As was mentioned a few months ago, MINI was looking to jump into the WRC arena with Prodrive given the S2000T regulations. MINI who was once involved with rally’s top flight looks to return on the wings of the Countryman crossover.
Yesterday I had mentioned that with the news coming out of the Czech Republic on Skoda’s decision to develop the 1.6T and further its development its S2000 chassis, little had been heard from Prodrive or MINI aside from the facts that they were in Sweden on fact finding missions. It would appear now that news has surfaced that the Countryman project is still in full swing and they are now even considering drivers for the factory effort. Among those names was Australian Chris Atkinson. Atkinson has recently signed with Proton to run the Asian championship in a Satria Neo S2000. He has also been heavily linked with a deal driving in a second Monster Energy World Rally Team seat alongside American Ken Block. Another driver in the mix is a very talented P-G Andersson. P-G has competed at every level in the WRC and is always lightning quick on stage. It would be a federal crime if somebody does not give this guy a factory effort. I think he has the goods to challenge at the highest level and I would even put him on the same level as Sebastian Ogier in terms of raw speed.
An announcement for the team may be released as soon as this month as teams shift focus to the S2000T regulations. Prodrive’s reputation speaks for itself and I have absolutely 100% confidence that this team will be competitive relatively quickly . So at this moment, it clearly looks as though the WRC will have at least four different manufacturers represented in the S2000T. Still awaiting a Skoda English announcement and whether they intend on competing as a factory outfit or simply a supplier. Good news for any WRC fan.
