Prodrive WRC Team

{{short description|World Rally Championship manufacturer team}} {{update|date=January 2012}} {{Use British English|date=February 2015}} {{Use dmy dates|date=January 2020}} {{WRC team |Short_name = Prodrive |Long_name = Prodrive WRC Team |Logo = |Base = {{flagicon|ENG}} Banbury, United Kingdom |Principal = David Richards |Director = |Drivers = {{flagicon|GB}} Kris Meeke<ref name="Meeke">{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/motorsport/rallying/8035562/IRC-champion-Kris-Meeke-set-to-drive-Mini-WRC-in-World-Rally-Championship.html|title=IRC champion Kris Meeke set to drive Mini WRC in World Rally Championship|work=The Daily Telegraph|date=30 September 2010|accessdate=1 December 2010|location=London|first=Tom|last=Cary}}</ref> {{flagicon|ESP}} Dani Sordo<ref name="Sordo">{{cite news|url=http://www.wrc.com/news/sordos-mini-switch-its-official/?fid=14016|title=MINI has ended weeks of speculation by confirming that Dani Sordo will drive for its new WRC Team in the 2011 FIA World Rally Championship.|work=WRC.com|date=5 January 2011|accessdate=5 January 2011}}</ref> |Co-drivers = {{flagicon|IRE}} Paul Nagle<ref name="Meeke"/> {{flagicon|ESP}} Carlos del Barrio<ref name="Sordo"/> |Chassis = Mini JCW WRC |Tyres = Michelin |Debut = {{Nowrap|2011 Rally Italia Sardegna}} |Last_event = 2013 Rally Finland |Cons_champ = 0 |Drivers_champ = 0 |Wins = 0 }} The '''Prodrive WRC Team''', formerly known as the '''Mini WRC Team''' was the name given to the World Rally Championship (WRC) team run by Prodrive, a British based motorsport corporation. Prodrive developed the car, the Mini John Cooper Works WRC, in cooperation with MINI.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2010/jul/27/mini-world-rally-championship|title=Mini to compete in the World Rally Championship|work=The Guardian|date=27 July 2010|accessdate=27 July 2010|location=London}}</ref>

==Mini in rallying== [[File:Timo Mäkinen - 1965 Rally Finland (cropped).jpg|thumb|Timo Mäkinen driving to victory in the 1965 1000 Lakes Rally]] Mini's history in international rallying dates back to the 1960s, when the Mini Cooper S won the Monte Carlo Rally on three occasions, in 1964, 1965 and 1967, as well as wins on the Acropolis Rally, RAC Rally and 1000 Lakes Rally,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.wrc.com/jsp/index.jsp?lnk=221&featureid=2205|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130209124940/http://www.wrc.com/jsp/index.jsp?lnk=221&featureid=2205|url-status=dead|archive-date=2013-02-09|work=World Rally Championship|publisher=International Sportsworld Communicators|title=Welcome back to MINI!|date=27 July 2010|accessdate=27 July 2010}}</ref> and the European Rally Championship in 1965.

Previous Mini rally cars includes the Mini 850, which was first driven to victory by Pat Moss.<ref name="BBC">{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-10775125|work=BBC News|publisher=BBC|title=The Oxford-built Mini makes World Rally come back|date=27 July 2010|accessdate=27 July 2010}}</ref>

==Formation== Reports began emerging in mid-2009 that Mini, now owned by BMW, was planning a return to rallying. The reports went even further when Prodrive said that it would not field an entry for the 2011 Formula One season, in order to focus on a return to rallying.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.gpupdate.net/en/f1-news/232493/prodrive-not-submitting-2011-f1-entry/|work=GPUpdate.net|publisher=GPUpdate|date=15 April 2010|accessdate=27 July 2010|title=Prodrive not submitting 2011 F1 entry}}</ref>

On 27 July 2010, Mini ended months of speculation by confirming its rally programme in cooperation with Prodrive. The team, the factory-supported '''Mini WRC Team''', would compete at six rounds of the 2011 World Rally Championship season, ahead of a full season from 2012 onwards. The team set a target of winning the World Rally Championship in 2013.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/27072010/2/rallying-mini-aim-win-world-title-three-years.html|title=Mini aim to win world title within three years|work=Eurosport|publisher=TF1 Group|date=27 July 2010|accessdate=27 July 2010}} {{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref>

==Team==

===Mini World Rally Car=== {{Main|Mini John Cooper Works WRC}} [[File:Dani Sordo - 2011 Rallye Deutschland.jpg|thumb|Dani Sordo heading to a third place at the 2011 Rallye Deutschland]] Reports had emerged before the rally team was founded that the car was being planned. When the rally team was confirmed BMW confirmed that the car would be used on a limited schedule in the 2011 World Rally Championship. Prodrive confirmed that work on the Mini WRC started in late 2010.

===Operations=== The team was based at Prodrive's facilities in Banbury, previously the base of the Subaru World Rally Team.<ref name="BBC"/> The team principal was David Richards, along with co-principal Glen Coates.

