Mikko Hirvonen to test World RX Mini at Silverstone circuit launch

Hirvonen won 15 rallies across a 12-year WRC career driving for Subaru, Ford and Citroen, twice missing out on the title in a final-round decider with Sebastien Loeb.

The Finn, who turned to cross-country and Dakar competition after exiting the WRC at the end of 2014, attended his home round of the European Rallycross Championship at Kouvola in 2013 and indicated he wanted to drive a Supercar.

He will now get that opportunity at Silverstone next Tuesday, when the home of the British Grand Prix will officially reveal the rallycross venue that will take the world championship away from Lydden Hill from 2018.

"The new Silverstone RX track is great news for us at JRM as it's really near our Midlands-based HQ and automotive development centre," said managing director Jason King.

"We are really excited to be one of the first teams to try out the new track and build up some test time on our Mini's developments, with Mikko on board to provide expert feedback ahead of the 2018 season."

JRM is developing the Mini ahead of a planned return to the world championship in 2018.

It first entered World RX with its Mini in 2015, British driver Guy Wilks finishing sixth in the British round of the series at Lydden in the car's second event.

Liam Doran signed to drive in a full campaign for the squad last season and won a semi-final at Hockenheim, but the team split with Doran mid-year and was hampered by a difficult development process changing from a 1.6-litre WRC derived engine to a two-litre unit.