MINI has completed its comeback season at the World Rally Championship and narrowly missed out on a podium finish at Wales Rally GB.

Success in the competition could have a baring on thousands of jobs in Oxfordshire. England.

It is seen as important both for the MINI brand, and Prodrive, the company in Banbury behind the rally team.

BBC News Video:
BBC News - Mini completes rally car comeback

MINI Countryman, Wales Rally GB, 2011 WRC. Hafren
(Spectator videos taken by Mike - The Mini Forum)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNnDZ...layer_embedded

Prodrive Customer Rally MINI on stage:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClSUe...layer_embedded

Castle Combe Rally Day pictures of WRC MINI and GRX 310D
"Natalie got invited to take her Ex-Works Classic Mini GRX 310D along side the new WRC - Pro Drive Works MINI as GRX 310D is the most used ex works classic Mini. She was also asked to do 3 laps of the feature stage at midday, little did we know we would have the WRC car behind us..... The organisers left a considerable amount of time for a gap on the track but obviously didnt quite give enough as on the last corner Nat suddenly had mirrors full of the the WRC monster. I was the passenger in 310 on the track and having been in the car before and poodled about I didnt know what it was capable of, but I was in awe whilst Nat was throwing the car into the corners in a mass of immense noise and excitement. As Natalie is Burnham Motor Clubs best lady and a regular Wiscombe Park class winner she is perfectly used to making minis dance and getting the best out of them.
We met the works team who are all so helpful and polite - even offered us a cup of tea! Nat was also asked if she would like to be part of the new cooper dvd which is coming out soon, hopefully they managed to get some footage of us going around the track. As a bonus we managed to get KRIS MEEKE into GRX 310D for a special interview talking about the differences in the two works minis - which he really seemed to enjoy."

Thanks for photos and rally day report to KMP (Mini Cooper Register)





Kris Meeke WRC MINI Driver in the ex-works classic rally Mini GRX 310D

 

awesome!

 

Cool! Love those pics!