Munich. When the Rally Dakar visits the Arabian Peninsula for
the first time, from 5th to 17th January 2020, it will feature two
Dakar legends in the MINI JCW Buggy and a total of nine MINI race
cars. Record Dakar winner Stéphane Peterhansel (FRA) – alongside
co-driver Paulo Fiuza (POR) – is looking for his 14th success in
total at the Dakar. Two-time winner and former world rally champion
Carlos Sainz (ESP) and his co-driver Lucas Cruz (ESP) are also
counting on the further-developed MINI JCW Buggy and the support of
MINI Motorsport partner X-raid. Among those tackling the iconic
event in the four-wheel drive MINI JCW Rally are Jakub ‘Kuba’
Przygonski (POL) and his co-driver Timo Gottschalk (GER), as well as
Orlando Terranova (ARG) and Bernardo ‘Ronnie’ Graue (ARG).
The Dakar Rally 2020 consists of twelve stages, with the route
following roughly 7,500 kilometres from Jeddah (KSA) to Al-Quiddia
(KSA) via the Saudi Arabian capital Riyadh, where the competitors will
have a rest day. About 5,000 kilometres of the route through the
country’s deserts will be against the clock.
Peterhansel has won the Dakar 13 times in the past – six times on a
motorcycle and seven times on four wheels. His successes include the
first joint victory for MINI and X-raid in a MINI ALL4 Racing in 2012,
and the successful defence of his title the following year. He had
originally planned to contest the Dakar Rally 2020 with his wife
Andrea Peterhansel (GER) in the co-driver seat. She herself was a
successful rally driver in the past, under her maiden name Mayer, and
navigated for her husband when the pair won the FIA World Cup for
Cross Country Rallies in 2019. However, she has been forced to sit
this rally out on health grounds. Taking her place in the MINI JCW
Buggy cockpit is Portugal’s Fiuza. Sainz, who twice won the World
Rally Championship before switching to off-road racing, took victory
at the Dakar in 2010 and 2018.
For Przygonski, winner of the 2018 FIA World Cup for Cross Country
Rallies, this will be the first Dakar Rally alongside German co-driver
Gottschalk, who tasted victory in this event in 2011. Przygonski and
Gottschalk have been competing together since spring 2019 and finished
runner-up in the MINI JCW Rally behind their team-mates Terranova and
Graue in last season’s FIA World Cup for Cross Country Bajas. Another
two MINI JCW Rallys run by the X-raid team will be driven by Vladimir
Vasilyev (RUS) / Vitaly Yevtyekhov (UKR) and local favourite Yasir
Seaidan (KSA) with his co-driver Alexey Kuzmich (RUS). Aleksandr
Dorosinsky (RUS) / Oleg Uperenko (LAT) will drive a MINI ALL4 Racing.
Outside the X-raid team, Denis Krotov (RUS) / Dmitry Tsyro (UKR) and
Vaidotas Zala (LTU) / Saulius Jurgelenas (LTU) will also put their
faith in the MINI JCW Rally at the Dakar Rally 2020.
Quotes ahead of the Dakar Rally 2020:
“We are obviously very excited about the Dakar in Saudi Arabia. It
will be a new challenge for everyone. I experienced new landscapes and
totally different routes a few weeks ago, on a small Baja around
Riyadh. They were very fast, but beautiful. I am looking forward to
it. Unfortunately, it is not possible to contest the rally with
Andrea, as was planned, however I have known Paulo Fiuza for a very
long time. According to the organisers, the navigation will be very
complicated and play a major role this time. Following the latest
tests in Morocco, I am very happy with the MINI JCW Buggy. Carlos and
I are very evenly matched and I hope we can both challenge for victory
at the Dakar.”
Carlos Sainz:
“I am very motivated. Preparations have gone entirely to plan. I am
really looking forward to the start on 5th January, to a new country,
and to the new challenges that await us. I am very excited about it
and confident that this rally will throw up a few surprises. We have
improved our car over the course of the year, and I hope that Stéphane
and I will be able to mount two strong challenges.”
Sven Quandt – CEO X-raid:
“After many years in South America, the rally will not only be taking
place in a completely new region in 2020, but will also be going back
to its roots. Long special stages, a lot of kilometres, and many new
experiences await us in Saudi Arabia. It will be a difficult Dakar, at
which our MINI cars will hopefully be able to demonstrate their
reliability. In total, we are looking after nine MINIs. The goal is to
get them all to the finish. To achieve more than that, you always need
a little luck at the Dakar – and, of course, to drive cleanly and
quickly. In Carlos and Stéphane, we have two drivers who not only have
a lot of experience, but are also very familiar with the MINI JCW
Buggy. As such, we should be well equipped to take on the challenges
that await us. The same goes for the MINI JCW Buggy, which we have
continuously developed and tested over the course of the season,
however, last year’s winner Nasser Al-Attiyah remains the man to beat.
We are looking forward to an exciting race, in which we will only know
the winner at the very end, as even the final stage is a real test.”
For more information on the Dakar 2020, visit the organiser’s
homepage here.
Dakar Rally 2020: MINI participants
Pos
Driver
Co-Driver
#
MINI
Team
Stéphane
Peterhansel (FRA)
Paulo Fiuza
(POR)
302
MINI JCW Buggy
Bahrain JCW X‑raid Team
Carlos
Sainz
(ESP)
Lucas
Cruz
(ESP)
305
MINI
JCW Buggy
Bahrain JCW
X‑raid Team
Jakub
Przygonski
(POL)
Timo Gottschalk
(GER)
303
MINI JCW Rally
Orlen X-raid Team
Orlando Terranova
(ARG)
Bernardo
Graue
(ARG)
308
MINI
JCW Rally
X-raid MINI
JCW Team
Vladimir
Vasilyev
(RUS)
Vitaly Yevtyekhov (UKR)
317
MINI JCW Rally
X-raid G-Energy
Yasir
Seaidan
(KSA)
Alexey Kuzmich
(RUS)
324
MINI JCW Rally
Race World Team
Aleksandr
Dorosinsky (RUS)
Oleg
Uperenko
(LAT)
355
MINI
ALL4 Racing
X-raid
MINI JCW Team
Vaidotas
Zala
(LTU)
Saulius
Jurgelenas (LTU)
319
MINI
JCW Rally
Agrorodeo
Denis
Krotov
(RUS)
Dmitry Tsyro
(UKR)
323
MINI JCW Rally
MSK Rally Team