Hanson, who placed fifth overall at Olympus, remarkably continues to lead the Rally America Championship points race! SRT USA's Dave Mirra, a BMX action sports legend and X Games athlete, now trails Hanson by a single point in the standings after finishing the rally 15 seconds ahead of him to claim fourth overall. Hanson continues to make Rally America history by being the first Super Production team to ever lead the overall Championship heading into the second half of the season.

Antoine L'Estage and David Higgins are now tied for third place in the standings going into the fourth round, the Oregon Trail Rally in Portland, OR this May 13-15th.

In the National 2-Wheel-Drive Class, Mazda driver Wyatt Knox and co-driver Ole Holter narrowly won, defeating the local team of Tom and Don Burress by a mere 10.5 seconds. Brian Gottlieb form Portland, OR rounded out the 2WD podium by finishing 16.5 seconds against Andrew Comrie-Picard on his 2011 Scion xD debut. Wyatt Knox also wins the opening round to the 2011 MaxAttack! 2-Wheel-Drive Series.

Chris O'Driscoll won the Ray Damitio Regional Rally in 2007 Subaru WRX, which was run on day one of the Olympus Rally.

RallyCar Managing Director, J.B. Niday, knew Marker well describing him as, "a generous, loveable personality that wouldn’t think twice about offering parts to other drivers." Niday said, "Matthew loved the sport and was a unique character from the first day he showed up at the Sno*Drift Rally four years ago.”

Team 600 co-driver Jake Blattner was close to Marker and remembers him as "a very passionate, energetic, hip gear-head that used to turn up with glowing neon lights under his car on the night stages, which the fans loved.” Like everyone in the sport, Blattner is shaken but remains convinced that the organization does everything it can to keep competitors safe. Blattner said, "It’s a dangerous sport but that’s what sets it apart. It's you against the open road and the clock.”

Olympus Rally organizers and RallyCar officials decided to conclude the Rally American National Championship event at the end of Special Stage 6 and will award points based on those finishing times. The coinciding MaxAttack! 2-Wheel-Drive Series also concluded their event out of respect to the deceased and his family and friends. The John Nagel Regional Rally did continue as scheduled on Sunday and National competitors were given the option to enter.

David Richards, Team Principal:
“The comeback of the MINI has created a real sense of anticipation within the team and yet, at the same time, an acute awareness of the enormous responsibility that rests on our shoulders. We've undertaken over two years of intensive development and testing and it will be an historic moment for everyone involved when we finally put those famous numbers 37 & 52 on the doors of the cars and start competing.The MINI has performed better than we dared hope in testing and the S2000 car’s debut in Portugal was very encouraging. However, we are all too aware of the challenges ahead of us and take nothing for granted, but whatever the outcome, Sardinia will be an historic event for the entire team and everyone who has supported us to get this far."

Dirk Hollweg, Head of MINI Motorsport:
“This has been an enormously exciting project for MINI and a lot of hard work has been put in by everyone involved. Since our initial announcement that MINI was returning to the world rallying stage, interest in what has been happening from both fans of our cars and the rallying community has been exeptional. It is a very important venture for the brand and it will be a very proud moment when the cars leave the starting ramp in Sardinia.”

Dani Sordo:
“It is a tricky rally with narrow roads that can be very slippery. Some are twisty and some are fast. Also there is a lot of loose gravel on top of the surface and, once the early cars have been over, there is usually just the one line you can take. Often there are also large stones on the side of the road. I am very excited, like everyone in the team, but also quite nervous as we don’t know what to expect. It is really great to be starting the new programme with the new car.”

Kris Meeke:
“I have relatively recent experience as I was lucky enough last year to do this event when it was in the IRC and also did the Rally Costa Smeralda on the island. This is particularly good for me when going there in a new venture with a new rally car. We obviously have lots to learn about the WRC car. It is a tough rally to start out with the new car and will be a big test for the new team. At the end of the day only time will tell.”

“MINI powered by BMW Motorsport”: The heart of the MINI John Cooper Works WRC is the 1.6-litre, four-cylinder Di turbo engine, which is also available in the MINI production models. The production engine was further developed by BMW Motorsport for the use in various categories according to FIA Super 2000 regulations. The power transmission takes place via an Xtrac 6-speed, sequential gearbox. For its outings on the rally stages, the MINI Countryman chassis has been fitted with a roll cage developed by Prodrive, which exceeds the strict safety requirements of the International Automobile Federation (FIA).

Overview of the 2011 FIA WRC Calendar.

Date Event 10-13 February 2011 Rally Sweden
3-6 March 2011 Rally Mexico
24-26 March 2011 Rally Portugal
14-16 April 2011 Rally Jordan
5-8 May 2011 Rally Italy*
26-29 May 2011 Rally Argentina
16-19 June 2011 Rally Greece
28-31 July 2011 Rally Finland*
18-21 August 2011 Rally Germany*
8-11 September 2011 Rally Australia
29 September-2 October 2011 Rally France*
20-23 October 2011 Rally Spain*
10-13 November 2011 Rally Great Britain*

* participation by the MINI WRC Team

History and Background:

This is the fifth round of the 2011 championship and it sees the return of the WRC to the Mediterranean island after an absence of a year. The competitors will take part in the shakedown on Thursday morning and then there will be an opening ceremony on the seafront of the port town of Olbia, where the rally’s service park, parc ferme and headquarters are based.

The three day rally on the 6/7/8 May will cover a total of 1,183.52 kilometres, with 339.70 kilometres over the 18 gravel special stages. The eight stages in the Oristano region to the west of the island on day one are new to the rally, with the first car leaving Olbia at 07.00hrs and returning at 20.00hrs after completing eight stages. On day two the action is to the south of Olbia in the Monti, Alà dei Sardi and Buddusò districts. For this the first car leaves at 08.00hrs and returns at 17.45hrs after completing six stages. The competitors then head north for day three, which includes the Power Stage in Gallura. The first car leaves at 06.00hrs and returns at 13.10hrs after completing the final four stages.