Sections: Motorsports | R60 (Countryman) Feb 19th, 2010 33 Comments 
According to rallybuzz.com BMW representatives met with Prodrive boss David Richards at the Rally Sweden last weekend to talk WRC. On the agenda was an update on the MINI Countryman WRC project that has been ongoing for some months as we’ve previously reported. The rally car is expected to undergo initial testing this summer with it’s brand new 1.6L turbo engine. It’s unclear how much (if any) similarities there are with the production engine other than the displacement.
In all Prodrive met with BMW and WRC as the weekend served as both a touch-base and a fact finding mission. Reportedly the rally car is expected to make a surprise debut at the Geneva motor show along side the production Countryman.
At this point there are no official announcements but the car has already been linked to Norwegian rally protege Mads Ostberg.
The development of the car was made possible by BMW’s exit from F1 and increased focus on production based series such as WRC, ALMS and the WTCC. It was also made possible by the WRC’s new engine rules which focus on production based 1.6L turbos. All this gives the upcoming Countryman rally car a tangible link to the production variant (especially the rumored fire-breathing JCW version).
In all the 2012 WRC season is shaping up to be a glorious return for MINI into a sport that has a great deal of historical significance for the brand.
Look for more news in the coming weeks as the Geneva Motor Show is scheduled for early March.
eager2own Feb 19th, 2010 Link
Let’s also hope for better (and more timely) coverage of the season on U.S. television. It was good to get some of it on HDTV in ‘09… but we want more — especially for the 2012 season if MINI is in it.
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ScottinBend Feb 19th, 2010 Link
Discovery HD Theater is covering this seasons WRC a couple of weeks after each race has run. Sweden race is Feb. 25th.
ReplyIt’s cool but if you look at the other WRC cars, Ford, Subaru, Citroen, this slug is going to be a real oddity? I’m hoping Prodrive can make this blob into a worthy contender. I’d have seen a developed Dakar drive as a better choice and putting a BMW sedan back into WRC as all around better choices. My thoughts.
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CraigE Feb 19th, 2010 Link
It’s cool but if you look at the other WRC cars, Ford, Subaru, Citroen, this slug is going to be a real oddity?
And the original Mini wasn’t?
ReplyThen again… with the rumored Citroen DS3 Racing slug as a possible entry into WRC, it has some of the styling cues that this slug does, I could be wrong.
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hardingsan Feb 19th, 2010 Link
^and i’m guessing once prodrive is done with it, slug will not describe it well at all…
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CraigE Feb 19th, 2010 Link
If you want to see what Prodrive is capable of, take a look at the P2.and the car it is based on.
ReplyAlso, the Suzuki SX4 rally car looked good; what did they have to work with?
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goat Feb 19th, 2010 Link
Great news! Looking forward to seeing the car compete… to us “backroad drivers”, this is by far the most exciting form of motorsport, even over F1! :)
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Hoover Feb 19th, 2010 Link
Cool. I’m beginning to think of the R60 as just one variant of a platform that will allow MINI the flexibility to do a number of interesting things, with a 5.1″ longer wheelbase (The Clubman has a 3.3″ longer wheelbase). The difference in wheelbase on the classic Mini variants was 4″. Instead of thinking of this platform as embracing a “bigger is better” philosophy, I’m seeing a second, but still SHORT wheelbase platform that increases flexibility for a brand that will still only produce small vehicles. OK naysayers…rip me apart.
ReplyThe Street version MUST be named the Paddy Hopkirk Edition!
So will the car have a JCW engine?
A rally game version for the Wii? Sign me up!
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@Michael Campbell x3… Prodrive does wonders for sure… they’ll need to with this…ah… sorry… slug… ;-)
I still say Dakar would be the better choice.
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ftttubrgcm Feb 20th, 2010 Link
I hope some really neato performance parts come out of this program.
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Luke Levinson Feb 20th, 2010 Link
oh man this is so cool. i’ve been hoping for this since 2002!
Reply@ HOOVER I’ve got yer back Buddy! Bring on the WRC…lets show the kings of the backroads that the old man on the blocks still got it…I always said that the countryman would allow for such endeavors…WOOHOO!!!
@C4 – the Countryman is as much a TRUCK as a twinky is a sourch of vitamins… you consider a car that has an overall length 4 inches shorter that a 3-Door VW Golf a truck? How can you justify that statement?
ReplyCraigE: If you want to see what Prodrive is capable of, take a look at the P2.and the car it is based on.
Thanks for posting this, Craig! Its really interesting to flip back and forth between the pictures of the R1 and P2 to see the changes. I feel like since MINI is working together with Prodrive, they will finally have an opportunity to show what an aggressive MINI will look like! I hope that they won’t hold back with this car and give us what we want in a street version that follows.
I am very excited :)
Reply[...] You can read RallyBuzz article here. You can read the MotoringFile article here. [...]
cze33r Feb 21st, 2010 Link
While I’m not a fan of the Countryman, I’m very interested to see what Prodrive come up with as I’ve liked almost everything to come out their workshops.
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BilboBaggins Feb 25th, 2010 Link
I’d be more interested to see if BMW/MINI will be introducing a dealer available version of the Prodrive car. Lowered center of gravity, reduced weight, more sporting suspension, increased power, proper driving seats. Basically an enthusiasts car.
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