Dakar – Mini extends its commitment until 2017

Since 2012, the Dakar car category has seen the domination of the Mini ALL4. In 2014, Spaniard Nani Roma scored the third victory in a row for the brand, a subsidiary of the BMW group. A few days before the start of the 2015 edition of the famous rally-raid, in Buenos Aires in Argentina, Mini confirmed the extension of its commitment until 2017.

“The Dakar is the ultimate challenge for all drivers and teams, making it one of the most exciting events in the world of motorsport. explains Jochen Goller, vice-president of Mini. Our brand has met this unique challenge with great success over the past few years. The Dakar gives us a unique opportunity to connect with our fans around the world, with enthusiasts and people who look beyond simple statistics and results, and who enjoy the sport in these fascinating exotic locations. These strategic reasons and our constant desire to improve were the key decision to extend our commitment beyond the 2015 Dakar, into 2016 and 2017, in collaboration with our strategic partner, X-raid. With its three consecutive victories from 2012 to 2014, Mini played a major role in the history of this iconic rally. For the last three editions, the ALL4 Racing with its fundamental qualities of performance, reliability and agility, has proven that it is the car to beat. Our goal for 2015 is to achieve a great team result, just like we did in 2014.”

Three teams will defend the Mini colors in the 2015 edition, with three ALL4 for the Monster Energy Rally Raid Team for Nani Roma and Michel Périn, Orlando Terranova – Bernardo Graue and Krzysztof Holowczyc – Xavier Panseri. The X-Raid Team will field six cars for the crews Vladimir Vasilyev – Konstantin Zhiltsov, Erik van Loon – Wouter Rosegaar, Boris Garafulic – Filipe Palmeiro, Aidyn Rakhimbayev – Anton Nikolaev, Zhou Yong, and Stephan Schott–Holm Schmidt. Nasser Al-Attiyah and Matthieu Baumel will be entered under the Qatar Rally Team banner.