2010 World Rally Championship

[Lee Downham]

Wanted to go along to one or two stages myself this weekend, but life has a habit of getting in the way eh??!

 

[Ross Balfour]

Ogier

Bit annoying there are only 6 good drivers in WRC, rest are quite garbage to be honest. Bring in Kris Meeke from IRC

 

[Bram Hengeveld]

Awesome onboard footage of Raikkonen

 

[Warren Dawes]

Kimmi is starting to adapt well to Rally driving, he may be quite competitive overall very soon.

 

[Ross Balfour]

He looked quick but still not as quick as Ogier or Loeb attacked that stage, he still has some catching up to do but he's getting there.

 

[Sean Vohs]

Anyone going to make it to the Race to the Clouds this year? I plan on going with a few friends/family. Would be great to see some of my fellow local track-mates there as well!

Rhys Millen is planning on taking back the Unlimited class record his father held in the early 90s that was beat by Nobuhiro Tajima in the late 90s. Rhys' car looks pretty freaking sweet and LOOKS like it can get the job done.

If anyone plans on going, send me a message and maybe we can meet up!

Also, if any of you know a good place to watch from let me know. This is my first time there and I dont know where the good spots are.

http://www.usacracing.com/ppihc

 

[Sean Vohs]

The two 4WD Unlimited Class cars.

There's also a local guy entering the Unlimited class(Anything goes) in a 2wd car. I'm excited to see what it looks like and how he does.

Nobuhiro "Monster" Tajima

Rhys Millen

 

[Rhys Gardiner]

I bloody love the Pikes Peak Hillclimb. The cars are so mental they need straitjackets...

 

[Sean Vohs]

Sounds like someone needs to buy a plane ticket

I see the mountain every time I drive to work, and I never fail to go "whoa" when I see it and imagine why someone would want to drive up it at a million miles per hour.

I bloody love the Pikes Peak Hillclimb. The cars are so mental they need straitjackets...

 

[Bram Hengeveld]

Mini's first-ever World Rally Car, which will be based on the Countryman road car, has been in preparation for months at Prodrive's Banbury base and the BMW 1.6-litre turbocharged engine recently arrived to turn a rolling shell into a full World Rally Car. Testing of the new machine is expected to begin soon and, as technical director David Lapworth said, once it starts testing it will not stop.

Read more at Autosport.com

 

[Omer Said]

Hmm i will try to sign up as their driver. I'm very experienced on driving Minis on dirt, grass and gravel

Really surprised to see this. I have never imagined a Mini car competing against those Citroen and Ford Monsters. Will be interesting

 

[Senad Subasic]

Cool, it won't be as sad to watch when there are as much as 3 (three!) manufacturers :o

 

[Ross Balfour]

I doubt it will compete up top. I think it will be like that Suzuki Swift that was in it a few years ago. Just getting the odd 7th or 8th place. I still think they will finish higher than Raikkonen

 

[Omer Said]

The iconic MINI name will return to the World Rally Championship stages next year after its parent BMW group announced a multi-year comeback for one of the most charismatic names in the sport’s history.

From 2011, MINI will compete at selected rounds of the FIA World Rally Championship and will go on to contest the entire season from 2012 onwards. BMW says this involvement is planned ‘for several years’.

MINI’s first-ever World Rally Car will be based on the new Countryman production car and is being developed in partnership with Prodrive - the British firm which masterminded Subaru’s WRC programme from 1989 to 2008. The car will be fitted with a 1.6-litre, four-cylinder turbo-charged engine from BMW Motorsport.



More can be found here

 

[Omer Said]

Do you think Mini can compete against Ford or Citroen, no i think. But maybe next years hopefully. And also i hope they will have a nice looking car. Unlike that picture

 

[Dave Stephenson]

Interesting. It's good to see other manufacturers showing an interest in the sport.

 

[Knut Omdal Tveito]

The article says it has a 1.6 l engine. Does that mean it's one class below the 2l Ford and Citroen? Who will they compete with?

 

[Bram Hengeveld]

I thought in 2011 all WRC and WTCC cars will drive with a (turbocharged) 1.6 liter engine. But I can be mistaken.

 

[Knut Omdal Tveito]

Ah thats right Bram, I've heard something about that. Best of luck to the Mini team then!

 

[Omer Said]

Also team will be Prodrive's. They have lots of successes with Subaru. It seems David Richards completely give up entering F1