Mini Meeke WRC 2011

De Hipster

Finally confirmed: here

Mini has launched its World Rally car at the Paris Motor Show - and confirmed Britain's Kris Meeke as part of its driver line-up for next season.

The car will break competitive cover in the World Rally Championship next season, run by British-based motorsport preparation firm Prodrive - which won three drivers' and three manufacturers' titles when it ran Subaru's WRC effort between 1990 and 2008.

Ian Robertson, BMW AG board member responsible for sales and marketing, said: "The response to our announcement that Mini will return to the world of rallying next year was very positive.

"The FIA World Rally Championship is the pinnacle of rallying, making it the ideal platform for demonstrating the competitive spirit of our brand. The development of the car is running on schedule and the preparations for the world championship are in full swing.

"The Mini Countryman production model provided the ideal basis for our new world championship challenger."

Prodrive's David Richards said: "This project is a truly passionate opportunity. Mini is a cult brand which left a lasting impression during its previous motorsport campaigns. We are both extremely happy and proud to be on board as a partner when Mini returns to rallying.

"We aim to use 2011 as a preparatory year, amassing experience in order to ensure we are fully competitive from the start of the following season. But let's not underestimate the task ahead of us, nor the stiff competition we will face on the way. However, our target is firmly set on winning the world championship title again with Mini."

Delighted Dave Richards and the Prodrive team are back in WRC...great (and well earned) break for Kris.

h3000

Really good news. Great to see another manufacturer join the WRC and great to have Prodrive back too. Congrats to Kris Meeke, well deserved drive for him.

De Hipster

h3000 wrote: »

Really good news. Great to see another manufacturer join the WRC and great to have Prodrive back too. Congrats to Kris Meeke, well deserved drive for him.

I'll be out with my uuumm, 'Dungannon flaaag' in the hedges of many a land! Dave Richards is a leg-end!

h3000

I presume Paul Nagle will continue to partner him in the car, have you heard any word on that?

De Hipster

No 'official' word...who knows with sponsor input & Prodrive running the show. If I hear more; watch this space!

reiger

like we didnt know this was going to happen it was kept quiet to keep pugeot happy.
yes Nagle will be on board its good to see an irish drive full time in the wrc.
Prodrive were never ones to run with sponsorship in the later subaru days,so it could be a bmw funded thing

Drummerboy08

It's great to see Meeke getting a deserved promotion.

It will be interesting to see how committed Mini/BMW are to the WRC cause though, will they be still competing in 3 or 4 years time?

De Hipster

reiger wrote: »

its good to see an irish drive full time in the wrc.

MSA Licence = British driver

reiger

ah here dont go down that line im involved in irish rallying for years and we dont involve that north south stuff, and me and many others dont call kris meeke a british driver hes one of our own,as was derrygonnelly's niall Mcshea when he won the PWRC,when your your rallying on this island or abroad were all irishmen and we dont bring that bull into things,
thats one great thing about rallying that sort of political crap dont come into things.so cop on and drop the north south thing.

De Hipster

I wasn't being political...stating facts. Ask the man himself he is an MSA licenced competitor.

reiger

well its you that made the statment because his licence was MSA but thats no grounds to say hes british did you ever hear of other irish lads with MSA licences for various reasons but that doesnt make them british or how many fellas in the north with MSA licences and that doesnt make them british.so think before you go becoming judge and jury.
As long as ive been about the sport ive never hers such comments like the ones youve made in my circles that crap doesnt involve its self in the sport,were all just rally men.maybe you lack knowledge of the sport or you are an armchair/keyboard follower and your ignorant to your comments.

afatbollix

De Hipster wrote: »

I wasn't being political...stating facts. Ask the man himself he is an MSA licenced competitor.

He is from northen Ireland. He is Irish.. ( the whole island is called Ireland, split up into northern Ireland and the republic of Ireland) I asked him last year but he couldent give a ****e what flag was flown. but he only noticed our Irish flag... not the union jacks...

De Hipster

I'm not trying to get into a political debate about this, there have been many issues with the NI divide and ramification for motorsports drivers over the years wearing the appropriate colours - which will have no bearing on the followers, championship nor the results themselves.

I have a feeling that there is a strong element of warm-fuzzy nostalgia linked to the Mini, WRC & NI driver package...

