Prodrive planning full-time Mini programme in 2013

Prodrive is aiming to contest the full World Rally Championship next year with its Mini John Cooper Works WRC.

Motorsport News reports that the Banbury-based firm is looking to compete on all 13 rallies, running two professional drivers rather than ones bringing personal funding.

Prodrive introduced the John Cooper Works to the WRC last year but after Dani Sordo took the car to second place on Rally Monte Carlo at the start of 2012, Mini’s parent company BMW reduced Prodrive to a works-supported entry and instead gave the Motorsport Italia outfit the manufacturer status. Prodrive have since been entering Sordo only in selected events.

“Our primary aim is a full programme,” said Prodrive’s business development director Richard Taylor in the report. “The Mini and World Rally Championship work well together, it’s a very strong brand fit. We want to drivers who can exploit that next year – one of them being Dani Sordo. He’s good and we’d like him to be part of the team again but, until we can confirm what we’re doing that’s going to be difficult.”

Watch action from the World Rally Championship on Motors TV.

Peter Allen

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Latvala celebrates 10 years of WRC


Jari-Matti Latvala made his world class debut at the Network Q Rally of Great Britain in 2002, driving a Mitsubishi Lancer. A decade later, Ford WRT’s number one has started 113 WRC rounds and won six of them, including last year’s Wales Rally GB.



The 2002 NetworkQ Rally GB, which attracted an entry of 32 WRC cars, saw Peugeot celebrate its recent world title, saw champion Marcus Grönholm and Jani Paasonen crash spectacularly at the same corner, and produced accidents for François Delecour and MotoGP star Valentino Rossi. Little surprise, then, that few journalists noticed the maiden WRC appearance of a 17-year old Finn...

In 2002, Latvala was so young that he was only authorised to compete in rallysprint events in his native Finland. So, with the support of countryman Pentti Airikkala, he moved to Great Britain where he obtained a driving licence on June 5. Four days later, he took part in a British national event in a Group N Renault Clio and claimed his first class win. In total, he started 16 British events that year, including the ‘RAC’ in a Group A Lancer Evo VI co-driver by Britain’s Karl Williamson.

At the end of the famous ‘Resolfen’ stage (54.69 km), his ageing white Mitsubishi was practically without brakes but the youngster survived to complete his first WRC event in 17th place.

Today, Jari-Matti is 27 and has taken part in 113 WRC rounds, scoring six wins. However, his 2012 campaign is proving quite tough at Ford WRT which named him as its number one driver at the beginning of the season.

Almost a year after winning last year’s visit to Wales, the Finn returns to RallyGB after a morale-boosting second place in Germany, his best result to date on asphalt. Another win in the British forests would allow him to salvage something from a difficult year…

Peugeot reveals the R5

Peugeot lets the cat out of the bag and shows the first R5 at all at the Paris Motor Show. The new generation of vehicles will replace from next year the Super2000.




Τhe successor to the successful 207 Super2000 is available. At the Paris Motor Show (27 September to 14 October), Peugeot presented the new 208 R5, the first representative of the new generation of vehicles, which will be available in the second half of 2013

Visually little will change. The key features of the R5 are similar to those of the S2000. Ergo 2,500 units must be built for a R5 homologation from the basic models as prescribed in the Group A period of twelve months. A bicycle of powered production cars may be converted to all-wheel drive. The maximum width of an R5 is as currently in the S2000 1,820 mm, the minimum weight 1,200 pounds. "Controlled design" is the magic word with which the regulations clearly defined individual components. The gross of cost savings - according to FIA must an R5 maximum of 180,000 euros all taxes included cost - to come through more precise specifications such as weight and manufacture especially with parts for chassis and transmission. For example, the times of hand forged "thin ring" cycling camps, where many top car needed currently up to eight wheel bearings per event, are in the future thanks to defined inside story. That instead of the six (S2000) the sequential gearbox may have in the future only still 5 gears, may apply as additional distinction to the WRC reserved for the top League.

When the engine is the same: broad and narrow opportunities for modification. The R5 regulations imposes a four-block - gladly Boxer (Subaru!) - fitted with turbochargers. The engine capacity was written on request of various manufacturers, for example from the neighboring country of Western and Japan, on maximum 1.620 set cc. Because long ago have a capacity of 1.610 CC some large production machines. By the way has been raised in this point at a rules harmonising of the FIA now also equal the cubic capacity of the R3T to the same value!

The block must be only from the family, but not by the base car, can either runtergebüchst (for example, from 1,800 cc) or are just bored (as of 1,400 cc). Whether by the base engine is the turbocharger, or not, or perhaps a naturally-aspirated engine forced is beatmet, is also free. However the loader must be - released by the FIA "controlled design" just. Written with 10.5: 1 compression. A speed limit is eliminated. Finally should an air volume limiter of 32 mm (S2000 Turbo 30 mm) and a maximum pressure of 2.5 bar (such as S2000 Turbo) enough to prevent development excesses and thus also frequent and cost-intensive revisions.

"We want to perform, which is slightly higher than the Super2000", says Bertrand Vallat head of Peugeot's development. "We start with the 1.6 liter THP, which is reliable and with which we can reach 280 HP." "At the same time we want a large shelf-life between 3,000 and 5,000 kilometres, depending on the components and conditions, so that the costs can be reduced further."