MINI Unveils S2000 Countryman WRC Car in Monte Carlo

MINI has finally given us a glimpse of how their 2011-spec Countryman S2000 WRC car will look like during the recent Rallye Monte Carlo Historique. The event, which started off on January 26th, saw former Monte Carlo Rally winner Rauno Aaltonen take the wheel of a historic Cooper S and come to the finish line in 109th place, on February 2nd.

It was at the end of the event that MINI thought it would be a good idea to bring on its official WRC lineup and showcase its 2011-spec Countryman WRC to the world, alongside its rally car in the '60s, the Cooper S. Dani Sordo and Kris Meeke joined Aaltonen in the harbor for a photo shoot, but it was the new Countryman that stole the show.

While still prone to some aerodynamic changes that are to occur in the next few months, the Countryman WRC features a revised front and rear sections, as compared to the initial photos released by BMW last year. The car will undergo a further test in Spain this month, and will officially be unveiled by MINI on April 13, at Cowley, Oxford.

“It is great for Dani and me to be competing for MINI and taking up that legendary spirit,” said Meeke. “Everything is going extremely well and I think the fundamental DNA of the car is very, very good.”

Dani Sordo also showed his enthusiasm and optimism regarding his maiden campaign with MINI, which is to start in Rally d'Italia in May.

“I have driven the car less than Kris but I have been on both tarmac and gravel. Honestly the feel of the car was really good. We still need to improve in certain areas, but this is normal because the car is new,” said the Spaniard.

“Our MINI is new to rallying but in Prodrive we have a lot of experience and they have achieved many things in the sport. Kris and I will try to do the best we can. At the moment the car is really good and getting better and better.”