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The sun came out in Wales, but it still threw challenges at the Wales Rally GB crews. Kris Meeke (GB) and Paul Nagle (IR) finished day three in their MINI John Cooper Works WRC fifth despite having to battle with a broken engine mount for the first three stages. Dani Sordo (ES) and Carlos del Barrio (ES) re-joined the competitors in the SupeRally and had a trouble free run.

Meeke started the day eighth and his aim was to move up rapidly to sixth and then battle for fifth. His goal was helped by the retirements of Petter Solberg (NO) and Kimi Räikkönen (FI), but not by the broken engine mount. Despite suffering from this he still set some decent stage times on the three stages into mid-day service in Builth Wells. His car was soon as good as new and ready to challenge for fourth in the afternoon. Meanwhile Sordo was feeling much more confident in the car on the low grip conditions, and on Sweet Lamb was fourth quickest first time through and third on the second run.

Dave Wilcock, Technical Director described the day thus, “We had a small issue with Kris on the first loop this morning. There was an engine mounting that had come slightly loose and it had pulled one of the exhaust slip joints off, so we had hot exhaust gas leaking into the engine bay, which melted a couple of items but nothing that cost too much performance. Because of this he took it cautiously for the first loop. We repaired that at lunch time, this afternoon things were back to normal, and we saw some good stage times from Kris. He struggled a little bit in that last stage, which was nearly 28 kilometres in Myherin, and we need to have a look at the data as he thought it felt okay. As for Dani, on the SupeRally today there were stages he knows from previous years. He was looking forward to today and his times have been improving all day long. He is now much more confident in these low grip conditions, and we could clearly see that in his stage times.

For Kris he has 45 seconds to make up to get fourth and we are now looking for a little over half a second a kilometre to leap frog Henning Solberg. It is a tall order, but there are 84 kilometres to go so we shall see how we get on on the first stage. If he is on target at that point then he will continue to push. If not then we shall just consolidate fifth position.”

Dani Sordo (MINI John Cooper Works WRC No 37) shared, “Today was quite good. I like the stages a lot, but at the same time they were very slippery. I particularly liked the Sweet Lamb stage, and this showed in my time. Tomorrow will be quite tricky as we have some parts on tarmac and some new stages. It was good that it did not rain today, but here in Wales even when it is dry the roads are muddy as it has been raining for a long time.”

Our BMW folks covering the events forgot to mention which position Dani Sordo took at the end of the day, so I guess we’ll find out more tomorrow!

Kris Meeke (MINI John Cooper Works WRC No 52) chimed in, “We sorted the engine problem from the morning at lunch time, which was good as every time I changed gear the engine was moving. We just had to drive through and try to get it back here. The second pass today was tricky and very slippery like the surface had been polished. The car is working well on the smooth stuff, but on the ruts we lose a bit of time. We shall see tomorrow what happens, as it will be interesting to see if we can catch Henning. I have done tomorrow’s stages in the other direction, so maybe I should try reversing through them!”

Whether they run dry, wet, muddy, or somewhere in between, we are pleased to see team MINI WRC on the rally circuit, and look forward to tomorrow’s competition as well the full season next year.

Here’s a few more dirty pictures for you to enjoy .. dirty MINIs that is!

[Source: BMW Group PressClub Sport, Wales, Nov 12 2011]

Miniology’s continuous coverage of MINI WRC continues…

Strasbourg, 2nd October, 2011. Second for the MINI WRC Team in Rally France-Alsace is a result it is justifiably proud of on only its fourth event of the 2011 season. Dani Sordo (ES) and Carlos del Barrio (ES) took the fight down to the wire with just 6.3secs separating the number 37 MINI John Cooper Works WRC and the Citroen of Sébastien Ogier (FR) at the finish in Strasbourg this afternoon.At no point over the three days and 340 kilometres of competition did Sordo give up his fight for the lead he held going into day two. He started the final day 9.5secs behind the Citroen, and from the first of the six stages was trying to claw back the time. Tyre choice was critical, with the soft Michelins used by Sordo instantly proving the right choice. On the first stage of the day (SS18) Sordo took 3.1secs off Ogier to then be just 6.4secs down. This trend continued on SS19 on which Sordo was quickest, and reduced the gap to 4.9 secs. On SS20 it was honours even with them both posting the same time, however, on the re-run of the first stage Ogier was 11 seconds quicker than before, and Sordo lost a second to him. On the penultimate stage the gap was 6.7secs, and then on the Power Stage Sordo posted the second quickest time behind the Ford of Jari-Matti Latvala (FI). Unfortunately after the accident yesterday the number 52 MINI John Cooper Works WRC of Kris Meeke (GB) and Paul Nagle (IR) was not able to start the last day of the rally.

David Richards, Team Principal:

“Yesterday we could have so easily have settled for a secure second place but that’s not our style and I’m so proud that Dani was able to challenge for victory right to the end. On this occasion we will therefore celebrate a second place and give the entire team a big pat on the back, particularly Dani Sordo. He managed to keep the pressure on Sébastien Ogier throughout the entire rally, and he’s certainly laid down a marker for his home event in Spain.”

Dave Wilcock, Technical Director:

“Second is an absolutely stunning result for the MINI John Cooper Works WRC. Being just 6.3secs behind Sébastien Ogier clearly shows we were on the pace and, after our fourth rally, being in this position has made us all delighted. It’s been a stunning effort from the team, and especially the crew. Dani drove a faultless rally. He had no punctures, the Michelin tyres were absolutely perfect throughout and never once did we ever have any issues with tyre degradation. This morning we made a tactical decision to take the soft tyre option due to the damp and moist conditions, and knowing that the first stage, which was repeated, had two kilometres of gravel. It was completely the right choice. Then in the power stage to take two WRC drivers’ points and finish in front of Ogier was fantastic for MINI. This is a great position to be in going to Dani’s home event in Spain. We have a lot of work to do before then, but we shall be trying everything we can to repeat this performance there, if not make it a step higher on the podium!”

Dani Sordo:

“As you can imagine I am really, really happy to finish in second position. It is an incredible result for the team so thank you to them and also to Carlos who has been great all rally. I think no-one here expected this before the rally, but we were fighting for the victory and at the end were just 6.3 seconds behind Sébastien Ogier. When you set good stage times as we have here in France, you always enjoy it. Before our first event we did not expect to be doing so well so soon. I am very pleased to be going to my home event in Spain in this position. The car was set-up well here, so I am confident it will be the same in Spain.”