MINI/Prodrive deal set to collapse

MINI and Prodrive are set to go their separate ways in the coming days, with a formal announcement of the contract between the two being terminated.

Although the programme has been moderately successful since it's début in Italy last year, disagreements between MINI's parent company BMW and Prodrive over finance have now come to a head.

Speculation suggests that BMW expected Prodrive to come up with a major sponsor to fund the campaign beyond the initial setting up of the team, funded by BMW. After the major sponsor failed to materialise, Prodrive expected to make up the funding shortfall with sales of customer cars. Prodrive approached BMW for extra funding for the programme, but with BMW investing reported vast sums of money in DTM, the request was not a warmly welcomed one.

To make up for the lack of money, the MINI team dropped Kris Meeke as works driver (reducing him to test & reserve driver), and allowed paying drivers to 'buy' Meeke's seat. The cost to 'buy' Meeke's seat for a World Rally was rumoured to be in and around the £200,000 mark. Pierre Campana was in Meeke's seat in Monte Carlo, and Patrik Sandell is expected to be in the No. 52 MINI for Sweden.

Even with a record of 3 podiums from 7 starts, and four stage wins (including a Power Stage win) to their credit, the Prodrive-run operation is set to cease shortly. Speculation suggests that the contract may head to the X-Raid team, that ran the Dakar Rally winning MINI of Stephane Peterhansel, or the Motorsport Italia team that runs Armindo Araujo and Paulo Nobre in the WRC. Or BMW might even decide to bring the programme in-house, alongside it's works DTM programme.

The team have already begun their journey off to Rally Sweden, but the announcement expected next week may have implications even for the team in Sweden.