MINI ALL4 Racing to compete at the Italian Baja – round 4 of the 2016 FIA Cross Country World Cup.

Press release

23 June 2016

 

MINI ALL4 Racing to compete at the Italian Baja – round 4 of
the 2016 FIA Cross Country World Cup.

 

X-raid Team MINI ALL4 Racing drivers Yazeed Al Rajhi (KSA) and Bryce
Menzies (USA) line up for Italian Baja debuts.

 

Munich. The 23rd Italian Baja takes place 23-26th
June, in the region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, northeast Italy, with
the action taking place on the rolling plains and river beds around
the province of Pordenone.

 

Two MINI ALL4 Racing are lined up against a large entry of
competitors, which should guarantee spectacular cross-country rally
racing for the competing teams and the spectating crowds. Under the
banner of X-raid Team, the two MINI ALL4 Racing entries will be crewed
by Yazeed Al Rajhi (KSA) and co-pilot Timo Gottschalk (GER) in car
#202, with Bryce Menzies (USA) and Tom Colsoul (BEL) in MINI ALL4
Racing #214.

 

The new partnership of Al Rajhi and Gottschalk has proven to be a
successful one. In the first third of this year’s Fia Cross Country
World Cup, at Round 2, Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge 2016, the pairing
netted a deserved second place result. The same race end position was
also achieved at Round 3, Qatar Sealine Cross Country Rally 2016. For
the Italian Baja, Al Rajhi is in a determined mood to go one better…

 

For America’s Bryce Menzies, the 2016 Italian Baja is only his second
outing in a MINI ALL4 Racing. His first full race at the controls of a
MINI ALL4 Racing took place at the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge 2016.
Considering he had never competed in such a lengthy desert rally
competition, Menzies completed the race in an amazing fourth place
with the experienced co-pilot Andreas Schulz (GER) at his side.

 

By utilising Al Rajhi and Menzies’ varied rally experiences (climate,
terrain, vehicles), they are proving to be key components in X-raid
Team’s development of the MINI ALL 4 Racing ahead of the 2017 Dakar Rally.

 

Ongoing test and development work under race conditions is paramount
to reliability and performance, both of which are essential
ingredients to securing success at the Dakar Rally – the ultimate in
long distance cross-country endurance rallies. The fact a MINI ALL4
Racing won the Dakar Rally across four consecutive years (2012-15) and
completed the 2016 edition in second place pays testament to this
continuous development regime.

 

Racing action at the 2016 Italian Baja starts Friday 24th June with a
“shakedown” test available for the competing teams. This will be
followed at 17:00 local time by a spectacular timed Super Special
Stage (SSS – Leg 1) in the area of Cordenons.

 

The end results of SSS Leg 1will determine the start order for the
two Special Stages (SS 2/3) of Leg 2, Saturday 25th June. Leg 3 on the
final day, Sunday 26th June, features two further Special Stages
before the final result late afternoon – results that hopefully will
mirror the MINI win achieved in the 2015 Italian Baja. For more
important information regarding this year’s Italian Baja, please vist:
www.italianbaja.it

 

2016
Italian Baja
: MINI ALL4 Racing line up

 

 

Race calendar: 2016 FIA World Cup for Cross Country Rallies.

 

19/02 – 22/02 Baja Russia
02/04 – 7/04 Abu Dhabi Desert
Challenge
17/04 – 22/04 Sealine Cross-Country Rally Qatar
23/06 – 26/06 Italian Baja
22/07 – 24/07 Baja Aragón
11/08
– 14/08 HunGarian Baja

25/08 – 28/08 Baja Poland

03/10 – 08/10 Rallye Oilibya du Maroc
21/10 – 23/10 Baja
Portalegre 500

 

Find reports, photos and videos in high resolution of previous MINI
ALL4 Racing activity on the BMW Media Website by clicking here.