I think he's given up on trying to push for 3rd. That mixed tire choice was a mistake and it's making it hard for him to drive fast enough to defend 4th let alone close on Hirvonen.
Engine failure for Ogier on the 17th stage! That means Sordo's 4th looks safe and Meeke should move up to 5th!
I missed that about the tires. Is he is stuck with them for the rest of the day, or can he change at some point? They made a bad tire choice in the last rally too. Well, it was a team choice and it is a learning year. I think they have already shown that the cars and the drivers are going to be a threat next year. Jim
Kris Meeke finally finished a rally! He said he was relaxing and treating it as a high speed recce but it looks like he'll end up 5th. They apparently have to run the last stages on the tires they chose at the last service (before stage 16) and they seem to be helping the MINIs do well on the power stage.
Holy crap! Kris Meeke takes 1st place in the Power Stage! That's his first stage win and his first time finishing a WRC rally. Sordo 2nd in the Power Stage. They finish the rally 4th (Sordo) and 5th (Meeke) and end the rally on a high note with a MINI 1-2 on the Power Stage.
Fantastic!!! They are showing real consistency and that is what wins Championships!! It's truly amazing how well they are doing in this, by all purposes a shorten test season for them! They are knocking on the door at every Rally! You can be sure that their performance will be front and center in every other teams minds during the off season..
True, esp. since the team say this year is about reliability, learning, teamwork, etc, and the real engine work is for next year... :smilewinkgrin: And here's another surprise, Daniel Oliveira in the #12 MINI very slowly worked his way up to 25th overall but he finished 4th in the final stage. He was only 3.1 sec behind Loeb and that close to making it a MINI 1-2-3 sweep of the Power Stage.
It seems like you Steve and I are really following this closely. I feel like I am in very good company. I agree that the team and the car are proving that both are contenders. Kris just had to settle down and let it happen. This is going to be fun to follow.
Here's a fun fact. Though he's competed in less than half the rounds so far this season, Dani Sordo is now up to 7th in the championship standings. See the standings list here. I don't see Kris Meeke listed yet -- presumably just an oversight -- but he should be 15th now (I think) even though he's only completed a single rally.
That is a very good finish for the MINI team. They are working their way to the front. Given enough time they will be on the top step.
A few more pics from the MINI Motorsport Facebook page. This first one's from one of the night runs. Caption: Fire on asphalt - Dani Sordo - Rally Catalunya 2011 I'd say that headlight array works well (as long as there isn't a fog of dust in the air...must be from the pre-dawn run this morning) but look at those tail pipes!
Back at ya Jim, Steve deserves a big thank you for making it so easy to follow along! Sign onto MA and if Steve hasn't posted anything, then no need to bother going looking for it... LOL
Steve, you really do a fantastic job with this and as Mark says, of you don't post it, then it isn't there. They did not get a podium, but to finish 1 & 2 on the final stage, sure made as much of an impression. Look out WRC, MINI is back and it is for real. Jim