One of the most enjoyable aspects of a MINI vehicle is its go-kart-like handling and agility. With that in mind, you'd think that MINI vehicles are probably fairly good rally cars—and you're right. There's a reason MINI drivers have won so many years of the Rallye Monte-Carlo, for example—one of the most famous rally races in the world. And this year, the driver of the winning car for 1967 went back to Monte Carlo to relive his victory.
3Birds Template has the details on the race, and the driver, for you here.
A bit more about the race
The rally has an illustrious history, beginning in 1911 at the behest of Prince Albert the First of Monaco. Each team starts off the race at various points around Europe, though they all end up in Monte Carlo, with every team having to take on the same challenging timed section from La Bollène-Vésubie to Sospel (or the other way around) over the Col de Turini pass road.
The road is treacherous—drivers not only have to take on a steep mountain road with numerous hairpin turns but also snow and ice (sometimes placed there by spectators).
Then and now
Finnish rally legend Rauno Aaltonen, driver of the winning car in 1967, participated in this year's Rallye Monte-Carlo Historique—a race that sees cars from the 50s to the 70s roaring over the illustrious course—and he did so in a Swedish collector's fully prepped Mini Cooper S rally car.
When asked what it's like to take on the track so many years later in an interview with GT Spirit, Aaltonen said:
In general, driving the Mini Cooper is hardly different now than it was in 1967. However, the car is a bit better and the tires provide more grip than they used to. But the Col de Turini is still very much the same; it is just a little less bumpy and a bit wider here and there.
The accidental shortcut
Though Aaltonen won the race in 1967, stories were told that his car went off the race at one point, and yet he still won. How as this possible? When asked, Aaltonen confirmed the story and explained what happened.
The weather at the time was very poor, with low visibility and heavy snow. His co-driver told him they were two minutes behind their average time when the car hit a patch of ice in a hairpin turn, and Aaltonen was faced with a choice when he saw some huge rocks: aim for one and wreck the car, or try to steer between them (and potentially die).
He made it through the rocks, slid down a snow-covered part of the mountain, made it back to the road, and once he'd checked in with his co-driver again, they realized not only were they back on the right track, but they ended up coming to the finish with a 7-second lead!
MINI drivers have brought home a number of victories from the Rallye Monte-Carlo, not to mention other races around the world, but you don't have to take one all the way to Monte Carlo to have fun. Call, contact us online or visit us in person at 505 W. Franklin St., Chapel Hill, NC 27516 to schedule a test drive and let the adventures begin.
Image Credit: GT Spirit
