW buggy is aiming to prove why a winning formula should not be changed at the dakar 2021. together with engineers x-raid, the rally car has received many refinements over the years but has not been drastically modified since the base model was first penned in 2017. its success in extreme conditions resulted in a first place victory in 2020, together with three-time winner carlos sainz and co-driver lucas cruz. can they win again for 2021?

all images courtesy of x-raid

the MINI JCW buggy at dakar 2021 defines a MINI-like form, perhaps not in size but certainly shape. a sharp, geometric body sits atop the large 17-inch wheels with BFGoodrich R17 rubber tires. the design even features the marque’s renowned flat, rectangular radiator grille at the front. it highlights a new chapter to their car’s famed go-kart driving feeling.

inside, the buggy is powered by a 3-liter 6-cylinder turbocharged BMW engine with 350 bhp and 770 Nm of torque. this is paired with to a 6-speed Xtract gearbox with an integrated differential. the power is delivered through rear-wheel drive which, together with an extremely light weight of 1,585 kg, gives the model an advantage over all-wheel drive on sand.

together with x-raid, two MINI JCW buggies are entered into dakar 2021. defending champions and three-time winner carlos sainz paired with lucas cruz are joined by record 13-time winner of the dakar rally stéphane peterhansel with co-driver edouard boulanger.

tag along on the world’s most extreme adventure, watch out for timepiece reveals, and stay tuned as designboom races with official timekeepers REBELLION.

team info:

brand: MINI

model: JCW buggy

engineers: x-raid

rally: dakar 2021

dates: january 3-15, 2021