Thursday, February 3, 2011

Mini WRC championship in 2011 a part-time

It 'started the countdown for the return of the Mini on the international rally scene. In 2011, it will be the year of the second debut for the brand in the English top flight. You can call it that, given the long interval between the withdrawal of the then BMC and the return of this year, after an absence in an official international events lasting from the late '60s.

The Mini WRC, staged by David Richards of Prodrive, will face some garedel WRC this year, with the aim of gaining experience with a view to a full commitment in 2012. The starting point is the recent WRC Mini Countryman, which debuted on the market late last summer. The car that we will see in competition is equipped with a 1.6 turbo, developed by BMW Motorsport and according to the new regulations Super2000 (the same, so to speak, also used in the WTCC).

Confirmed the choice of pilots: Chris Meeke, "sailed" by Paul Nagle in 2009 and winner of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge, and Spain's Dani Sordo (that will be the new navigator Carlos Del Barrio), whose career in the WRC (turning point for good part under the banner of the official team Citroen) has 29 podium finishes in 84 appearances.

How allapresentazione ufficialedella car and team, this has been set for April 13, the Mini Plant Oxford, the plant from which all the models out of the range. Mini WRC, according to the plans developed by Prodrive, it will be carried out dozens Every year will be carried out from 25 to 30 copies of the WRC.

In addition to the team, therefore, the cars will be available to privateer teams. While in Banbury, the home of Prodrive, is gearing up for the important debut (also from the historical point of view), some have seen fit to focus the attention of the experts behind the wheel of a specimen from the list of winners of all respect.

These days, Rauno Aaltonen, one of the pilots who helped build the image of the Flying Finn (the "Flying Finns" who played a leading role in the history of rallysmo world), has led to the final goal of the Monte Carlo Rally Historique former officer a copy of the Mini Cooper S, the star of 1275 cc dozens of rallies in the '60s and direct parentedelle Mini that won the Monte Carlo in 1964, '65 and '67, the latter with the same Aaltonen at the wheel.

Actually, the team also won in 1966 but was disqualified from a controversial - and historic - decision of the officials, who found "illegal", to the standards then in force in the French highway code, the use dinuovo Spotlight iodine. Aaltonen, from Marrakech (one of the places of departure of the "Monte" historic) has completed the race (held, as always, with the formula of regularity), after covering 2,600 km well.

The Finnish champion has reached the milestone 109 th overall on 249 crews arrived. Aaltonen Mini Cooper S, the final arrival in Monaco, was greeted by Paddy Hopkirk (the driver that led to the Belfast Mini's first victory at the "Monte" in 1964) and the Mini WRC, in a sort of way delivery that gives even more prestige to the return of "small" red and white in the World.

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