Prodrive Mini WRC

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Originally Posted by Barreis

Seems that they don't need Meeke on tarmac 'cos Campana did good job in MC.

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Meeke would be much faster...but for a shorter period most likely...

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Originally Posted by Barreis

Seems that they don't need Meeke on tarmac 'cos Campana did good job in MC.

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I hope that comment is laced with sarcasm.

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Originally Posted by jacko

Sometimes i don't understand sponsors; Go Fast is steppin' in with Wilson & H.Solberg on privat Ford fiesta's, two drivers who simply are not the best out there and with less testing they would not play any role (again) this year, they never will all agree i think.

Go Fast could have become the main sponsor for the factory MINI team with two very good drivers, top class!
The promotion they would returned as a (major) sponsor was much much more than the situation at Ford.
Missed opportunity (for both).

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I agree with what you are saying but it has often been the case in the past that sponsors support slower drivers in all forms of motorsport. I think it depends more who you make friends with.

Most likely Malcolm met with the Go Fast bosses at some point last year and offered them a chance to have their own two car team bearing the "Go Fast World Rally Team" name and gave them a hefty discount for running his son in one of the cars.

If they had looked at it from the outside, wanting to come into WRC, it's extremely unlikely they would have selected Henning and Wilson on performance terms.

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Originally Posted by RS

and gave them a hefty discount for running his son in one of the cars.

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Has it ever been properly shown that Malcolm supports Matthew financially? Always the talking about daddymoney but I've never seen anything concrete.

They won't show u that.. And if u don't believe that, u really think for 7 years that several brands would put money in a never improving rallydriver when there are ten - twenty - thirty very hungry young guys who want to go flat out each km with any car they could get to show they got potential ?

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Originally Posted by RS

I agree with what you are saying but it has often been the case in the past that sponsors support slower drivers in all forms of motorsport. I think it depends more who you make friends with.

Most likely Malcolm met with the Go Fast bosses at some point last year and offered them a chance to have their own two car team bearing the "Go Fast World Rally Team" name and gave them a hefty discount for running his son in one of the cars.

If they had looked at it from the outside, wanting to come into WRC, it's extremely unlikely they would have selected Henning and Wilson on performance terms.

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Sponsoring a Henning and a Matthew would be to a vast percentage cheaper than funding a full works outfit like Min.

Yes, the results may be better, but you need to have the cash to start with.

And yes, you may say that Mini would be better off taking something rather than nothing - but as soon as you do, you set the value and you then price yourself out of the market from a full freight deal.

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Originally Posted by mousti

They won't show u that.. And if u don't believe that, u really think for 7 years that several brands would put money in a never improving rallydriver when there are ten - twenty - thirty very hungry young guys who want to go flat out each km with any car they could get to show they got potential ?

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So there isn't anything concrete...

It's actually not what I believe or I want to believe, it's what sponsors believe (or are made to believe). For a notable amount of time (and now that Meeke is away, he's again), Wilson was the "fastest" British driver in WRC. Sponsors who are just looking for nice sponsoring targets may not know how things really are as there's no hardcore rally fans in the cabinets - all they have are these eulogistic introduction leaflets etc. promoting the guy as a top athlete improving all the time, one day being so good that he wins the world championship. Also the non-rally enthusiastic general public seems to have (or had) some faith in Matthew if we believe Youtube comments etc.

Back on topick please. this is the Prodrive Mini Thread.

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Originally Posted by Brother John

Back on topick please. this is the Prodrive Mini Thread.

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Honestly speaking I don't like this new (or your?) moderating style. Interesting discussions end before they start because of too precise classifying to certain matters. There's also been very confusing situations when in some threads something has been totally relevant but for some reason someone has seen it irrelevant and it has been deleted or transferred. If there happens to be a break from the forum then, it gets really confusing.

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Originally Posted by RS

I agree with what you are saying but it has often been the case in the past that sponsors support slower drivers in all forms of motorsport. I think it depends more who you make friends with.

Most likely Malcolm met with the Go Fast bosses at some point last year and offered them a chance to have their own two car team bearing the "Go Fast World Rally Team" name and gave them a hefty discount for running his son in one of the cars.

If they had looked at it from the outside, wanting to come into WRC, it's extremely unlikely they would have selected Henning and Wilson on performance terms.

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I agree. The whole idea of 'Go Fast' should have gone with MINI is only relevant if the price of sponsoring those two teams were the same ... and they are not. Sponsoring an M2/MT team is of course cheaper and I also bet that Go Fast have paid full price for HSolberg whereas it has been a symbolic low amount for Slowson.

By the way, the sponsorship was so far only for Monte - not for the full season and after the really poor results in MC I doubt they will continue.