Starting with Michael Schumacher the era of comebacks in motorsports also saw Mercedes' return in F1 as an independent team this year and Valentino Rossi's podium scaling adventure barely seven weeks after his crash. The latest addition to this list is BMW's Mini brand which is all set to re-enter World Rally Championship (WRC) with its flagship model Countryman from the 2011 season. They will participate in selected rounds of the 2011 season but 2012 onwards Mini will be a consistent name in the WRC.
The decision is a fallout of the recent rule changes made in the Super2000 category of WRC by the International Automobile Federation (FIA). The category emphasises on road-relevant technologies and prescribes cars with turbocharged 1600cc engines and four wheel drive which the Mini Countryman complies with. The Countryman WRC car will be powered by BMW Motorsport's 1.6-litre, four-cylinder turbocharged engine.
Minis had a string of successful runs in the Monte Carlo and European National rallies in the 1960s. Talking about Mini's comeback, BMW AG board of management member Ian Robertson said that "the move will be good for the brand's image." Contrary to the brand name the Countryman is by no means a small car and Robertson believes that "the Countryman is a good platform to work on." British motorsport and automobile engineering house Prodrive will be developing the car along with Mini. Prodrive was founded by David Richards (a WRC winning co-driver himself) in 1984. Prodrive has been active with Ferrari, Aston Martin and Subaru in Endurance racing as well as in rallying with many successful exploits to their credit. In 2006, they had also made a bid to run a Formula One team.
Prodrive has been developing the Mini countryman for WRC since 2009 and it will also be made available to private customers. Speaking about the project, Prodrive's chairman David Richards said that "Mini has proved its might in the 60s and with the work they are doing together with BMW, we hope to find fans in the current generation of WRC fans too." Deliveries of the WRC car will begin before the 2011 season.
For detailed information, here is the official press release:
"MINI is making a comeback on the international rally circuit. From 2011, the brand will compete at selected rounds of the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) and will go on to contest the entire season from 2012 onwards. This involvement is planned for several years.
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