MINI WRC Team is go!

The MINI WRC Team was formally launched at the MINI plant in Oxford today.

The all-new team was launched by team drivers Kris Meeke and Dani Sordo, with former Mini drivers Paddy Hopkirk and Rauno Aaltonen also present. Hopkirk and Aaltonen drove the 60's Cooper, in which they won the Rally Monte Carlo in 1964 and 1967, respectively, onto the main stage.

The new MINI John Cooper Works WRC.

Hopkirk, Aaltonen and Timo Makinen, also known as the 'Three Musketeers', were synonymous with the Mini Cooper in the 60's, taking the Monte 3 times between them. Today's drivers, Kris Meeke and Dani Sordo are hoping to follow in the 'Three Musketeers'' footsteps.

“On the one hand, MINI can look back on a unique success story. On the other hand, MINI is the epitome of excitement for millions of fans around the world and thrills them with its energy. This is precisely what we are able to authentically represent through our motorsport involvement in the World Rally Championship. Thrilling rally events, ultimate performances by man and machine, and as much success as possible, of course: motorsport is pure emotion – just as MINI is for its fans.” said Ian Robertson, who sits on the Board of Management of BMW AG for Sales and Marketing.

Dave Richards, Chairman of Prodrive, who will prepare and run the MINI WRC Team, is very confident in the abilities of the new team, saying: “We have been working towards this moment for more than two years and it is truly exciting to be launching the MINI WRC Team and what I believe is the most stunning car in World Rallying, the MINI John Cooper Works WRC. We have an experienced team, a talented driver pairing and, most importantly of all, a strong partnership with MINI. We are now eagerly looking forward to demonstrating the performance of the car on its début in Sardinia in just a few weeks.”

Dirk Hollweg, head of MINI Motorsport, says that the aim of the MINI WRC Team is to continue to please long-term MINI supporters as well as to communicate with new supporters: “The excitement of everyone involved in the comeback of MINI to the rally stage is building with every day we get closer to our maiden rally appearance,. With the MINI WRC Team we not only want to please the loyal fans of the MINI brand, but also aim to address new motorsport enthusiasts. We want to thrill them with fascinating pictures, technical know-how and pure performance. In addition, the special MINI lifestyle is always part of the equation. For us, it’s always about a bit more than just motorsport. I think the rally fans will love it.”

The new MINI John Cooper Works WRC has already been put through thousands of kilometres of testing to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the new car, as well as to assess the speed of the car. Most of this distance has been covered by Kris Meeke.

“This launch is the next milestone on the long way to our first rally,” said Meeke following the presentation of the car. “I cannot wait to get the season started.. It’s nice for everyone in the team to see the result of their work presented in such a spectacular way. The heritage of MINI in motorsport is fantastic. Now we want to make sure we play our part in adding some more chapters to the success story.” he said.

The MINI driver line-up. L-R: Carlos Del Barrio; Dani Sordo; Kris Meeke; Paul Nagle.

Meeke's team mate Dani Sordo has covered substantial mileage in the new car as well, and is looking forward to returning to full time driving, on next month's Rally d'Italia Sardegna: “It’s about time we get the ball rolling. The break since my last rally has been long enough, now we want to show how good we are. Everything is new for me this year. Bearing this in mind, the additional time to get accustomed to my new environment has definitely been helpful. Now I’m really looking forward to the new challenge and to fight for strong results with the MINI John Cooper Works WRC.”

The assembled media were briefed on the new car's spec sheet. It is fitted with a 1.6 turbo engine, which has already seen action in BMW's Touring Car machines. The turbo has a 33mm restrictor fitted. The Super 2000-spec MINI's are fitted with a 30mm restrictor, so as that it will comply with the Super 2000 regulations. Armindo Araujo's MINI is a S2000 variant.

“This Team Launch is really perfectly timed for us.” said David Wilcock, who gave the briefing to the assembled media and guests. “We look back at some extremely demanding and busy months. Now we are entering the crucial phase of our preparation programme for the first rally. We started the development of the MINI John Cooper Works WRC early. It was important to make sure the ratio between development and actual building of the car was right.”

“Our goal was to maximise every area of performance we could get from the technical regulations. Our first rally appearances will show how well we achieved this. In any case I can say that the partnership between MINI, Prodrive and BMW Motorsport on the engine side is running exceptionally well, everyone is contributing to the project with a lot of enthusiasm.”

(Photo credit: MINI Motorsport)