Official Release: Dani produced another highlight to round off the historic first day of the MINI brand’s return to the world rally stage. As the first driver in the MINI WRC Team, he consistently produced strong performances to move into the leading group. “I am very happy,” said Dani. “The car is making a very good impression. We hardly had to make any changes.” continued →
PBS’s MotorWeek is celebrating 30 yawning years on the air and here we have their mostly summary review of the Countryman. Overall, they like it, but like most MW summaries, you don’t come away with much more than stats. So if you’d like a good rehash of the R60′s dimensions and statistics, look no further.
Fortune’s Alex Taylor III brings us this review of the MINI Countryman. He begins with a history lesson about the Honda Accord, which grew almost three feet in length from its original dimensions. continued →
With Citroen driver Sebestian Loeb leading, Chris Meeke shocked everyone by launching his MINI into forth place by the end of the second stage. However a technical problem resulted in him hitting a rock on Stage 3. The other MINI piloted by Dani Sordo is currently running in 8th place.
Two reviews from CNET today. One in video form (above) from Brian Cooley, and the other in long form written editorial from Wayne Cunningham. Neither were particularly charmed by the R60′s interior or character, but both gave the larger MINI sibling credit for great handling. Their digs are nothing new to MF readers, but if you’d like to hear more from Mr. Cooley, you can read his full review here.
MINI is a day away from the first stage of the comeback we’ve all waited for. But before that comes the pre-rally shakedown that helps the team with set-up and the drivers with the various stages. The results? Of the two MINIs Dani Sardo is the fastest in 6th place. Not bad at all for the very first shake-down from the team. In fact that number puts them ahead of WRC stars like Loeb and Hirvonen. However keep in mind that it’s not quite like F1 qualifying and a lot will change by the time the first stage is over on Friday. But you can get some sense of pace in these numbers.
P. SOLBERG. Citroen DS3 WRC. 1:45.4
LATVALA. Ford Fiesta RS WRC. 1:46.1
OSTBERG. Ford Fiesta RS WRC. 1:46.2
OGIER. Citroen DS3 WRC. 1:48.0
H. SOLBERG. Ford Fiesta RS WRC. 1:48.1
SORDO. MINI John Cooper Works. 1:48.7
HIRVONEN. Ford Fiesta RS WRC. 1:48.9
ANDERSSON. Ford Fiesta WS WRC. 1:48.9
LOEB. Citroen DS3 WRC. 1:49.0
VILLAGRA. Ford Fiesta RS WRC. 1:49.0
WILSON. Ford Fiesta RS WRC. 1:49.8
MEEKE. MINI John Cooper Works. 1:50.2
Here’s the official report from MINI Motorsport.
Official Release Kris and Dani were visibly relaxed as they climbed out of their MINI John Cooper Works WRC cars with the legendary numbers 37 and 52 after the shakedown at the Rally Italy. The car’s first WRC outing confirmed the promise it had shown during the months of preparations carried out by the team. continued →
With Team MINI’s WRC season about to kick off in Italy, MINI Motorsport brings us perspective from the drivers. Dani and Kris are definitely anxious to get going. Some WRC teams have four races under their belts, but the MINI Team has been spending this time working out the kinks in a brand new race program. They’re definitely feeling ready. “Now we want to show how good we are,” says Dani. continued →
1st Gen MINI R50: One & MC Hatch R52: All 1st Gen MINI Convt. R53: MCS Hatch 2nd Gen MINI R55: Clubman R56: Hatch R57: Convertible R58: Coupe R59: Roadster R60: MINI Crossover R61: MINI Crossover Coupe 3rd Gen MINI F55: Clubman F56: Hatch F57: Convertible F60: MINI Crossover F62: Traveller
If you or your company are interested in advertising on the most influential MINI website in the world, please visit our Advertising section. If you have further questions about becoming a sponsor or would like to see our rate sheet please feel free to contact us directly.
Sections: Countryman WRC, Official News May 6th, 2011 4 Comments 
