Mini Withdraws from WRC

Mini will no longer participate in the World Rally Championship as a works outfit from the end of 2012. Although the Minis that we will continue to see entering WRC from next season will not be official team vehicles, Cooper Countryman WRCs will continue to be available to customers.According to Dr Kay Segler, senior vice president of Mini Business Coordination and Brand Management, “BMW Motorsport will continue to further develop the 1,6-litre turbo engine in conjunction with Prodrive [which is currently campaigning the works Minis for the 2012 season].”

The company believes that it achieved reasonable results from the almost two years it’s spent developing the Cooper Countryman WRC with Prodrive – with three podiums and a second place finish at this year’s Monte Carlo Rally.

“By the end of the [current] season, WRC Team Mini Portugal will have competed in every rally in 2012. As such, in accordance with FIA regulations, we will have achieved the WRC homologation for the Mini John Cooper Works. In doing so, we would have achieved the prerequisites to allow those interested to continue to run the car in the WRC on a customer rallying basis,” Segler said.