MINI Cooper takes on a Porsche GT3 and a Champ Car

Now we've seen some interesting races before, but this is something new: the Team Australia Speed Comparison, to be held in conjunction with the Lexmark Indy 300 later this month in Australia, will pit a MINI against a Porsche and a Champ Car.

The John Cooper Works MINI Cooper S packs a supercharged 1.6-liter four with 210 hp and runs 0-60 in 6.6 seconds; the 400-hp Porsche 911 GT3 reaches 60 in 3.2 seconds; and the Champ Car, packing a 750-hp Cosworth V8, will hit it in a cant 2.2 seconds. Sounds like a fight about as fair as David and Goliath, with The Rock thrown in for good measure.

Of course it's not a straight-up race, or anybody could predict the outcome – it's a single-lap handicap race: the MINI will head out first, followed by the Porsche and then the Champ Car. The starts are timed according to the car's capabilities so that, technically, all three cars should cross the finish line at the same time.

Gentlemen, start your engines!

[Source: Auto Racing Daily]