The MINI WRC Team has taken a lot of positives from its outset ever event. In Rally Italy, Sardinia Dani Sordo (ES) and Carlos del Barrio (ES) brought their MINI John Cooper Works WRC to the ceremonial cease in Olbia in sixth. Sadly Kris Meeke (GB) and Paul Nagle (IR) didn't re-start this morning, equally the team felt it was safer not to gamble a recurrence of the problem they had encountered on the starting time two days. Withal, the cars both showed a turn of speed that bodes well for the time to come.

On the 1st May Dr Kay Segler was appointed Senior Vice President Brand Management MINI. The 56-year-old previously held this position betwixt 2004 and 2008. Segler, a passionate Motorsport fan, visited the MINI WRC Squad on Saturday in Sardinia and summed upwardly his thoughts about this programme : "Sport lies in the genes of all BMW Group vehicles – regardless of whether nosotros are talking virtually the BMW M3 or a MINI.

MINI Motorsport WRC Sardinien 2011 Dani Sordo

Plainly it is fantastic that the MINI brand volition be able to prove the sporting qualities of its products at the highest level via the MINI John Cooper Works WRC from this flavor onwards. I have followed the preparations for this project closely over the by few months, and am thoroughly looking forrad to being with the team during its debut season in the FIA World Rally Championship. Merely we are realistic, our opposition has a massive experience advantage. Even so, in conjunction with our partner Prodrive we are able to compete with a team that knows rallying backwards, and has already proven it knows how to win. Add this to the MINI and the know-how of BMW Motorsport, and nosotros have an extremely promising mix that should enable us to movement upwardly very rapidly."

David Richards, Team Principal: "I think we have shown the operation of the car. Nosotros have proved what we can exercise and I think it has set the marker and set the standard. I wish Kris could have carried on the way he was in the early stages. If he had carried on like that I call back nosotros would have been in a very potent position, but that is life, this is testing and nosotros are learning equally we proceed. All signs are really encouraging and we accept no existent reliability problems at all that we are concerned nigh. We have to take a lot of positives from the event.

"This morning we had to take the decision not to re-beginning with Kris. Nosotros know what the trouble is only we didn't have a solution to it here, and anything nosotros did would accept been compromised and may have resulted in a recurrence of the trouble. I just didn't believe it was worthwhile taking that risk. We know how to fix information technology and it can be fixed in a few weeks' time with the correct components.

"What has come out of this weekend very strongly is that nosotros have a real team effort and all members of the MINI WRC Team take instantly gelled together. I want to thank everyone for the difficult work to go us to this bespeak. It has been an amazing endeavour and the outcome has been very encouraging for all of the states. It was too prissy to see our efforts recognised as the team has been given the Abu Dhabi Spirit of the Rally Award."

Dave Wilcock, Technical Director: "Obviously from a team perspective nosotros are very, very happy that we have got Dani dwelling. Throughout the rally he has been performing competitive sector times and from that we can see where we are fast and where we need some work, which is all very positive. We are very disappointed for Kris. Having checked over the information last night, with Kris's small effect we decided non to run him today. We really needed his information today so we could compare the 2 drivers. The special stages today were uncommonly low grip and Dani was struggling in the depression grip sections, so with their two driving styles information technology would take been really nice to accept Kris's feedback and data besides. It is disappointing in that respect, but we are very pleased with the team's performance and where nosotros are right now for our first rally."

Dani Sordo: "I am happy to finish, the auto is skilful and then is the team. I call back the weekend was very positive and after many kilometres on the rally we take learnt more well-nigh the auto, which is of import. Also the team has taken a lot of information and are now working difficult for the future. In the fast parts of the stages we were close to the pinnacle times. The positive is the chassis is actually good and it is really nice to bulldoze on the fast road. If you have a good chassis this is virtually of import. "

Kris Meeke: "We said before the rally we wanted to see the speed of the car and we showed we have entered at a very expert level in terms of speed. Obviously Dani's automobile has worked faultlessly and he has had very good reliability. I take had a minor technical glitch and it appeared on both days and nosotros didn't desire to accept the risk running once more today. We know the solution for that but we tin't do information technology this weekend merely we will put that right in the coming weeks. Everyone is very positive so nosotros just have to take it from here and become forrard. We have to get-go our tarmac development now as we accept three tarmac rallies coming up towards the end of the year. We take to start to learn the car on all unlike surfaces so we accept a lot of development testing coming up. We just have to brand sure we are potent in every area."

[Source: MINI Motorsport ]