http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/85369
finally...
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Mads Ostberg is announced to drive it .... and ?
Mads Ostberg?, well.... For sure there are much more competitive drivers out there!Quote:
Originally Posted by jbmarcus21
Ostberg? Guess next year is a glorified test then - I know he's loyal to Prodrive and on his day a handy driver but unless that Mini is super, super fast he's never going to be a contender.
Nice to see it made official. We now have a contender for ugliest rally car since the SX4 ;)
Well, did you forget about all the other car that has been in the WRC for the last 5 years?.. ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by I am evil Homer
Personally I think the C4 is a pretty decent looking rally car in Red Bull livery.
Do you remember ... Totalrally article (03/03/10)
"
Mark my Words, it’s Marcus!
03/03/2010
TotalRally
Speculation that Prodrive are on the verge of a dramatic return to the WRC with Mini reached fever pitch a couple of weeks ago with the appearance of David Richards and senior BMW execs at Rally Sweden. But what has been strangely lacking is the usual gossip and speculation surrounding who might get the golden seats with the mercurial DR and his band of merry motorsports men.
DR can be full of surprises and has very often in the past done the unexpected when it comes to driver choice. Petter Solberg’s defection from Ford to Subaru certainly surprised and upset Malcolm Wilson. Richard Burns proposed return to Prodrive in 2004 was unexpected because of the acrimonious nature of the split just a few years previously. And when Richard tragically couldn’t return to Subaru, his replacement Mikko Hirvonen had a few folk scratching their heads.
But this time round, if we are to believe the return of the Great Bearded One is imminent, then perhaps his scope to shock and surprise with driver choice is a little more limited.
BMW and Prodrive will not be entering the championship to play second fiddle to the entrenched podium sitters at Ford and Citroen. They will have one clear objective - to win rallies. And I think they will be looking to win from the off. So who is capable of delivering such a demanding objective?
One man and one man only, Marcus Gronholm.
OK, so he’s been out of practice for a few years. But his performance on day one of Rally Portugal last year where he was quickest in a dog of a car, and his recent outing in Sweden where he showed tantalising glimpses of his latent genius were enough to convince me that he can still mix it with the very best. Unlikely that a man of forty one could head up a manufacturer team you might say? Well I say who else?
Gronholm is quite literally a giant of the sport, and a giant of the motor industry such as BMW will demand a lead driver of some status. The only other available driver who could possibly challenge Gronholm for the seat is Petter Solberg, However, a Prodrive return for the mercurial Norwegian is a tantalising yet unlikely prospect.
The big question mark concerning a Gronholm return is not his appetite for the sport. I believe he is desperate for a return to top level competition after a somewhat uneasy semi retirement. The only valid question concerning Gronholm’s suitability for the role are his credentials as a test and development driver. At forty one years old Gronholm will have to put all his focus and energy into competing, and this is entirely understandable. So who develops and sets up the car? That’s where the choice of a second driver becomes crucial.
Two drivers instantly come to mind when looking at the requirements. You need someone who is quick and has the potential to win. But at the same time you need someone who will consistently bring your car home and score points. And critically, you need someone who is willing to put in the endless hours of testing and development needed to deliver a machine capable of winning rallies.
PG Anderson and Kris Meeke are the only two drivers of the current crop who I believe can fulfil all the above requirements. Both have exceptional track records when it comes to developing new cars. Both have raw speed. And both have the maturity to accept and excel in the position of number two driver to Gronholm.
So is it a done deal with the guys from BMW Mini and is a Prodrive return imminent? Well we all hope so. And if it is then I’d happily wager a bet that the return of the charismatic Gronholm is also very much on the cards.
But as mentioned earlier, DR is a complex and unpredictable character. So it’s perhaps best to expect the unexpected!"
What do you think about it ??
In your mind, The article is always of news??
nice fairytale...Marcus has nothing to offer to the sport anymore, especially with the mini, plus i don't think he wants a full program in the WRC again.
Lets see how the mini project goes....they need a miracle to be able to catch ford and citroen in the development of the new WRC.
How about Markko Märtin? :)
Couple weeks ago, Autosports Japan reported Toyota is seeking to tie up with Prodrive in an attempt to come back to WRC but I guess that was just a rumor. Anyways, I will welcome Mini once it becomes official.
Timo Jouhki (manager of Mikko and J-M) said in his latest column that it seems that no new manufacturers are coming for next season.
The good part was that he is expecting 3 or 4 new manufacturers for season 2012.
