The Ukrainian will race a Mini John Cooper Works WRC, which was last seen in rallying's top tier during the first five rounds of the 2013 season following the marque’s departure as a works effort after 2012.

Gorban is set to enter 11 out of 14 rounds, only missing Australia and China due to high costs of travelling and logistics and the season-opener at Monte Carlo.

As a result, the team will debut in Rally Sweden, which was the scene of the 42-year-old’s best WRC2 result last year - a third place.

Gorban finished the 2011 and 2012 PWRC seasons in seventh and third respectively with a Mitsubishi, before switching over to WRC2 with his current team.

Following a quiet first year, he secured 10th overall in his sophomore season, but suffered another problematic year in 2015 despite achieving a maiden podium in Sweden.

Additional reporting by Giacomo Rauli