Media Information
2017 Rally Kazakhstan
18 May 2017
2017 Rally Kazakhstan –
Round 5, FIA Cross Country Rally World Cup
.
-
Three international crews from the MINI Family to compete at
2017 Rally Kazakhstan – its inaugural round as part of the FIA
Cross Country Rally World Cup. -
Mohamed Abu Issa and co-driver Xavier Panseri look to
further their third place standing in the 2017 FIA Cross Country
Rally World Cup. -
Yazeed Al-Rajhi
and Timo Gottschalk take to the Kazakhstan’s desert and
steppe regions in a MINI John Cooper Works Rally. -
Jakub Przygonski and Tom Colsoul
in buoyant mood after second-place result at Qatar Cross
Country Rally (Round 4).
Munich. For the first time, Rally Kazakhstan is an official
round of the
FIA Cross Country Rally World Cup – and MINI with motorsport
partner X-raid is going all out for a result in the 2017 edition.
The 2500 km race distance takes place on the Western side of this
former Soviet Union territory, amongst the dunes and steppe regions
east of the Caspian Sea. Three MINI crews are confirmed for this
maiden race.
Following the required technical scrutineering (20th May)
of all competing vehicles and competitor safety equipment, the start
of Rally Kazakhstan begins Sunday 21 May with Stage 1, a stage of
337.6 km, of which 268.2 km are the special timed stage. There then
follows five further stages over five days, the final stage and race
end completes on Friday 26th May, when the competitors
fight the last kilometres back to the starting point of Aktau City.
Mohamed Abu Issa (QAT) and co-driver Xavier Panseri (FRA) presently
lie in third place in the overall standings of the FIA Cross Country
Rally World Cup. As was expected, this latest rally-raid partnership
is becoming a formidable package at the controls of a MINI race car
and under the direction of the vastly experienced X-raid team.
Taking up the challenge of a new arena on relatively unknown ground
is the rapid duo of Yazeed Al-Rajhi (KSA) and Timo Gottschalk (GER)
taking charge of an all-new MINI John Cooper Works Rally (#202). No
stranger to desert conditions, Al-Rahji will no doubt be on the pace
in the sand and dunes sections that form a serious part of this new
international cross-country rally.
If recent success – second position on the rostrum at Round 4, Qatar
Cross Country Rally – is anything to go by, then the eyes of
cross-country supporters should keep a sharp look out for former Dakar
motorcyclist and Drift champion Jakub Przygonski (POL). Once again the
experienced Tom Colsoul (BEL) is in the Orlen Team (#206) co-driver
seat to guide the Polish driver through the race stages.
2017 Rally Kazakhstan: MINI line-up