MINI retires factory cars in Finland

Steve · Jul 30, 2011

MINI retires factory cars in Finland (wrc.com)

The MINI WRC Team has retired its John Cooper Works WRCs from Neste Oil Rally Finland.

Kris Meeke went no further than stage 19 while Dani Sordo was withdrawn after stage 21 following the onset of a technical problem.

A spokesperson for the Prodrive-run squad said: â€œKris had problems after his puncture with a lot of sand getting into his radiator and overheating. The crew tried to clear it but the decision was taken not to risk further damage, as we would not learn anything [by continuing].

â€œDani was going so slowly that there was no point doing the Power Stage. He is coming back to service under his own steam.â€

Both drivers had impressed throughout the high-speed gravel event, even though Meeke conceded that his lack of knowledge of the stages was masking his true potential. Sordo, who was in seventh position overall when he stopped, had set a succession of top five stage times.
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Steve · Jul 30, 2011

Better article:

MINI WRC retires on final day in Rally Finland 2011 (rallysportlive.com)

ByRSL Staff â€“ July 30, 2011

Dani Sordo and Kris Meeke were in the top ten until they were forced to retire with the finish in sight at the Rally Finland. However, the MINI WRC Team takes many positives from Scandinavia.

Gain experience for 2012: that was the goal of the MINI WRC Team before its Finland trip. Dani, Kris and their co-drivers Carlos del Barrio and Paul Nagle would obviously have liked to complete the full distance, but the two duos completed 580 and 628 kilometres and experienced the key stages on the challenging Rally Finland under live conditions. Experience, from which they will benefit next year when the team competes over the entire WRC season.

At the same time, Dani and Kris were in promising positions in seventh and eighth places respectively on Friday evening, having taken a consistent approach rather than pushing the MINI John Cooper Works WRC to the limit. This is encouraging for the future and is already fuelling the anticipation ahead of the next outing for Dani, Kris and Co. at the Rally Germany, which starts on 18th August.

You can read a stage-by-stage description of the MINI WRC Teamâ€™s outing at the Rally Finland here:

Special Stage 20: As Daniâ€™s MINI WRC is struggling to produce any power, the MINI WRC Team also withdraws Daniâ€™s car. Dani takes the car directly to the Parc FermÃ©, where the data gathered on the car is extracted and analysed.

Special Stage 19: After the end of the special stage, the MINI WRC Team decides not to send Kris to the start for the remainder of the rally, in order to avoid further damaging his carâ€™s engine. At the same time, everyone is satisfied with the data gathered by this point.

Special Stage 18: An unpleasant special stage for Dani and Kris. Both lose parts of the front trim panel on the tough stage, which visibly puts the cars to the test, and complain of sand in the radiator. They must remove the sand themselves, with the help of instructions passed on via the radio. Dani can only finish 23rd on this special stage, with Kris back in 37th place. Kris drops another place in the overall standings and is now 15th.

Special Stage 17: After the MINI WRC Team went into the service break full of confidence and only had to make minor adjustments to the MINI John Cooper Works WRC cars, Kris suffers a setback thanks to a puncture shortly after the start of the 17th special stage. Kris drops four places to 14th overall.

Special Stage 16: Dani Sordo completes the fastest special stage so far on the final day of the Rally Finland. He clearly feels at ease and his MINI John Cooper Works WRC is running flawlessly. Kris, who is racing on unfamiliar terrain, defends tenth place as the drivers take a service break late in the morning. It is worth noting that Kris would love to be mixing it up at the front of the field. However, he has resolved not to take any undue risks. As a result, he is having to sacrifice a bit of speed.

Special Stage 15: Kris continues to take a controlled approach to the special stages. â€œItâ€™s impossible to be fast on these roads if you donâ€™t know them,â€ says Kris, who finishes Special Stage 15 in eleventh place. â€œI have not been here for five years and still have to learn without taking too many risks.â€ Consequently, Kris slips down to tenth place while Dani is once again quick and defends his seventh place overall.

Special Stage 14: Carlos del Barrioâ€™s favourite special stage features the huge â€œUrrian Hyypyâ€ jump. Carlos says he does not care how far he and Dani fly, as long as they complete the stage safely. Dani and Carlos claim an excellent fifth place on this stage.

Special Stage 13: â€œI was braking too early for the corners. My motto throughout the rally has been â€˜better safe than sorryâ€™. I just have to learn these roads really carefully,â€ says Kris, describing his strategy. He is determined not to risk crashing out early in Finland and to gain as much experience as possible ahead of next season. This approach costs him time, however, and Kris drops back to ninth place overall.

Special Stage 12: Start of the final and deciding day of the Rally Finland. Despite the early start to the first special stage of the day at 07:58 local time, Dani is wide awake from the word go and clocks the seventh fastest stage time. He and co-driver Carlos del Barrio know the special stages well, as they have raced here regularly in recent years. It is a different story for Kris and his co-driver Paul Nagle, who are set to have their patience tested. The coming stages are new territory for the pair. As a result, they tackle the special stages carefully in order to avoid making mistakes.
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Steve · Jul 30, 2011

There are a bunch of photos here, incl a few of the MINIs. Wish I could link them here directly but that doesn't seem to work.

Definitely check out Oliviera's MINI jumping in pic #23. The sponsor -- Embraer Executive Jets -- is missing a HUGE opportunity if they don't use that photo in some of their ads!

Justa Jim · Jul 30, 2011

Thanks for posting Steve. The one photo shows how they took out the lower body parts on the #1 car. This is great stuff and I think the future looks bright for the team and MINI. I believe their approach is the correct one, so watch out 2012.

Jim

Crashton · Jul 30, 2011

Hmmm sand in the rad & a flat tire. Yep sounds like technical problems to me. :wink:

These guys have a lot to learn as does the team. They are showing promise & that is good.

Thanks for the links Steve....

Justa Jim · Jul 30, 2011

That course had some really tricky places in it, so driver error was a matter of micro seconds in some cases. Watch the cars on this video and note that only a couple of drivers get it right.

[ame="http://www.streetfire.net/video/bmw-crash-rally-finland-2011_2284816.htm"]BMW Crash Rally Finland 2011 - Car Videos on StreetFire[/ame]
Jim

Crashton · Jul 30, 2011

The only ones I saw who screwed up real bad were the guy who locked his brakes & went in nose first. Locked wheels don't steer. Once you are on the brakes like that you are no longer a driver just a passenger. Oh yes, the guy who rolled the BMW should get some style points.

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