Al Attiyah renews Red Bull deal in bid for second title

Anthony Fernandes 09:04 20/11/2014
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  • Getting ready for the long haul: Nasser Al Attiyah and Matthieu Baumel test their MINI ALL4 Racing at Chateau de Lastours, Portel des Corbieres, in France.

    Qatar’s Nasser Al Attiyah will contest the 37th edition of the Dakar Rally with Red Bull from January 4-17, 2015 behind the wheel of a MINI ALL4 Racing run by the X-Raid team.

    – Sharjah Sports Council provides major boost for Dubai International Rally

    The Qatari has renewed his association with Red Bull for the 2015 event after finishing on the podium last year with a four-wheel drive MINI ALL4 Racing, despite a last-minute decision to contest that meant he embarked on the world’s most arduous rally with no testing.

    This time, however, the 43-year-old, who became the first Arab in 2011 to win the event, has his sights set on victory, with Frenchman Matthieu Baumel, 38, as co-driver.

    “I am very, very happy to be doing Dakar with Red Bull in the MINI,” said Al Attiyah, who last weekend clinched the WRC2 title in the final round of the FIA World Rally Championship at Wales Rally GB.

    “I previously won the Dakar in 2011, and already that feels like too long! The Dakar is one of the most fascinating and complex races you can do in the world – one of the last really big adventures.

    “That is why it is so nice for me to return with all my friends and partners at the Qatar Rally Team. The MINI ALL4 Racing is very well suited to the terrain and of course we will be aiming for victory even though the opposition is very strong.

    “The Dakar is actually not just about speed. It is about the whole package, which you have to get right, and that includes having the right preparation and experience,” the Qatari added.

    Al Attiyah has already embarked on his testing programme with the Red Bull-liveried MINI ALL4 Rac­ing and Baumel, who co-drives the Qatari for the first time in South America.

    The new pairing though know each other very well, having already won the Sealine Cross Country Rally in Qatar together in the MINI earlier this year, as well as the OiL­ibya Rallye du Maroc.

    In total, Al Attiyah and Baumel have triumphed in three out of the six rallies they have contested together to date, as well as claiming second place on two occasions.

    “Matthieu is a very nice guy with a lot of experience. He’s already quite good at Arabic, but I know that when he suddenly starts speak­ing French inside the car, it’s prob­ably time to slow down,” he joked.

    Their pace notes, however, are normally in English.

    Al Attiyah contested his first Dakar in 2004 and has since been on the podium three times.

    Not only is he a Production Car World Rally, WRC2, FIA Cross Country and multiple Middle East Rally champion, he has also won a bronze medal in skeet shooting at the 2012 London Olympics.

    Al Attiyah has competed at five Olympic Games to date and says he has every intention to contest a sixth in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.

    Next weekend, he contests the Dubai International Rally in pur­suit of a 10th Middle East title. 

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