Bobby04

Just look at Meeke's cars - always has the Union Jack flag along side his name. How many British commentators do you think will call him an Irish man if he has any sort of success??

reiger

well when meeke was wrecking allround him the brits called him an irish man.youve a good point there all right.
i know for a fact that a couple of top drivers from the north have irish passports but because of msa licences there had to run english flags in international competetion .
in the past while you see many drivers from the north using european union flags because of that derek magarrity been one example.

afatbollix

The reason the car was covered in a union jack this year was because it was Pug UK paying!! Pug Ireland would never stump up the cash!!!!

There budget this year for media was 1.1 million! no way a Irish car company would have that marketing money!

murf 1990

reiger wrote: »

ah here dont go down that line im involved in irish rallying for years and we dont involve that north south stuff, and me and many others dont call kris meeke a british driver hes one of our own,as was derrygonnelly's niall Mcshea when he won the PWRC,when your your rallying on this island or abroad were all irishmen and we dont bring that bull into things,
thats one great thing about rallying that sort of political crap dont come into things.so cop on and drop the north south thing.

cant possible b counted as an irish driver if he ha union jack beside his name

reiger

well tom cave runs a lativan flag on his car as that is the country his licence is issued in,dont think he classes himself as latvian,steve perez runs with a spanish flag on his window never herd him class himself as spanish.

murf 1990

reiger wrote: »

well tom cave runs a lativan flag on his car as that is the country his licence is issued in,dont think he classes himself as latvian,steve perez runs with a spanish flag on his window never herd him class himself as spanish.[/QU
ye ur a dope he has the option of a norther ireland or eu flag or none at all like donnely used to do but he chose the union jack to get drives for pog uk and now prodrive who have made no secret they want british drivers

murf 1990

LIGHTNING wrote: »

Lets keep the politics out of it! Their is enough politics in Motor racing without us bringing the Ireland/England thing into it As it has already been said he got his license in the UK so thats the end of that.

wesely patterson has a uk licence dont remember seeing any union jack on the car

murf 1990

afatbollix wrote: »

The reason the car was covered in a union jack this year was because it was Pug UK paying!! Pug Ireland would never stump up the cash!!!!

There budget this year for media was 1.1 million! no way a Irish car company would have that marketing money!

not talking about the car i know its pog uk but the mini not and what flag will he put beside his name ye thats end of story bud

reiger

murf 1990 wrote: »

reiger wrote: »

well tom cave runs a lativan flag on his car as that is the country his licence is issued in,dont think he classes himself as latvian,steve perez runs with a spanish flag on his window never herd him class himself as spanish.[/QU
ye ur a dope he has the option of a norther ireland or eu flag or none at all like donnely used to do but he chose the union jack to get drives for pog uk and now prodrive who have made no secret they want british drivers

how dare you come on and call me a dope go away and learn the facts in international rallying the eu or the northern irish can not be used on international events.
eh so why have prodrive employed a cross spectrum of people from various countrys to drive from them in the past and if there so pro english why are they entertaing the idea of taking on marcus gronholm.go away and grow up and cop on.oh who is pog uk
as far as i know at the moment meeke has drove for a team called Pugeot uk

Lighting as you can see from past posts im a rallying true and true and not a fan of this bull cross border north south and as far as i know politcs should and with most normal people involved in rallying should not come into things.

this thread has run its time maybe its time to lock it before more persons take things out of hand.

murf 1990

reiger wrote: »

well its you that made the statment because his licence was MSA but thats no grounds to say hes british did you ever hear of other irish lads with MSA licences for various reasons but that doesnt make them british or how many fellas in the north with MSA licences and that doesnt make them british.so think before you go becoming judge and jury.
As long as ive been about the sport ive never hers such comments like the ones youve made in my circles that crap doesnt involve its self in the sport,were all just rally men.maybe you lack knowledge of the sport or you are an armchair/keyboard follower and your ignorant to your comments.

the man is right and i have been at every international for the last ten years and i drive in the national chap meeke is used the british card to get drives from pug uk and prodrive he wount b a success anyway to drives to hard and end up going off dont think the mini will cut it anyway the ds3 will b miles ahead lets test ur rally knowlage who the only man to win gp n and over all rally champ... in one year

reiger

if you cant string two words of sentence together how can i make out what your saying,maybe you speak another lanuage