Mini challenges Porsche to a race, Porsche declines (w/ video)

The head of MINI USA, Jim McDowell, has publicly challenged the head of Porsche to a race. Jim asked Porsche to bring along their 911 Carrera S to a track in Atlanta (right down the road from Porsche’s U.S. corporate headquarters) on June 21 to race against the Mini Cooper S.

“The gauntlet has been thrown down,” Mini said in a statement. “Will Porsche accept?”

No they won’t. Porsche replied to Jim’s challenge saying:

Dear Jim,

Imagine our surprise to discover our former employee, now the head of Mini, has challenged us to a head-to-head race. As you surely know, Porsche has a long history of racing success, with more than 28,000 wins over the last 60 years. In our early days, we pitted ourselves against the giants, so we’ve been in your shoes.

But as you also know, Porsche doesn’t race for fame, stunts or publicity. We race to challenge ourselves; we race to push sports car technology; we race to translate every win on the track to our cars on the road. If you need a reminder of our intent, please take a look at this short video:

While your challenge seems like a fun and lighthearted campaign, we’ll stick to racing the way we have over the decades. We welcome you at Sebring, Le Mans, Daytona or any other sanctioned race where there is more at stake than T-shirts and valet parking spaces. We also invite you to any of the thousands of tracks around the world where Porsche owners compete each weekend.

Good luck with your race at Road Atlanta on June 21; we hope you enjoy the day.

Sincerely,

Detlev Von Platen
President and CEO, Porsche Cars North America

– By: Stephen Calogera