2009 Mini Cooper S Hatchback 2-door 1.6l on 2040-cars

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Mini wins Dakar Rally for fourth year in a row

Motorsport in its various forms tends to be characterized by eras of domination: Red Bull in F1, Audi at Le Mans, Citroen and now Volkswagen in the WRC. That's certainly the case with the Dakar Rally. After years of domination at the hands of the Mitsubishi Pajero, the Volkswagen Touareg won the famous rally raid three years running. But these days, it's all about Mini. The Anglo-Saxon team won the Dakar three years running, locking out the podium last year in positively dominant style. And now it's won again. After some 5,600 miles spanning three countries across South America, the Mini All4 Racing machine piloted by Nasser Al-Attiyah of Qatar, with France's Mathieu Baumel as co-pilot, has taken the top step on the podium in Buenos Aires. The duo won five out of 13 legs to claim the race, marking the first win for Baumel and the second for Al-Attiyah, who won with VW in 2011. It would have been a podium lockout again for Mini had it not been for Giniel de Villiers and Dirk von Zitzewitz, who placed their Toyota Hilux in second, with additional Minis finishing in third, fourth and fifth. The troubled Peugeot 2008 DKR driven by Stephane Peterhansel ultimately finished in 11th place. American driver Robby Gordon finished first in his class, but 19th overall. Things were even more predictable in the other categories. The Kamaz team from Russia won the Truck category for the third consecutive year (and the twelfth since 2000). Spanish rider Marco Coma won the Motorcycle category on his KTM 450 Rally – his second consecutive win and fifth win overall. And Poland's Rafal Sonik won in the Quad class, which has been taken on a Yamaha ATV every year since the rally moved to South America and the category was instituted.

Watch Jay Leno bounce around with Dakar winner Roma in his Mini All4Racing

With Jay Leno off the Tonight Show, he has all the time in the world to focus on his passion for cars and can even travel a little. Leno teamed up with two-time Dakar Rally winner Nani Roma to jump and slide a Mini Countryman All4 racing truck around the dunes in Death Valley, CA.
The Mini-branded trucks are highly modified for off-road duty. They have won the Dakar Rally consecutively in 2012, 2013 and 2014 and even took a 1-2-3 finish in the most recent running. The specialized Minis are propelled over the dunes by a BMW-sourced, diesel engine with a six-speed sequential gearbox and heavy-duty all-wheel drive system with a locking center differential.
It is amusing to see the big smile on Leno's face, and Roma appears a little worried while Jay is driving. If this is what to expect from the post-Tonight Show Jay Leno's Garage videos, then things are only getting better from an already fantastic series. Scroll down to watch Leno and Roma take a Mini through the dunes.

Watch feds crush classic Mini caught in importation dragnet

Fair warning for any classic car fans that suffer from high blood pressure: this story might not be good for your health. US Customs and Border Protection is teaming up with British law enforcement to keep unsafe, imported vehicles off the road here – like this Mini. In the government's view, the only way to make things right is to crush the cars, apparently. The destruction is part of Operation Atlantic, a crackdown on Minis and Land Rover Defenders that are being illegally imported. According to Yahoo Autos, this is just one of about 100 vehicles from the dragnet. This specific car came into the US in June, and its VIN indicated a model from 1988. However, the vehicle had a different engine than it should have, and the steering wheel was on the wrong side. It was likely actually from around 2000. To emphasize the crackdown, government officials and press gathered at a New Jersey junkyard to destroy the car. Check out the video below to watch the carnage and listen to the horrible crunching noises, and read the sad press release below. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Trans-Atlantic Partnership Seeks to Crush Illegal Trade of Unsafe Vehicles NEWARK, New Jersey-U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) destroyed an illegally imported and unsafe Mini Cooper Thursday at a salvage yard in New Jersey following a recent seizure at the Newark Seaport. CBP captured photos, b-roll and principal sound bites for use by news media. This Mini is just one of dozens of vehicles intercepted at ports of entry across the U.S, including ports in Baltimore, Philadelphia, Norfolk, Virginia, Charleston, South Carolina, Savannah, Georgia, Jacksonville, Florida, Houston and Tacoma, Washington. Over the past year, CBP has increased targeting and inspections of suspect imported vehicles, specifically Minis and Land Rover Defenders, as part of Operation Atlantic, a new trans-Atlantic partnership between U.S. and U.K. regulatory and law enforcement officials. "Intercepting illegal and unsafe imports is a top priority for CBP," said Brenda Smith, CBP's assistant commissioner for International Trade. "Through Operation Atlantic, we are stopping illegally imported, unsafe vehicles from driving on our roadways, and at the same time, partnering with our colleagues in the UK to stop this criminal activity at its source." Launched in March 2014 by CBP's Commercial Targeting and Analysis Center (CTAC), U.S.