Prodrive confirms two Minis for Brother Rally New Zealand

Brother Rally New Zealand
21 to 24 June 2012
Round 7, 2012 FIA World Rally Championship
Round 4, 2012 Brian Green Property Group New Zealand Rally Championship, powered by Brother
Media statement
17 April 2012

Prodrive confirms two Minis for Brother Rally New Zealand

The Prodrive WRC Team has confirmed they will bring two Mini John Cooper Works WRC cars to compete in this year’s Brother Rally New Zealand , round seven of the FIA World Rally Championship.

Prodrive team principal Dave Wilcock confirms the team will run a MINI John Cooper Works WRC for Spanish driver Dani Sordo and another as-yet-unnamed driver for the 21 to 24 June running of Brother Rally New Zealand .

Earlier this year, it was uncertain whether Prodrive would travel to New Zealand with the Mini John Cooper Works WRC cars. But now the UK-based team provides Kiwi fans another opportunity to see the mighty Mini rally cars in action and perhaps the chance to see a Mini win the iconic New Zealand event, a feat which last occurred in 1972 when Scotsman Andrew Cowan and his Kiwi co-driver Jim Scott drove a British Leyland Mini to victory in Rally New Zealand.

Wilcock said: “We looked at the events we thought would be our most competitive and which gave an even spread throughout the year. After the performance of the new car on the gravel of Portugal , we felt New Zealand should give us a further opportunity to demonstrate that we have the pace to win on loose surfaces.”

Using an updated Mini, Sordo, with co-driver Carlos Del Barrio, claimed six fastest stage times in the recent running of Rally Portugal . Sordo also won the final power stage with its valuable bonus points to show just how competitive the new Mini John Cooper Works WRC car is on gravel. Prodrive engineers had completed more than 100 modifications, including a more powerful engine and new Ohlins gravel dampers, on Sordo’s car helping him to finish in first or second place on more than 50% of the stages he completed in Portugal .

Sordo drove for Citroën the last two times he has contested Rally New Zealand in 2008 and 2010.

For Brother Rally New Zealand , Prodrive Minis will run with these latest specifications, which will also be made available to all other factory-supported Minis.

The team is talking with a number of drivers who might join them in New Zealand in the second Prodrive Mini.

Brother Rally New Zealand officials already expect two other WRC Minis for this year’s event. These will come from WRC Team Mini Portugal for drivers Armindo Araújo, the former Production World Rally Champion from Portugal , and another former PWRC competitor Paulo Nobre, from Brazil .

The WRC heads to Argentina and Greece before June’s Brother Rally New Zealand, which is based in Auckland . The rally route takes competitors to Waikato and the iconic Whaanga Coast stage south of Raglan and to Whangarei and Kaipara with the final day being run in and around Auckland with rural stages near Puhoi and Kaukapakapa. News and information is updated on a regular basis on the event website, www.rallynz.org.nz, and the event’s Facebook and Twitter feeds.

ENDS

© Scoop Media