Mini satisfied its drivers will be raring to go

MINI WRC Team drivers Kris Meeke and Dani Sordo won’t be lacking in match fitness when the squad makes its world championship debut later this season, according to one team official.

Although no confirmation has been forthcoming, the Prodrive-run team is set to break cover on Rally d’Italia Sardegna from May 5-8.

With Meeke’s last competitive outing taking place in mid-October 2010, and Sordo not having driven in anger since the Monza Rally Show in November, there is a fear that both pilots will be rally rusty when the gravel event gets underway in less than five months from now.

However, Richard Taylor, who heads up Prodrive’s commercial operations, said he is not concerned about his drivers’ lack of competitive running.

“We’re going to be doing a fair amount of testing as we run up to the homologation and the launch and that really will keep the drivers busy,” said Taylor. “We’ve got two tests coming up in February. Kris has also been doing several days of demonstrations, which gives him plenty of time in the car.”

Taylor confirmed there was also a plan in place for both drivers to undertake official reconnaissance of events that are likely to feature on the WRC calendar in 2012, adding: “Certainly we’re looking at that for events we expect to be in the championship next year. It will obviously make sense for the drivers to do those recces so we’re looking to put that in place as well.”

MIINI’s test programme will take Meeke and Sordo to Spain and France next month in order to undertake further development on gravel.

“We’re working primarily on gravel at the moment,” added Taylor. “Obviously we’ve got Tarmac events coming up later in the year but we’ll focus on that much more in the second quarter. But in the first quarter we’ll concentrate on the gravel. We’re going to be in Spain and France. It’s a very busy period.”