MINI/Prodrive semi-split confirmed

As expected, Prodrive's works team contract with the MINI WRT has been terminated.

Funding was the major sore point between the BMW and Prodrive, and this lead to today's announcement.

Dr. Kay Selger, who holds the title of 'Senior Vice President of Business Coordination and Brand Management' at MINI, said he was glad to learn that the long-term future of the team has been secured. He also said he is sure the MINI brand is suited to rallying, and hopes that MINI will continue to grow and succeed.

“I am delighted that the future of Mini in the WRC has been secured on a long-term basis. We remain convinced that the sport of rallying is perfectly suited to our brand. The situation we now find ourselves in means the Mini Motorsport family can, and will, continue to grow on the rally scene. With three podiums from just seven starts in the world championship, the Mini John Cooper Works WRC has already emphatically proven its potential. I am confident that our customer teams around the world will continue to thrill Mini fans with this car over the coming years.”

Selger also revealed how the FIA themselves wanted MINI to remain in the WRC, saying: "The FIA was just as interested in the long-term presence of the Mini brand in the WRC as we were, and was actively involved in finding a constructive solution. We are grateful for the good cooperation and the understanding it has shown us."

Motorsport Italia are now understood to be running the works cars now. The team will run under the WRC MINI Team Portugal. Paulo Nobre and Armindo Araujo will score points as the manufacturer team.

So where does all this leave Prodrive? The engineering firm based in Banbury, Oxfordshire will continue to build and prepare the cars. Prodrive will also run a 'works-supported customer team', retaining Dani Sordo and rotating the other seat between 'pay drivers'. How many events Sordo will get is still unclear, but if sufficient funding is in place he will get all remaining 12 World Rallies. Kris Meeke's return to the WRC has been put further into doubt, with major doubts in place as to whether or not he will return, despite a contract in place until 2013.

The only reason Prodrive has been retained to develop the cars is that they have intellectual rights to some parts within cars. MINI will still complete the homologation of the John Cooper Works WRC cars, which will see it be in homologation, and thus eligible for the World Rally Championship, for the next 6 years, until 2018.

Dr. Selger thanked Prodrive for playing a “major role” in the development of the cars, thanking the firm “on behalf of Mini Motorsport”.

"With its great enthusiasm and hard work, the Prodrive team has played a major role in the remarkable sporting success we have achieved on our initial outings with the Mini John Cooper Works WRC. On behalf of Mini Motorsport, I would like to thank everyone at Prodrive for their efforts so far and we look forward to working with them in support of our Mini John Cooper Works WRC customers in the future." he said.

One final point can be made on the WRC MINI Team Portugal front. The team has a much weaker 'works' line-up, when compared with the works teams of Ford and Citroen. When Prodrive ran the works team and Dani Sordo and Kris Meeke drove the cars, they had the beating of the other established teams. Now, with it's weakened, albeit much better funded, line-up, BMW may be in for some further headaches and embarrassment in the coming rallies.