Sealine Cross-Country Rally Qatar: Next desert rally for MINI // Vasilyev travels to the Emirate leading the championship.

Press release.

18th April 2014.

Sealine Cross-Country Rally Qatar: Next desert rally for MINI // Vasilyev travels to the Emirate leading the championship .

Munich (DE). MINI and the Monster Energy X-raid Team travel to the fourth rally of the year in the FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies – the Sealine Cross-Country Rally in Qatar (20th – 25th April) full of confidence. After Vladimir Vasilyev's (RU) impressive victory at the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge less than ten days ago, the MINI ALL4 Racing has another chance to prove itself on sandy terrain.

The X-raid Team is taking a total of four MINI ALL4 Racings to Qatar. In addition to Vasilyev, who currently leads the championship standings with 90 points, ahead of Yazeed Alrajhi (SA/60), local hero Nasser Al-Attiyah will also start the rally. The experienced cross-country driver has already represented MINI this year at the Rally Dakar. As did Krzysztof Holowczyc and Martin Kaczmarski (both PL), who will also be behind the wheel of MINI ALL4 Racing carss in Qatar.

The Sealine Cross-Country Rally in Qatar leads the drivers through 1,904.54 kilometres, 1,729.76 of which are special stages. The biggest challenge facing the drivers at this rally is the fine desert sand that the vehicles can easily get stuck in. On top of this, the high temperatures, which can reach up to 40°C, also put the drivers and their vehicles to the test.

The MINI ALL4 Racing, which is based on the MINI John Cooper Works Countryman, has already proved its reliability and competitiveness in desert conditions this year, both at the Rally Dakar and the Abu Dhabi round of the World Championship. Two characteristics that give hope for another strong result in the fourth round of the World Championship.

MINI Field Sealine Cross-Country Rally Qatar 2014.

#301 MINI ALL4 Racing.

X-raid Team

Vladimir Vasilyev/Konstantin Zhiltsov (RU/RU)

#304 MINI ALL4 Racing.

X-raid Team

Nasser Al-Attiyah/Mathieu Baumel (QT/FR)

#305 MINI ALL4 Racing.

X-raid Team

Krzysztof Holowczyc/Andreas Schulz (PL/DE)

#309 MINI ALL4 Racing.

X-raid Team

Martin Kaczmarski/Filipe Palmeiro (PL/PT)

Race calendar for the FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies.

14/02 – 16/02 Baja Russia

13/03 – 16/03 Baja Italy

06/04 – 10/04 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge

20/04 – 25/04 Sealine Cross-Country Rally Qatar

18/05 – 25/05 Pharaons Rally Egypt

18/07 – 20/07 Baja Aragón

14/08 – 17/08 Baja Hungary

28/08 – 30/08 Baja Poland

03/10 – 09/10 Rally Morocco

30/10 – 02/11 Baja Portugal


 

Media contact.

BMW Sports Communications
Danilo Coglianese
Phone: +49-176-601-72405
E-mail: danilo.coglianese@bmwgroup.com
Media website: www.press.bmwgroup-sport.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/MINImotorsport
YouTube: www.youtube.com/MINImotorsport
Twitter: www.twitter.com/MINImotorsport