Mini to return to the WRC in 2011 with 4x4

Mini is back in rally again, more than 50 years vacuum after it ruled the roost at Monte Carlo and beyond, giving a huge shot in the arm to the WRC.

In typically audacious style BMW has announced this car will campaign the Countryman SUV rather than the standard Mini, starting with selected WRC rounds in 2011 followed by the entire 2012 WRC season.
It’s also a return to WRC for Banbury-based Prodrive, the outfit behind Subaru’s legendary WRC success, who will develop the car and run the whole team. Prodrive last campaigned in the 2008 season, and have been developing the Countryman since early 2009.
The car is based on the production Countryman, and will run the BMW Motorsport 1.6-litre, four-cylinder turbocharged engine, to comply with the new Super2000 regulations. Being an SUV, it will also have four-wheel drive – ironically the only car in the field to do so.