The MINI Celebrity Challenge marked the launch of MINI in Australia, with 28 specially prepared Coopers taking to the track in Albert Park, Melbourne in March 2002.
Officially promoted as the ‘circuit-racing debut’ of MINI, the Celebrity Challenge was a sponsor race providing entertainment for spectators as a curtain raiser to the 2002 Foster’s Australian Grand Prix.
In acknowledgement of the race and sponsorship, all Australian MINI Garages were open across the weekend of the race, delivering the first cars to customers and showing the Grand Prix on TVs in their customer waiting lounges.
The Cars
Each of the cars were prepared by John Cooper Works in the UK, including the fitment of a full roll cage and race seats with harness. The cars were all left-hand-drive and finished in Chili Red with 17-inch S-spoke wheels.
The cars were pre-production models, and therefore could not be sold or registered. Their use in the Celebrity Challenge was a creative way to extend their lives beyond their pre-production duties.
BMW Group Australia was the official vehicle supplier for the Grand Prix. In previous years the Celebrity Challenge had been held with BMW Z3 roadsters.
The Drivers
The field of drivers was a mix of sporting and entertainment celebrities, as well as Mike Cooper (son of John Cooper) and a lucky competition winner.
All drivers completed official driver training by BMW Group Driver Training instructors in preparation for the race, led by Geoff Brabham (Chief Driving Instructor and Bathurst and Le Mans winner).
Special guest Rauno Aaltonen was part of the training team, having pioneered the BMW Driver Training program in Germany. Well known for being a highly successfully Works Mini driver in the 1960s, he won Bathurst in 1966 with Bob Holden among many other titles. During the week of training, Bob stopped for a visit while on the Grand Prix Rally that same week.
Before hitting the track at Albert Park, the drivers completed several days of training at Sandown Park in Melbourne’s southeast. Lessons focused on steering, braking, racing lines, overtaking, and putting them altogether in practice. This was followed by further days of practice at Albert Park.
The Race
Race day was Saturday 2 March, with drivers facing a wet track unlike the training days. The race commenced at 11.20am with all 28 drivers on the grid.
In pole position on the starting grid was Tom Browell, winner of a Qantas competition for a position in the race. He was closely followed by Olympic medallist Russell Mark and actor Antonio Sabato Jnr who qualified only seconds behind.
Craig Watson provided commentary of the race in July 2002 issue of Mini Magazine, quoted below:
Tom had a good start and quickly settled into maintaining his rhythm and concentrating on his racing lines with Russell doing the same a second or two back. Meanwhile, Antonio was trying everything to make up ground, while Mike, who slipped under Greg and Jon on the first corner, was pushing hard.
Twice Antonio went into a corner too hot and slid onto the grass, with Mike getting past on the second instance. "I got a great start and was following Antonio," he explained. "He was wild and I thought if I just stay cool he'll lose it and he did. The first time he managed to keep it together and get back in front of me, but the second time I thought, you're not getting away with it this time."
The red mist rose over Antonio's eyes, throwing caution and experience to the wind, as he fought to regain third spot. Again going into the corner too hot for the Mini's brakes, he touched the grass, got crossed-up all over the place, recovered a little, then got a light tap from behind and went spearing off into the tyre barrier, ending his race.
Behind all this was devastation as everything learned over the past week seemed to be forgotten. About seven or eight of the Minis were involved in altercations, with Michelle Walsh, Alicia Molik and Ben Dark the worst affected. Ben got quite a surprise when the airbags in his car activated after he hit the side of Michelle's car.
All this in just five laps, live on national TV and on the big screens around Albert Park, with the crowd absolutely loving it. Suzie Wilks had landed in the kitty litter on both practice days and ended her race the same way. She leapt from the car and acknowledged the cheering crowd with an elegant bow.
First place was won by Tom Browell, again followed by Russell Mark in second. Third place was taken Mike Cooper of John Cooper Works.
Four cars were unable to finish, crashing out of the race before reaching their five laps.
Video coverage of the race was completed by Nine News, a recording of which is available on YouTube thanks to race winner Tom Browell.
2002 MINI Celebrity Challenge
Posted on YouTube by Tom Browell
Finishing order
- Tom Browell - Qantas competition winner
- Russell Mark OAM - Olympic Gold and Silver medallist
- Mike Cooper - Chairman of John Cooper Works
- Jon Stevens - Singer
- Greg Alexander - Former Rugby League International, presenter 2UE
- David Campese OAM - Former Wallaby and international record holder
- Matt Tilley – Presenter, Fox FM
- Mike Hammond - Radio and Foxtel presenter
- Colin Marland - Winner of the 2001 Grand Prix Ball auction
- Frank Farina - Head coach of the Socceroos
- James Brayshaw - Presenter Triple M
- Krista Vendy - Face of Foster’s for the Grand Prix
- Layne Beachley - Four times world surfing champion
- Prue Jackson - Model
- Scott Cam - Presenter, Backyard Blitz, Channel 9
- Michelle Walsh - Presenter and reporter, Escape with ET, Channel 9
- Karina Brown - Host, Body and Soul, Channel 9
- Michael Caton - Actor and host, Hot Property, Channel 7
- Johnnie Cass - Personal trainer and actor
- Katrina Warren - Resident Vet, Harry’s Practice, Channel 7
- John Burns – Presenter, 3AW
- Antonio Sabato Jnr (DNF*) - Actor
- Suzie Wilks (DNF*) – Host, Changing Rooms, Channel 9
- Ben Dark (DNF*) - Presenter Getaway, Channel 9
- Alicia Molik (DNF*) – Australia’s No. 1 female professional tennis player
*Did Not Finish
“Who’s Tom Browell?”
