The MINI WRC team has withdrawn their car driven by Kris Meeke for Rally Estonia. While not a World Rally event, the national rally will be used as a test bed for some teams heading into the legendary round in Finland. The entry list has a lot of talent as Markko Martin looks to defend last year’s title. Mads Ostberg will also be participating in a Ford Fiesta WRC.
The team was forced to withdraw the entry after a testing crash caused severe damage to the John Cooper works machine. The crash occurred on Monday in preparation for Rally Finland as Meeke came into contact with a large rock that took the wheels clean off. The original survey of damage was promising, but upon further investigation their was significant damage to key pieces of the chassis. Needless to say, the team did not want to further jeopardize the car in a national event.
MINI were able to complete 450 crucial miles of testing as they continue to run this year’s limited program ahead of going full time in 2012. Both Kris Meeke and Dani Sordo have been hard at work trying to discover any technical gremlins that may arise again.
The next round of the World Rally Championship will be Rally Finland which takes place 28-30 July. Since the loss of Monte Carlo, Finland has served as the next best thing to a crown jewel event. The gravel roads are very fast and there are a number of crests and high speed jumps. Simply put…it is awesome! Keep it here for updates of the rally!
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