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Mini - a car with no name - or rather, name of the car being the same as the name of the manufacturer. Well, not entirely true as this version of Mini is known as Mini John Cooper Works. Initially, the 21st century rally Mini was supposed to be based on Mini Countryman, a little bigger and more outgoing version of the regular Mini Clubman. Between announcement and the actual launch, the base car was changed to more sportish John Cooper Works which, in all reality, changed little as all Mini are variation of the same formula.
Before car ever hit the WRC stages, it created a stir. Firstly, it reversed the trend of manufacturers quitting the WRC. Secondly, it was legendary Mini - marque that had won classic Monte Carlo rally in 1960's three times. Thirdly, team was run by hugely experienced Prodrive, team behind Subaru's rally success. After Subaru pulled out and Prodrive was left without WRC campaign, they embarked on a generic study to find new manufacturer. It is understood that they negotiated with number of manufacturers before focusing on Mini, which eventually was won over to support the project.
True to new 2011 WRC regulations, Mini has 1600 cc direct injection engine, weighs 1200 kg with crew and is driven through all four wheels via mechanical front and rear differentials. It's longer than either Fiesta or DS3 and also seems higher than either of those, creating a rather boxy appearance.
So far, Prodrive hasn't released too many details of the car so data below is somewhat incomplete.
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| Debut WRC event: | Sardinia 2011 |
| Best WRC result: | 2nd by Daniel Sordo Castillo in Alsace 2011
2nd by Daniel Sordo Castillo in Monte Carlo 2012 |
| Rallies contested: | 8 | (works entries) |
| WRC starts: | 16 | (works entries) |
| Outright wins: | 0 | |
| Podiums: | 3 | (podiums to starts ratio 18.8%) |
| DNF's: | 6 | (DNF's to starts ratio 37.5 %) |
| Points scored: | 45 | (manufacturer championship points) |
| Avg points per rally: | 5.6 | |
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| Group and class | World Rally Car (2011) |
| Engine |
| Location: | Front |
| Turbo: | Yes |
| Cylinders: | 4 in line |
| Valves: | 16 |
| Bore x stroke: | 0.0 x 0.0 mm |
| Cubic capacity: | 1600 cc |
| Power: | 0 hp |
| Torque: | 0 Nm |
| Dimensions |
| Length: | 4110 mm |
| Width: | 1820 mm |
| Wheelbase: | 0 mm |
| Weight: | 1200 kg |
| Transmission |
| Drive: | 4WD |
| Gears: | 6 |
| Sequential: | Yes |
| Clutch plates: | 2 |
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Mini WRC
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Mini's distinctive twin-exhaust and redesigned rear wing (compare to original one on top picture)
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First manufacturer points
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Interestingly, first points scored in manufacturer's championship were not scored by works Mini drivers. This is because during 2011 Mini didn't contest full championship and because of that couldn't score points. Small Brazil World Rally Team, which also used Mini, was registered as WRC Team (as opposed to full Manufacturer team) and thus eligible to score.
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