The cat is officially out of the bag: Mini will make its long-awaited return to rallying next year. After many months of rumours and speculation, BMW Mini made the official announcement that rally legends Prodrive are developing a car based on the new Countryman crossover.

The car will compete in a selected number of races in 2011 – probably around half of the World Rally Championship – before taking on the full WRC in 2012.

The company’s ambitious goal is to secure the world title for BMW Mini within three years.

Prodrive has previously won WRC titles with Colin McRae and Richard Burns, driving the Subaru Impreza.

The modified Countryman will meet the new WRC regulations that come into force next year. It will be powered by a 1.6 litre, four-cylinder turbo engine made by BMW Motorsport, matched with Mini’s new All4 four-wheel drive system.