Leg 14 final stage of Silk Way Rally 2017 cancelled due to heavy rain – both MINI competitors finish in the top 10 overall

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Silk Way Rally 2017

22 July 2017

 

Leg 14 final stage of Silk Way Rally 2017 cancelled due to
heavy rain – both MINI competitors finish in the top 10 overall

 

  • Final stage replaced with a shortened lap of honour due to
    heavy rain overnight in Zhongwei region.
  • Positions from end of Leg 13 stand as final result.
  • Bryce Menzies / Peter Mortensen finish 9th
  • Yazeed Al Rajhi / Tom Colsoul 10th place overall.

 

Munich. The final stage of the 2017 Silk Way Rally proved to
be an anti-climax today with leg 14 being cancelled due to heavy
rain overnight in China’s Zhongwei region. The competitors instead
completed a final 100.67km as a lap of honour to bring the gruelling
15-day challenge to an end after competing over almost 10,000km
across Russia, Kazakhstan and China.

 

The final results of this year’s race have been declared as the
finishing positions from the end of leg 13, with Bryce Menzies (USA)
and Peter Mortensen (USA) in the #105 MINI John Cooper Works Rally
placed ninth overall and Yazeed Al Rajhi (KSA) and co-driver Tom
Colsoul (BEL) in the #101 MINI John Cooper Works Rally one place
behind them in 10th.

 

The outcome doesn’t truly reflect the strong performance of the MINI
competitors across the course of the rally. Menzies and Mortensen
matched the pace of the frontrunners from the outset, ranking in the
top five overall after every stage except the final one. For six
stages – almost 50% of the event – the American duo were inside the
top three and in contention for a podium, even winning a stage on day seven.

 

Menzies started stage 12 in 2nd position overall, but
after facing challenges with the massive sand dunes of the final two
stages, the #105 MINI John Cooper Works Rally driver lost several
places, ending leg 13 in ninth position on the leader board. Having
viewed the event as a learning curve and staying positive throughout,
the pair were hoping for a strong final stage from Zhongwei to Xi’an
to finish the rally in a position more reflective of their overall
position. However, today’s cancellation put an end to those hopes.

 

Fellow MINI competitors Al Rajhi and Colsoul also started strong,
with a fourth place finish on day one, but day two brought challenges
and a significant penalty, leaving the pairing in 41st
place overall. By leg eight, the #101 MINI John Cooper Work Rally was
briefly back inside the top 10 overall. The collective experience of
Al Rajhi and Colsoul showed through in the final stages and the duo
were able to attain and keep 10th place overall for the
final three stages.   

 

While the MINI competitors in the 2017 Silk Way Rally can now enjoy a
well-earned rest, for MINI and X-raid the weekend’s racing is not yet
over. Three drivers and co-drivers are contesting the Baja Aragon in
the FIA World Cup for Cross Country Rallies until tomorrow.

 

Silk Way Rally 2017: final ranking