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May 04, 2006
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MINI South Africa set the challenge. Diana Blake, General Manager for MINI South Africa, said: “MINI is a car that looks, feels and drives like no other. MINI’s classless appeal and myriad abilities inspired this journey during which we demonstrated that we can take our great little car, literally, to the furthest extremes.”
The continent-conquering MINIs needed very few modifications. Aside from raising the ground clearance to approximately 230mm, changing the shock absorbers and adding steel rims and robust tyres, the cars were mechanically identical to the MINIs available to customers. A further requirement for MINI Odyssey was that each MINI Cooper S be essentially self-sufficient for the entire journey. This involved the removal of the rear seats and interior cladding in order to accommodate the supplies needed. Each car carried two spare wheels, food and all sleeping equipment required by the team. The drivers were led by Roger Pearce, Chairman of Motorsport South Africa and three-time winner of the South African Historic Championship. Steve Mearns, journalist and rally driver, took charge of the second MINI. Matthew Nash, a certified MINI mechanic and racecar builder, piloted the third. Pearce said: “For this trip to succeed we needed a top quality car. North of Kenya the roads just deteriorate into stony desert tracks and when we reached Ethiopia and explained our journey to some interested locals, they laughed in disbelief. They were sceptical that we’d make it in anything smaller than a four-wheel drive truck, yet here we are! Our adventure is now complete and none of the MINIs suffered a single mechanical breakdown.” The team put the MINI trio through their final few paces as they crossed the Mediterranean by ferry into Italy. They then headed up through France and finally reached England. The entire MINI Odyssey was broadcast live via the MINI Odyssey website, www.miniodyssey.co.za. (April 27, 2006)
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