Think Toyota were just evaluating the possibility of returning to the WRC in the sense they were just thinking about it, hence the visit to Rally Portugal.Quote:
Originally Posted by koko0703
I suspect the rumour about Prodrive was because there wasn't any solid news about Mini until now.
Would they be keen to exploit their "history" and plaster the number 37 on their doors?
Doubt that, but it would be nice to see them turn out red with a white hood or something.Quote:
Originally Posted by Rollo
Anyway, they will only drive selected rounds of the championship next year, which I think is a wise choise. Combine it with some national rallies or IRC (if that's possible) I would say.
Hasn't that been the case for ages now? "No manufacturers coming in next year, but we are EXPECTING to see 5-10 in the year after next one..." I don't believe it before I see it.Quote:
Originally Posted by vkangas
"By expanding its all-road range, MINI is paving the way to an increasingly likely entry into the World Rally Championship. The series switches to 1.6-litre turbo engines next year, making the Canyon a prime candidate to be turned into a rally car with specialist Prodrive the favourite to run the project."
http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/images/..._383374_25.jpg
Wow that's somehow even uglier than the Countryman. Impressive design work...
Don't know why MINI are bothering.
With the rumour that S2000/S1.6T is going to be canned sooner rather than later. It will leave these MINI's to be unwanted and the manufacturer bitter from putting in all the effort.
R1, R2, R3, R4 is the way forward and R3 would be an ideal class for MINI with their FWD 1.6 Turbo cooper S.
Quote:
Originally Posted by N.O.T
Hi NOT,
The only fairytales I tend to indulge in are those of the Snow White variety with my three year old daughter!
I can see where your scepticism comes from, but if you read this week's MSN or Autosport in the UK you'll see that the article is pretty much spot on. I also still believe that the second driver will be either Meeke or PG.
The encouraging news though is that it looks like the BMW Mini project is about to be announced and this has to be great news for next year's WRC. I'm also encouraged by what looks like a shift towards a driver's market where talent and not the dollar is recognised.
Lots of grounds for optimism I'd say, but lets wait and see.
A tweet from Bernand Munster:
"Just saw the new Mini WRC @ Prodrive. Looks promising..."
http://twitter.com/bernardmunster
Marcus linked to the Mini project, but of course by his style, he "will have to think about it".
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/85418
Marcus is also linked to X-Raid to drive a BMW X3CC in the Dakar rally. He has tested with the car. Could be a perfect combination, staying in the BMW family: driving a BMW X3cc and a (BMW) Mini WRCar.
not sure if this is something or nothing....
http://autosport.aeiou.pt/gen.pl?p=s....stories/84997
A mate of mine who works at Prodrive has just confirmed the not so secret secret that Prodrive are off on a mini-adventure... I guess by that there will be a press release or something today.
Excellent! This should be the start of something special for the World Rally Championship. :)
At last! Great news, somebody to take the fight to Citroen/Ford.......
I sure everyone will welcome another manufacturer to the fold, but realistically we wont see anything in terms of increased competition for at least until season 2013.
As for drivers, is there anything more solid than a few rumours about Gronholm, PG and Meeke?
a picture of what it will look like: http://www.prodrive.com/images/galle...tryman_WRC.jpg
four doors :DQuote:
Originally Posted by rallyrazz
Awesome!!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by rallyrazz
Love it :D
Are they really going to rally with an SUV :eek: ?! It's going to be fun seeing those cars live I am sure :) .
SUV?Quote:
Originally Posted by Francis44
Did you saw the same car as me? :rolleyes:Quote:
Originally Posted by Francis44
A 4 door car is good. I'm starting to be sad with all these small cars in rallying. The rallying is starting to be a "small cars class"
I Predict Petter will land here.........................
Isn't that an SUV?! Or atleast an SUV wannabe?!Quote:
Originally Posted by Koppomsbo
"We already have a significant number of confirmed customer orders for the new Mini rally car with the first deliveries scheduled for the start of the 2011 season"
What does this mean? Will they deliver cars to private drivers already in 2011?
There was a hint that unless they had firm orders for a number of cars (25 I think) they wouldn't give the green light for the project. Possibly tats what's been holding up the announcement until now?Quote:
Originally Posted by J.Lindstroem
It will be strange to see customer cars from beginning of the year, when the official cars are scheduled to join WRC in Sardinia in May.
Disagree - I reckon Petter is much more likely to return to a Subaru programme, or Toyota programme than a Prodrive programme.Quote:
Originally Posted by Fide