Final test before 2015 Dakar RallyVasilyev still leading the World Cup.‏

MINI and the Monster Energy X-raid team are facing the penultimate round in the FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies, the Rally Morocco. It will be the final big desert adventure before the biggest and toughest challenge in rallying: the 2015 Dakar Rally, held in South America.

2014 Dakar winner Joan "Nani" Roma (ES) will be behind the wheel of a MINI ALL4 Racing car in Morocco with co-driver Michel Perin (FR) by his side again. Roma already won two events this year. His home event, the Baja Aragón as well as the Desafío Inca in Peru, which was, however, not part of the World Cup. X-raid will compete with six more MINI ALL4 Racing cars in North Africa, including the car of Orlando Terranova (AR) and co-driver Rolando Graue (FR).

Vladimir Vasilyev/Konstantin Zhiltsov (RU/RU) are still leading the overall classification in the World Cup. They are currently leading with 192 points ahead of second-placed Nasser Al-Attiyah (136/QT). Vasilyev is determined to expand his lead with just two events to go. "Rally Morocco will be a tough challenge, but as always I'll do my best to have a successful rally," Vasilyev said. "The MINI ALL4 Racing is a really fast and reliable car, especially in the desert as it has proven many times so far. I'm really optimistic for North Africa."

The Rally Morocco, held around the cities of Erfoud, Zagora and the capital Marrakesh this year, is one of the toughest but also one of the most scenic rally events in the world. It was held for the first time in 1934 and took place almost every year until 1988. In 2013 it was back in the calendar and will be held for the 25th time this year. The event consists of long, desert crossing stages with a lot of large dunes with fine sand as well as narrow sections through the challenging Atlas mountains. The characteristics are similar to the Dakar Rally. It is a perfect opportunity for drivers and engineers alike to prepare for the Dakar Rally in January.

The participants will cover 1991 kilometres in six days, 1441 of them in special stages. "I'm looking forward to this great adventure," Nani Roma said ahead of the World Cup event. "I really like driving the MINI ALL4 Racing on sandy dunes and also on narrow roads. It's a good practice for the Dakar Rally in January. We will do our best to get a good result."

2014 Rally Morocco MINI driver line-up.#300 MINI ALL4 Racing.X-raid TeamVladimir Vasilyev/Konstantin Zhiltsov (RU/RU)#304 MINI ALL4 Racing.X-raid TeamMartin Kaczmarski/Tapio Suominen (PL/FI)#305 MINI ALL4 Racing.X-raid TeamErik van Loon/Wouter Rosegaar (NL/NL)#306 MINI ALL4 Racing.Monster Energy X-raid TeamOrlando Terranova/Rolando Graue (AR/AR)

#307 MINI ALL4 Racing.Monster Energy X-raid TeamJoan "Nani" Roma/Michel Perin (ES/FR)

#316 MINI ALL4 Racing.X-raid TeamAidyn Rakhimbayev/Anton Nikolaev (KZ/RU)

#328 MINI ALL4 Racing.X-raid TeamEddy Chevaillier/Peter van Merksteijn (BE/NL)FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies: Classifications (Top 10).01 Vladimir Vasilyev (RU) / X-raid Team 192 pts.02 Nasser Al-Attiyah (QT) 13603 Yazeed Al-Rajhi (SA) 12004 Marek Dabrowski (PL) 9905 Miroslav Zapletal (CZ) 9406 Adam Malysz (PL) 8907 Reinaldo Varela (BR) 5608 Martin Kaczmarski (PL) / X-raid Team 5409 Erik van Loon (NL) / X-raid Team 4810 Orlando Terranova (AR) / X-raid Team 37Race calendar: 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 – 16/08 Baja Hungary28/08 – 30/08 Baja Poland03/10 – 09/10 Rally Morocco30/10 – 02/11 Baja Portugal