Webber Becomes Sixth F1 Winner With Monaco Victory

Franchitti Earns Third Indy 500 Win

Hong Kong Witnesses First Aston Martin One-77 Crash
2013 Volkswagen CC Gets Sporty R-Line Trim

Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix Weather Forecast

Sarrazin Gains Final Seat For Toyota Racing At Le Mans
Indy 500 Carb Day Practice To Franchitti; Dixon Takes IZOD Pit...

Volkswagen Golf R Cabrio Patent Photos Revealed

2013 Cadillac XTS Configurator Launched

Did MINI Miss Its Chance To Race In The 2012 WRC Season?

Kurt Ernst

Contributor BIO

Kurt has been fascinated by anything with wheels and a motor for a long time. Growing up, he spent his spare time turning wrenches and pumping gas in... More

LATEST ARTICLE
Is A BMW 1-Series Sedan In The Works?
The BMW 3-Series sedan, like many of us, has picked up a few additional pounds and inches over the... Read More

#2LEADERBOARD RANK
1588ARTICLES CONTRIBUTED
81COMMENTS POSTED

1,653 views Dec 20, 2011

2011 MINI WRC

HI-RES GALLERY: 2011 MINI WRC

Races are never won on the opening lap, although they certainly can be lost on lap one. As MINI is finding out, sometimes entire seasons can be lost, too, even before the green flag flies for the first race of a new season.

According to a report by Autosport, MINI failed to file the application paperwork necessary to compete in the 2012 WRC season, by yesterday’s published deadline. It’s believed that this was an oversight and not a deliberate move to withdraw from 2012 WRC competition, as the Prodrive-built MINI John Cooper Works WRC cars took podium finishes in Germany and France during their inaugural season.

That feat would be impressive enough for any team campaigning a brand new car over a full season, but the fact that the MINI WRC Team earned two podiums in just six races is astonishing. For any constructor, the first season is about development, not about winning races.

Although the entry date has come and gone, MINI (and parent BMW) are pressuring the FIA to extend the deadline to accommodate MINI. There’s reason to believe that the FIA will bend on this, since it wants more manufacturers involved in the sport.

Even unnamed “sources in Germany” remain confident that MINI will compete in the 2012 WRC season. Autosport quotes someone close to the situation as saying, “There are a few things to talk about and time has beaten us to the deadline, but the cars will be in Monte Carlo - we couldn’t miss the MINI’s return to that rally.”