The event will be the first time Sordo will have competed in a MINI SPC. The car is identical to the MINI WRC except for a 30mm air restrictor (33 mm on a WRC); a smaller rear wing, different bumper; smaller front brakes; and glass side windows.
The Tour de Corse is not new to Sordo, who competed in the event while it was still part of the World Rally Championship, taking third places in 2006 & 2007. The distinctive tight and twisty mountain tarmac roads are unlike anything else in the World Rally Championship, but after his podium finishes in his last three tarmac outings in Monte Carlo, France and Germany, Sordo will be looking for a strong result.
Dani Sordo said: “The Tour de Corse is one of the classic rallies and it is a shame it is no longer in the World Rally Championship. I really like it because it is very technical and you have to be very precise in your positioning of the car on the road. While the engine and aero on the MINI SPC are different, the chassis is identical to the WRC so I think it will really suit the MINI.”
Dave Wilcock, Prodrive WRC Team principal, said: “The event will give Dani some valuable competitive time behind the wheel and while the SPC does not quite have the power or downforce of the WRC, it will feel and drive the same in every other way. It will also enable us to gauge how the performance of the restricted MINI SPC compared to the normally aspirated, unrestricted S2000 cars.”
Corsica also sees the launch of Drive-Pro & SMG Motorsport’s MINI drive packages for the IRC and WRC as well as national and regional championships. The factory built cars will also be engineered by Prodrive.
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