(Updated) It’s official, MINI is making a comeback on the international rally circuit. Starting in 2011, MINI will compete in selected rounds of the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) and will go on to contest the entire season from 2012 onwards. Sources are telling us that MINI has made a 3-4 year commitment (to start) with the program. This are the first official steps back into the highest levels of rally racing since MINI won the Monte Carlo 1,000 Lakes Rally and Acropolis Rally in 1967.
But what about the established players in the WRC? Does MINI even have a chance? The short answer is more of a chance than you’d think. There are two big things in MINI’s favor. First are the WRC regulations that will effectively level the playing field and introduce a new engine configuration (more on that in a minute). The second is the fact that the Countryman WRC is being built by Prodrive, the most successful rally outfit of the past 20 years. You can read more about Prodrive here in our recent feature on the company: “Why the Prodrive WRC MINI Countryman is Important. It’s also worth noting that Prodrive went racing with BMW E30 M3s in 1987 with the Rothmans M3.
As expected the car that will be competing is the MINI Countryman WRC and as we’ve reported it is being developed by Prodrive. The race car (design in close cooperation with MINI) will be heavily based on the production Countryman. But here’s where it gets even more interesting. At the heart of the racing car is a 1.6-litre, four-cylinder turbo-charged engine from BMW Motorsport. The car complies with the new Super2000 regulations put in place by the International Automobile Federation (FIA), which stipulate the use of turbo engines with 1,600 cc displacement and four-wheel drive combined with an increased emphasis on road relevant technologies over previous WRC regulations. The result is a significant 25 per cent reduction in overall costs. The first test drive for the MINI Countryman WRC, which will also be available to customer teams, is planned for autumn 2010.
That last bit shouldn’t go unnoticed. We expect several privateer teams to invest into the MINI Countryman WRC and run the cars alongside MINI.
Drivers linked to the car are rumored to be Norwegian rally protege Mads Ostberg and rally legend Marcus Gronholm.
Official Press Release: This decision sees MINI continue its success story in the world of rallying. In the 1960s, the MINI Cooper S caused a sensation with victories at the legendary Monte Carlo Rally. The company also tasted success on many occasions in the European Rally Championship. Having already demonstrated the sporty character of its models in many countries in the MINI CHALLENGE, the brand is now taking its presence in motorsport to a new level with the commitment to the WRC.
(The following story was compiled with the help of Herr26 and MotoringFile)
BMW’s small car strategy is key to the automakers future success. Based on-going research BMW is expecting premium segment growth to primarily occur in small city car’s , C-Segment Compact class, the D-Segment Small Sedan class and the small-mid sized SUV class.
Based on this BMW have invested in these three segments more than any other over the last few years. For the small City Cars it will be a three way attack with both the MegaCity vehicle, small BMW and the MINI. The C-segment is the 1er and D-Segment will be the 3er. Since the eruption of the global financial crisis one pattern discovered is that in most cases especially for BMW is that owners were downsizing. That means instead of buying the new 5 Series they’re looking at a 3er and instead of an X5 they’re looking at the X3 etc.
Big show tonight. We invited our good friends from Whiteroofradio (the MINI podcast the is arguably the most popular independent automotive podcast on iTunes) to talk BMW and to talk BMW vs MINI. It’s a throw-down and I think it’s pretty clear who the winner is at the end.
We also talk BMW news. The 1M of course followed by some diesel talk (if you want to know what the next diesel BMW NA is bringing, listen), our 550i review and of course we talk about the new Frozen Grey Edition M3.
But what about the new front wheel drive BMW and how it relates to MINI? We dive into this with the WRR guys and talk about the challenges BMW is going to have sharing a chassis and engines.
Finally there’s the 24 Hours of LeMans. Not BMW’s finest hour and we dissect what happened and why.
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Our favorite public insider source Scott27 has spilled some details on the three cylinder engine range we’ve reported on as the basis of the next 1 series and MINI line-up. While there’s no surprising details (we’ve already published a first hand account of driving a MINI with the new engine) there are some details leaked.
As expect the engine will also find its way into the X3 and then the 3 Series (eventually the X1 as well). So what should we expect? The new three cylinder will be part of a range of engines utilizing a new common 500cc per cylinder design while also making use of direct-injection and turbo-charging. The combination will create s surprisingly powerful yet lightweight mill that should dispel what we expect out of three cylinder engines.
The MINI Countryman has a lot on it’s broad shoulders. Not only is MINI expanding into a new market but it’s an entirely new model for the still very small brand. In fact this is truly the first new MINI that BMW has ever created. The hatch, the convertible, the Clubman, they’ve all been done before. The Countryman on the other hand is entirely new, and in turn risky.
The risk is all about the brand and performance. Does a four meter long MINI go against everything MINI stands for? Or is this a new age when the idea of size becomes more of an ideal to grow a brand by? Then there are the questions about performance. The MINI is successful not only because the way it looks but the way it drives and feels. Can a larger four door MINI possibly achieve levels of performance that the R56 or even the R55 enjoy?
We’re going to answer all those questions and more but first let’s take a step back and talk about the essence of any car, it’s engine. And in this case it’s not only the Countryman we’re talking about but the entire MINI range since the updated powerplant and transmissions found in the R60 will be part of the 2011 facelift for the R55, R56 and R57.
Last week I spent several days talking BMW technology at the public unveiling of the BMW Environmental Test Center. While we have specific stories on both topics we also wanted to touch on some of those fleeting moments when we caught a glimpse of something or heard something interesting.
In fact one of the most interesting parts of the week was being inside BMWs new testing center where pretty much every upcoming product we see in spyshots was casually sitting in the car park (Of course we were asked to not take photos). So with that said here’s a list of the highlights:
Had a chance to stand next to a camflauged F20 1 series. First impressions are that it’s quite a bit wider and slightly longer.
The interior of the F20 1er is particularly impressive. I couldn’t see the whole thing but I caught a clear glimpse of the center stack and computer control system (nav unit). It’s much like the new 5 Series in design but the screen is not as inset.
Saw a 2011 refreshed R55 MINI with red roof and mirrors. Had the JCW wheels and brakes but nothing else out of the ordinary. The interior was covered but I did get a good look at the tail lamps and can confirm that they are LED.
Saw several X3s almost entirely uncamoflauged. It’s more angular than the X1 and retains some of the previous X3’s signature front end design. The shape is also similar but with much of the X5’s design language integrated.
The X1 is actually less attractive in person while the new X3 looks to be the best looking traditional crossover (not counting the X6) BMW has ever made.
BMW cappuccinos are consistently good throughout the world. Thank God as jet lag is also fairly consistent.
The engineers who run the EDC and carry out all the various tests on new cars are incredibly passionate about things like making sure your 5 Series starts in -30c temps while on the side of a mountain. Pretty reassuring stuff.
BimmerFile is dedicated to bringing you the most interesting news, links and reviews related to the BMW brand and it's vehicles.
We believe in the old school BMW ownership experience. We believe in garage nights with a six pack and some friends. We believe in 2002s, in E30 M3s and E34 540s with the 6 speed. We believe in progress in both design and engineering but we haven't lost sight of what made the brand and its products great all those years ago. And yes, we believe in the manual transmission.
We long for the days of the wave and for the days of roll-up windows. Yet we love the gadgets on the inside and the xenons on the outside.
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Sections: MINI, Motorsport Jul 27th, 2010 1 Comment 
