Three MINI ALL4 Racing cars in the Top 5.Munich (DE). Nasser Al-Attiyah (QT) in his MINI ALL4 Racing has finished the prestigious Pharaons Rally Egypt in a strong 2nd position. The experienced driver of the Monster Energy X-raid team was just five minutes behind the overall winner Yazeed Al-Rahji (SA) at the fifth event of the FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies when the cars crossed the finish line in Cairo on Saturday.
Al-Attiyah once again demonstrated the great performance and reliability of the MINI ALL4 Racing, winning three of the five stages in Egypt. This year’s event was again a huge challenge: the drivers had to tackle a special stage mileage of 1,800 kilometres, the route from El Gouna to Cairo was scenic with oasis and the Pyramids of Giza along the way but also full of difficult sections. High temperatures and a constantly changing terrain made it difficult for the drivers, to keep up the pace.
However, Al-Attiyah and his co-driver Mathieu Baumel (FR) were quick all the way through the event and had no major problems. “I’m extremely satisfied with this result”, Al-Attiyah said after crossing the finish line. “I really like the desert events, the landscape is always fascinating and it felt like driving at home here. I really love the Pharaons Rally, it’s a real classic. My co-driver Mathieu did a great job once again, he’s a great navigator and I can always rely on him. My MINI ALL4 Racing car was once again reliable and quick. It’s a real pleasure to drive this beautiful and highly competitive car.”
Erik van Loon (NL) in the second MINI ALL4 Racing finished in 3rd place overall, catching his teammate Vladimir Vasilyev (RU) on the final day of the rally event. However, Vasilyev maintained his lead in the World Cup with his fourth place, leading with 159 points in front of Al-Rahji (120) and Al-Attiyah (102) now. The next round of the FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies, the Baja Aragón, will take place from 18 till 20 July.
Final result 2014 Pharaons Rally Egypt:1. Al-Rajhi (SA) Toyota – 14h 07m 09s2. Al-Attiyah (QT) MINI ALL4 Racing – 14h 12m 35s3. Van Loon (NL) MINI ALL4 Racing – 15h 38m 25s4. Vasilyev (RU) MINI ALL4 Racing – 16h 11m 24s5. Zapletal (CZ) Hummer – 16h 36m 30s
MINI Driver line-up Pharaons Rally Egypt 2014.
#301 MINI ALL4 Racing.X-raid TeamVladimir Vasilyev/Konstantin Zhiltsov (RU/RU)#304 MINI ALL4 Racing.X-raid TeamNasser Al-Attiyah/Mathieu Baumel (QT/FR)#306 MINI ALL4 Racing.X-raid TeamErik van Loon/Rosegaar Wouter (NL/NL)
Race calendar for the FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies.14/02 – 16/02 Baja Russia13/03 – 16/03 Baja Italy06/04 – 10/04 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge20/04 – 25/04 Sealine Cross-Country Rally Qatar18/05 – 25/05 Pharaons Rally Egypt18/07 – 20/07 Baja Aragón14/08 – 17/08 Baja Hungary28/08 – 30/08 Baja Poland03/10 – 09/10 Rally Morocco30/10 – 02/11 Baja Portugal
