Prodrive loses WRC contract with MINI

After rumours last week that MINI were planning to end their deal with Prodrive, it has been confirmed that the British motorsport group will no longer partner as the manufacturer entry in the World Rally Championship.

Instead, MINI has signed Portuguese driver Armindo Araujo and Brazilian Paulo Nobre under a Motorsport-Italia WRC MINI Portugal deal to contest the 12 remaining events of the 2012 FIA WRC, replacing Spanish rally driver Dani Sordo, who joined the Prodrive MINI entry in 2011.