MINI Motorsport chief Dirk Hollweg has revealed his delight after the marque returned to the Rallye Monte-Carlo podium for the first time since Rauno Aaltonen's victory on the legendary event in 1967 driving a Cooper S model.Dani Sordo, at the wheel of a MINI John Cooper Works WRC, finished in a comfortable second overall following the five-day contest, the opening round of the 2012 FIA World Rally Championship powered by Nokia. At the finish in the Principality on Sunday, Hollweg said: “I am very happy that the brand has returned to this legendary event and scored a very impressive result with not just Dani on the podium, but also Pierre [Campana] really doing a great job for such a relatively inexperienced driver [in seventh overall]. It was even more gratifying for us to see the results of the other members of the MINI Motorsport family, as the privateers also put in some impressive results.” He continued: “The fans are always really enthusiastic here and make a special atmosphere on the entire rally. They really welcomed us back to our old hunting ground, and we were proud to give them this result.” Sordo, whose second place was his third podium since joining MINI last season, added: “I’m really, really happy to finish in second place and really happy also for the team because this will make us all really motivated for the rest of the season.” | 
