Mini Discontinues Its WRC Involvement After Two Full Seasons

BMW-owned car brand Mini "decided to terminate its factory involvement in the World Rally Championship after the '12 season," according to MOTORSPORT-TOTAL.com. MINI Business Coordination and Brand Management Senior VP Kay Segler said, "Mini will discontinue its factory involvement in the WRC after the '12 season. At the end of the season, we will have accomplished the homologation of the Mini John Cooper Works, according to FIA regulations. Thereby we have complied with the requirements that allow us to continue the use of the vehicle in the WRC on a customer basis." Mini has, since its WRC return in '11, reached three podiums and a number of top-10 finishes. The "arguably biggest success has been Dani Sordo's second-place finish at the Rally Monte Carlo" in January. Mini won the Rally Monte Carlo in '64, '65 and '67, which "established the myth of the brand in rally sports" (MOTORSPORT-TOTAL.com, 10/12).