In the lead up to the 2002 Grand Prix, Qantas ran a competition for the opportunity to fly to Melbourne and participate in training for the MINI Celebrity Challenge, with the potential to also participate in the main race.
Out of five finalists, Tom Browell was awarded a position on the grid of the official MINI Celebrity Challenge after a day of testing at Sandown Park. With a diligent approach to training and practice, Tom not only secured a podium finish, but impressively took out first place ahead of all celebrities.
Tom has recounted his experience of the MINI Celebrity Challenge in significant detail, providing great insight to the process for the Qantas finalists and MINI Celebrity Challenge in general, as well as the many instances of people asking “Who’s Tom Browell?”. You can read Tom’s full story online at My experience in the MINI Celebrity Challenge at the 2002 Melbourne Grand Prix.
What happened to the cars?
Despite many cars being well race worn, the fleet was mostly retained and reused in subsequent Celebrity Challenge races.
Celebrity Challenge at the Grand Prix
Twelve months after the first race, the MINI Celebrity Challenge returned at the 2003 Foster’s Australian Grand Prix with a new field of drivers.
Period articles suggest that 26 cars formed the grid for 2003, implying some were not recovered from their damage sustained in the original race. The cars were repainted from their original Chilli Red to reflect the range of colours currently available for sale, including Indi Blue, Liquid Yellow and British Racing Green.
The 2003 race was ultimately cut short due to rain, but the win went to Italian model Marzio Canevarolo with Olympic gold medal speed skater Steve Bradbury behind. Third place was taken by Australian Olympic and Commonwealth weightlifter Damian Brown.
For 2004, the Celebrity Challenge was raced with twenty-eight BMW 318ti Sport Compacts, and the MINI Coopers were not seen in Melbourne again.
Finishing order
- Marzio Canevarolo, Italian model
- Steven Bradbury, Olympic gold medallist' short track speed skating
- Damian Brown, Olympic and Commonwealth weightlifter
- Stephen Silvagni, former AFL Carlton footballer
- Petria Thomas, Australian swimmer
- James Morrison, international jazz musician
- Pat Rafter, former world No. 1 tennis champion
- Sami Lukis, Channel 9 weather presenter
- Sandon Stolle, tennis professional
- Liz Ellis, Australian netballer
- Darren James, 3AW radio presenter
- Katie Underwood, singer/TV presenter and ex-Bardot
- John Paul Young, singer
- Alexandra Davies, actor
- John Gibbs, 2UE radio guest presenter
- Mieke Buchan, SBS sports presenter
- Megan Gale, international model
- Peter Daicos, former Collingwood AFL footballer
- Corinne Grant, comedian
- Geoff Cox, Postcards presenter
- Peter Helliar, comedian
- Brigette Duclos, Triple M radio presenter
- Jimeoin McKeown, comedian
- Grace McClure, Face of Foster's
- Paul Brown, rove[live] entrant (disqualified)
Over to New Zealand
Hallensteins MINI Celebrity Challenge
The Coopers reached the end of their welcome in the country in line with Australian Government import conditions, and they were then exported to New Zealand for use in a local Celebrity Challenge.
Sixteen cars were raced in Hallensteins MINI Celebrity Challenge at the Placemakers V8 International at Pukekohe Raceway in November 2003.
Celebrities who took to the track included yachtsmen Grant Dalton and Dean Barker, actor Temuera Morrison, radio hosts Kerre Woodham, Dean Butler, Jenny May Coffin and Nick Tansley, comedians Raybon Kan and Mike King, TV presenter Tony Veitch, and hockey player Mandy Smith. One position was allocated to the winner of a Hallensteins Father's Day promotion.
First place was taken by Dean Barker, followed by Grant Dalton in second. Third place went to Mike King.
MINI Drive Day
The cars remained at Pukekohe Raceway after the Hallensteins Celebrity Challenge and were used for MINI Drive Day events. These events allowed members of the public to experience MINI and try racing for themselves.
The ultimate fate of the cars in New Zealand is unknown, however they were still in use at Pukekohe as late as 2005.
Early end of the road
Not all cars had made it to New Zealand, with video evidence of at least one car being scrapped in Australia. A video posted to YouTube shows a very rudimentary scrapping of an Indi Blue coloured car, used by Pat Rafter in the 2003 MINI Celebrity Challenge. The red interior panels and underlying Chilli Red paint (not to mention the stickers) all point to history of it being a Celebrity Challenge car.
'MINI Crush'
Posted on YouTube by qwert1963
Thank you
The considerable detail in this MINI Celebrity Challenge history has been made possible with the assistance and resources of Craig Watson (The Mini Experience) and Tom Browell.
A very special thanks to both Craig and Tom for their efforts documenting the event back in 2002 and for sharing their photos and video.