Confirming what had been rumored, speculated, suggested and partially revealed, Mini has announced their entry on a part time basis into the WRC for 2011 and full time entry in 2012.
While this is welcome news for the WRC as it will create more interest in the series with another factory program besides the current Ford and Citroen efforts--assuming that neither Ford or Citroen decide to pull up stakes and go elsewhere.
WRC efforts are an expense greater than just about any motorsport outside of F1 and if you aren't guaranteed to win and gain the exposure that comes along with it, its hard to justify the cost and thus the WRC is always on the edge of losing manufacturer interest (see Subaru). Additionally, one has to wonder how long Mini will stay in this game if results don't follow, which already in question given the questionable appropriatness of the Mini Clubman body and setup for top level WRC competition--The Citroen, Ford and recent Subaru efforts have all revolved around smaller (presumably) and lighter vehicles...
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