==History== ===2011=== The team signed Kris Meeke, a former IRC rally champion, as one of its rally drivers.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/86310 | work=Autosport| title=Meeke signs for Mini WRC programme}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/87429 | work=Autosport| title=Meeke: Mini drive a dream come true}}</ref> In January 2011 the second driver was announced and Dani Sordo signed up for the season.<ref name="Sordo"/> The team competed at six rounds with both drivers, achieving two podiums in Germany and France with Sordo.

===2012=== Almost since the team launch in 2011, there was unease between BMW and Prodrive concerning the financing of the programme, to the extent that Mini WRC Team had to shelve plans to run two official drivers in 2012.<ref>{{cite news|title=BMW set to terminate Prodrive contract to run the Mini WRC team|url=http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/97275|first=David|last=Evans|work=Autosport.com|publisher=Haymarket Publications|date=2 February 2012|accessdate=19 December 2016}}</ref> Dani Sordo was confirmed, while Kris Meeke was replaced by Pierre Campana. At the 2012 Monte Carlo Rally Sordo managed a second place overall.

In February, after only one race, BMW terminated its contract with Prodrive. The team had to change its name in '''Prodrive WRC Team'''. A new works-team was formed as WRC Team Mini Portugal from the merger of the Mini entries of Armindo Araújo World Rally Team and Palmeirinha Rally, which were both run by the Motorsport Italia firm. Team Mini Portugal was registered as a manufacturer entry, while the new Prodrive WRC Team was demoted to a works-supported private entry.<ref name="Prodrive loses MINI manufacturer status">{{cite news|title=Prodrive loses status as MINI's factory World Rally Team|url=http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/97361|first=David|last=Evans|work=Autosport.com|publisher=Haymarket Publications|date=6 February 2012|accessdate=6 February 2012}}</ref> The team reduced its programme to seven rounds with Sordo, while the second car was entered in some events by different drivers.

==WRC results==

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:90%" ! Year ! Car ! No ! Driver ! 1 ! 2 ! 3 ! 4 ! 5 ! 6 ! 7 ! 8 ! 9 ! 10 ! 11 ! 12 ! 13 ! WDC ! Points ! WMC ! Points |- | rowspan="2"| 2011 ! rowspan="2"| Mini John Cooper Works WRC ! 37 ! {{flagicon|ESP}} Dani Sordo | SWE | MEX | POR | JOR | style="background:#DFFFDF;"| ITA 6 | ARG | GRE | style="background:#EFCFFF;"| FIN Ret | style="background:#FFDF9F;"| GER 3 | AUS | style="background:#DFDFDF;"| FRA 2 | style="background:#DFFFDF;"| ESP 4 | style="background:#CFCFFF;"| GBR 20 ! 8th ! 59 !rowspan="2"| -* !rowspan="2"| -* |- ! 52 ! {{flagicon|GBR}} Kris Meeke | SWE | MEX | POR | JOR | style="background:#EFCFFF;"| ITA Ret | ARG | GRE | style="background:#EFCFFF;"| FIN Ret | style="background:#EFCFFF;"| GER Ret | AUS | style="background:#EFCFFF;"| FRA Ret | style="background:#DFFFDF;"| ESP 5 | style="background:#DFFFDF;"| GBR 4 ! 11th ! 25 |- | rowspan="4"| 2012 ! rowspan="4"| Mini John Cooper Works WRC ! 23 ! {{flagicon|FIN}} Jarkko Nikara | MON | SWE | MEX | POR | ARG | GRE | NZL | FIN | GER | GBR | FRA | ITA | style="background:#DFFFDF;"| ESP 5 ! 16th ! 10 !rowspan="4"| - !rowspan="4"| NC |- ! 37 ! {{flagicon|ESP}} Dani Sordo | style="background:#DFDFDF;"| MON 2 | style="background:#EFCFFF;"| SWE Ret | MEX | style="background:#CFCFFF;"| POR 11 | ARG | GRE | style="background:#DFFFDF;"| NZL 6 | FIN | style="background:#DFFFDF;"| GER 9 | GBR | style="background:#EFCFFF;"| FRA Ret | ITA | style="background:#DFFFDF;"| ESP 9 ! 11th ! 35 |- !rowspan="2"| 52 ! {{flagicon|FRA}} Pierre Campana | style="background:#DFFFDF;"| MON 7 | | | | | | | | | | | | ! 21st ! 6 |- ! {{flagicon|SWE}} Patrik Sandell | | style="background:#DFFFDF;"| SWE 8 | MEX | style="background:#EFCFFF;"| POR Ret | ARG | GRE | NZL | FIN | GER | GBR | FRA | ITA | ESP ! 27th ! 4 |- | 2013 ! Mini John Cooper Works WRC ! 23 ! {{flagicon|FIN}} Jarkko Nikara | MON | style="background:#CFCFFF;"| SWE 25 | MEX | POR | ARG | GRE | ITA | style="background:#EFCFFF;"| FIN Ret | GER | AUS | FRA | ESP | GBR ! - ! 0 ! - ! - |- |}

*Mini entered in 2011 season as development entry, therefore they could not score points as a team.

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== {{commons category}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mini Wrc Team}} Category:World Rally Championship teams Category:Mini (marque)

Prodrive WRC Team

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