WRC for 2011 on MINI's agenda

MINI plans an attack on the World Rally Championship next year, with a bit of help from vehicle preparation specialists, Prodrive.

The BMW-owned boutique brand describes its S2000 putsch in the 2011 WRC as a "comeback on the international rally circuit," but it's a far cry from the BMC works effort of the 1960s, when Irishman Paddy Hopkirk drove a Mini Cooper S to victory in the Monte Carlo Rally. Hopkirk's win in 1964 pre-dated the modern WRC era by nine years.

MINI will start slowly next year, entering a select few events, before embarking on a fully-fledged commitment to winning the S2000 category in 2012. The MINI Countryman will provide the basis for the competition car, which will be powered by a 1.6-litre turbo engine from BMW Motorsport.

"This is a very exciting new motorsport programme," said Prodrive Chairman, David Richards. "During the 1960s MINI captured the imagination of the world when the tiny car took on the might of V8 powered Fords and won what was then one of the toughest motorsport events, the 4000km Monte Carlo rally.

"I believe our new MINI will become a firm favourite of the latest generation of rally fans, just as it is adored by its millions of owners across the world. We already have a significant number of confirmed customer orders for the new MINI rally car with the first deliveries scheduled for the start of the 2011 season."

Richards knows a bit about international rallying, having got his feet wet navigating for Ari Vatanen in RS1800 Escorts during the 1980s. Since then, he and his company have been involved in homologating the Subaru Impreza WRX for the British market, heading a consortium that owns Aston Martin, building the TRD HiLux for Toyota Australia and running the local FPV joint venture with Ford Australia.

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