A Mini John Cooper Works rally car won its first FIA international event on Sunday when Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari took victory at the Qatar International Rally, the first round of the 2012 Middle East Rally Championship (MERC).
Al Kuwari and his co-driving brother, Nasser Al-Kuwari, emerged victorious by a margin of two minutes and 24.9 seconds and confirmed their first career MERC win and a debut success for the Prodrive-built and Tok Sport-run Mini John Cooper Works Super Production Car (SPC).
“It is a fantastic feeling to win this rally,” says Al-Kuwari, who became the 32nd driver in history to win at least one round of the MERC. “I have achieved success in national rallies in Qatar, but this was the big one. This was the rally I wanted to win. The new car was fantastic. This is the biggest win of my career.”
The Mini SPC is the regional rally specification of the Mini World Rally Car. The cars are nearly identical except that the SPC runs with a smaller engine restrictor (30 millimetres versus 33 mm) and a smaller rear wing.
