It appears Derek McGeehan has got himself a MINI WRC. From the McGeehan website: http://www.mcgeehanmotorsport.com/index.php?id=news McGeehan Motorsport Hire Ltd. is proud to announce that from the start of 2012 they have available for hire a 2011 Prodrive John Cooper Works Mini WRC. This ex-Dani Sordo car will arrive early next year and see its Irish debut on the 2012 New Years Stages at Kirkistown, CoDown with McGeehan Motorsport boss Derek McGeehan behind the wheel. This should be a truly amazing sight to see the first of the new generation of World Rally Cars hit the stages in Ireland for the first time.
who could afford that? unproven car still in the development stage!! weird choice, I would have went to M-Sport.
Prodrive will likely be helping to get a full set of irish data which in turn will help a possible irish customer base. Maybe even part factory backed? Be good to see and hear over here
Great to hear. As above McGeehan does a lot of development work and id imagine he has close links with Prodrive. What suspension is in the Minis, Rieger?
Ireland has always been Prodrive's biggest market. So it was only a matter of time before a Mini landed here. Definately taking a run down to Kirkistown to see and hear it in action. There's a rumour doing the rounds on another forum that the Genies coming back with the Corolla next season (crosses fingers)
has DMG fell out of bed with Prodrive? still don't see a market for a new WRC car over here, those days are gone unfortunately. good luck to Derek McGeehan.
M-sport use Rieger so Prodrive aren't allowed to, apparently. Prodrive used to use exe-tc suspension until they broke the terms of their contract with them. That was why the last few Impreza WRC's had such poor handling. exe-tc are the daddy when it comes to WRC suspension. http://exe-tc.co.uk/
Why does the Mini have smaller brake discs for tarmac than for gravel? Sounds like the wrong way round?
Advertises on http://www.rallycarsforsale.net/ and the Prodrive website http://www.prodrive.com/level3.html?id=791
She's arrived in Northern Ireland I haven't been this excited since David Healy scored 3 against Spain in 2006.
Aaaaw, I still stand by my opinion that this car looks awesome. Can't wait to hear it and see it in Kirkistown. See you on Saturday Cess!
I don't get the excitement over the head of this car, not one bit fussed on it. Fair play to Derek McGeehan tho for getting hold of one. Derek McGarrity's S14 Subaru will be a nice car I think.
Be good to see the mini out, I work with Derek's cousin and he appears to be a good old fashioned petrol head
Personally, I thought the days of seeing the latest WRC specification cars on Irish tar were long gone, so that's why I'm surprised and delighted to see a full spec JCW MINI will be running over here. Also looking forward to seeing how McGarrity's S14 Impreza fairs as well. Anyway, a bit more information on the car from the McGeehan website: Sordo drove the car in Rally Finland and Rally Sardinia before it underwent a complete works rebuilt at Prodrive, to McGeehan Motorsport specification and including all homologation upgrades for 2012. The McGeehan Motorsport development programme will include harmonization of the Ohlins works dampers in parallel with detailed optimization of the multi-point suspension geometry to suit Irish Tarmac Stages. Ohlins and Prodrive engineers will be working directly with Derek McGeehan and his team to develop what in effect will be a completely new suspension set-up for the car and one which is currently not available elsewhere. In addition to the suspension development programme, McGeehan Motorsport plans to undertake a comprehensive tyre-testing schedule to assess the performance of different compounds and manufacturers. Again this is an area where the car is free from WRC tyre-control restrictions and one where small gains should be available because of the car’s near perfect weight distribution. As if all this wasn’t enough development, the engine and electronics are being adapted & remapped to run on Shell Rally Fuel, which is a higher grade than permitted in WRC events. Early indications are described as ‘impressive’ with more tests schedule before the car is released by Prodrive. McGeehan Motorsport will officially take possession of the car next week during a private hand-over and test session at Prodrive’ Warwick Track, following which the car will be based and maintained by McGeehan Motorsport in Draperstown. Derek McGeehan will personally give the car it’s first public showing at the Kirkistown New-Year Stages on Saturday 21st January, with the specific objective of simply getting-to-know the car and establishing a basic data-log for the future. The Ohlins testing is scheduled to commence post Kirkistown and the master plan is to have the car on the start-line at the Safety Direct Galway International Rally on 5th February. McGeehan Motorsport has made a huge commitment to bring a WRC MINI to Ireland and as Derek McGeehan says… “we are building on success and evolving the company to meet future challenges. 2012 will be an exciting and demanding year but that’s how it should be” The Company is delighted to acknowledge that an outline agreement has been reached with Colm Quinn MINI of Athlone for the Car to compete in a number of the Irish Tarmac Rally Championship Events, with Eugene Donnelly as the driver. McGeehan Motorsport is both appreciative and excited to have such a high profile company as Colm Quinn involved with the launch of the BMW WRC MINI in Ireland. The levels of anticipation are high within both parties as this new venture kicks-off in Galway and matures during the year. The MINI is set to become the new icon for rallying in Ireland http://www.mcgeehanmotorsport.com/
Nice car, but you wonder how they will ever make it pay. The Tarmac championship seems to have died along with the Celtic tiger at wrc level anyway.