Round six of the 2015 FIA Cross Country Rally World Cup sees MINI line up as championship leader and the MINI ALL4 Racing contingent challenging for the main title. Baja Aragón on 24th to 26th July is the second European event and one of the hotly contested rounds; it signals the start of the second half of the World Cup championship.
To date, MINI and the MINI ALL4 Racing have dominated the championship in a remarkably similar way to last year’s series – in which MINI took the win.
Leading the charge from the city of Teruel, Spain will be the man of the moment Nasser Al-Attiyah. The Qatarian is presently and impressively ‘on form’ and will be keen to use this momentum to take up the front runner’s spot. With 30 points available from the win at Baja Aragón, and only 21 points behind the present title leader, Al-Attiyah and his co-driver Mathieu Baumel (FRA) will use their driving and navigational strengths to the max.
Joan Roma and Alex Haro will undoubtedly play their ace card of driving in their home country. The two Spanish men are in a great position to push this advantage, aided by the fact Roma has triumphed in Spain three times previous. Armed with the latest MINI ALL4 Racing, the watching crowds are sure to be treated to some spectacular driving.
Great racing is also guaranteed from MINI ALL4 Racing #209 – the racing weapon of Argentinian duo Orlando Terranova and Bernardo Graue. Another experienced pairing to do battle comes in the form of leading Dutch duo Erik Van Loon and Wouter Rosegaar. Sporting a new livery, the double-Dutch crew will be sure to go as good as their MINI ALL4 Racing looks…
Joining the vastly experienced leading MINI ALL4 Racing drivers will be British driver Harry Hunt with French co-pilot Xavier Panseri, and Mikko Hirvonen (FIN), who is teamed up with a very knowledgeable and experienced French co-pilot, Michel Perin – a four-time Dakar winner who won in 2014 with Roma in the MINI ALL4 Racing.
Both drivers have rally backgrounds; Hunt has already tasted success in a MINI ALL4 Racing when he placed third in his first race at the 2015 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge. Mikko Hirvonen, 34, is an accomplished rally driver from Finland who made a solid mark within the World rally Championship with four second-placed finishes (2008, 2009, 2011, 2012).
Baja Aragón starts on the evening of Friday 24th with a 7.8 km start event before lining up for the start of two special stages on the Saturday (470 km total). Sunday will see race end after 180 km of very competitive racing.
