The brand will compete at selected rounds of the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) and will go on to contest the entire season from 2012 onwards. This involvement is planned for several years.

The car charged with this task is the MINI Countryman WRC, which is being developed by Prodrive, in close cooperation with MINI, and is based on the production model, with a 1.6-litre four-cylinder turbo-charged engine from BMW Motorsport.

The car will run in the new Super2000 regulations which stipulate the use of turbo engines with 1 600 cc displacement and four-wheel drive combined with an increased emphasis on road relevant technologies. The result is a significant 25 per cent reduction in overall costs.

The first test drive for the MINI Countryman WRC, which will also be available to customer teams, is planned for the fourth quarter of this year.

This decision sees MINI continue its success story in the world of rallying. In the 1960s, the Mini Cooper S caused a sensation with victories at the legendary Monte Carlo Rally.

The company also tasted success on many occasions in the European Rally Championship.

Having already demonstrated the sporty character of its models in many countries in the Mini Challenge, the brand is now taking its presence in motor sport to a new level with the commitment to the WRC.

Prodrive has been working on developing the MINI Countryman WRC since early 2009.

The company was formed in 1984 by Richards, who won the WRC as co-driver to Finn Ari Vatanen three years earlier.

Based in Banbury UK, Prodrive has developed into a leading independent company in the motor sport and automobile sector under Richards' guidance, and today employs more than 500 staff.

Six victories

Prodrive's many successes currently include six overall victories in the World Rally Championship, five titles in the British Touring Car Championship and three class victories at the Le Mans 24 Hours (FR).

BMW was present when the WRC made its debut back in 1973. German Achim Warmbold and Frenchman Jean Todt tasted victory in their BMW 2002 at the Alpenfahrt Rally in Austria.

However, Mini's tradition in this discipline stretches back even further: Briton Pat Moss clinched the first victory with the Mini 850 at the 1959 Mini Miglia National Rally.

Mini ultimately enjoyed its finest hours at the Monte Carlo Rally in 1964, 1965 and 1967: the Mini Cooper S celebrated three overall victories at the most iconic rallying event in the world.

Ireland's Paddy Hopkirk ( 1964), Finn Timo Mäkinen ( 1965) and Finn Rauno Aaltonen (1967) joined the list of winners at this prestigious event.

In 1965, "Rally Professor" Aaltonen also won the European Rally Championship. Britain's Tony Ambrose and Mäkinen finished second and third to round off an excellent overall result for the MINI Cooper S.

The last BMW WRC victory was achieved in 1987 in Corsica by France's Bernard Béguin driving a BMW M3 which was built and run by Prodrive.