When drivers take to the track in high-performance racing cars, motor racing fans can look forward to thrilling duels right down to the final lap. Unlike in rallying, where the cars set off individually on each stage of the route, all the drivers in circuit racing hit the track and go head to head at the same time. In the majority of cases, the starting grid is determined during qualifying sessions.

In many racing series, car manufacturers and private teams build their cars in accordance with predefined regulations and then compete for the Drivers', Constructors’, Team or Manufacturers' titles over the course of the season. One make series are staged using a different concept: all participants line up in identical racing cars. Success or failure is determined purely by the driver's talent and ability, not the individual development budget of the manufacturer or team.

One such one make series is the MINI Challenge. The idea behind this championship, which made its debut in 2004, is still thrilling drivers and fans alike in its eighth year: drivers go head to head in identically-prepared MINI John Cooper Works Challenge cars in a series of races staged at prestigious venues. VIPs and prominent guests in the paddock turn the MINI Hospitality into the highlight of every paddock – motor racing meets lifestyle.

Marathon races like the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring-Nordschleife are regarded as one of the most prestigious disciplines in circuit racing. The team of drivers must remain fully focussed at this kind of event – regardless of whether they take to the track during the frantic start phase or in the dark in the middle of the night. This year, MINI will face the challenge of 24 hours in the "Green Hell".