Mini vs Porsche battle continues

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Porsche has hit back at Mini by rejecting the challenge of a race between a 911 and a Cooper S. The president of Mini USA, Jim McDowell, threw down the gauntlet to his Porsche opposite number Detlev von Platen for a Cooper S vs 911 race at the Road Atlanta track in America. Mini actually booked the venue and put a full page advert in The New York Times. But von Platen , Porsche North America's president, did not hold any punches in rejecting the showdown. In a letter to McDowell, von Platen suggested Mini to race: "at Sebring, Le Mans, Daytona or any other sanctioned race where there is more at stake than T-shirts and valet parking spaces." McDowell was a former employee of Porsche and von Platen strongly references this point: "As you also know, Porsche doesn't race for fame, stunts or publicity. We race to challenge ourselves; we race to push sports car technology; we race to translate every win on the track to our cars on the road." Von Platen also added: "While your challenge seems like a fun and lighthearted campaign, we'll stick to racing the way we have over the decades." So now wait to see if Mini takes up the challenge.