Tag Archives: Prodrive

Mini rethinks WRC program

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Mini John Cooper Works WRCMini has announced a change in approach to participation in the World Rally Championship (WRC) which was initially set to be a full-works entry into this year’s championship under the auspices of Prodrive. Instead, Mini’s future participation in the WRC will be as a works-supported private team, to be known as WRC Team MINI Portugal, run by Prodrive. Prodrive will also be responsible for building Mini John Cooper Works WRC vehicles for private rally teams around the world and for providing support to those teams.

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Mini returns to Rallying

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Austin Mini Rally CarEarlier this week, Mini made it’s debut appearance in the 2011 World Rally Championship (WRC)! In July last year BMW announced that the Prodrive developed Mini Countryman with a BMW Motorsport 1.6-Liter, four-cylinder turbocharged engine would compete in selected events at this year’s WRC before competing the full championship from 2012 onwards. Prodrive has been working on the MINI Countryman WRC since early 2009 and has significant experience in Rallying, having run the Rothmans Porsche Rally Team in Regional and National rally events in 1984, and the Rothmans Motul BMW team in the WRC in 1987. Their greatest success was with Subaru with whom they won the 1995 Manufacturers’ World Rally Championship and the Driver’s Championship with the late Colin McRae! Prodrive helped Subaru to the Manufacturer’s Championship in 1996 and 1997 and also secured the 2001 Drivers Championship with the late Richard Burns and the 2003 Drivers Championship with Petter Solberg.

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