DOHA (Qatar): Nasser Al Attiyah and the best rally-raid racers on the planet would be in action in Spain in the brand-new Andalucia Rally starting today till October 10.
There’s a host of Dakar Rally champions in the pack besides some intriguing rookies to keep an eye on when the five days of off-road action get underway.
Expect a heavyweight tussle in the car category as Nasser Al Attiyah (QAT), Carlos Sainz (ESP), and Stephane Peterhansel (FRA) engage in battle. This trio have won the Dakar a staggering 19 times between them as well as picking up a host of other honours, including WRC titles and Olympic medals!
“It’s always great to test ourselves against our Dakar rivals,” stated Nasser Al Attiyah who will continue with the Toyota Hilux he has been helping to develop over the past seasons and brought to victory at the 2019 Dakar.
“We’re very happy to have this opportunity to get back to racing rally-raid in Andalucia. Our target is to go fast and to win this race, like we aim to do at every rally we compete in. It will be great to get to work with the team again and get everything ready for Dakar,” said Attiyah.
Reigning Dakar champion Sainz will be at the wheel of a MINI John Cooper Works Buggy while Peterhansel takes control of the 4×4 MINI Rally which he drove to victory at last month’s Baja Poland.
“Despite the difficult time we were able to find some areas that we could improve on. The team has done a great job and I think we have become even better,” said Sainz.
“Mr. Dakar, Stephane Peterhansel too is all motivated. “My motivation is still there – maybe even more so as I know that the Buggy will be even better. I have a new co-pilot sitting next to me and I think Edouard (Boulanger) has a lot of potential that he can certainly exploit to the fullest at the Dakar. I am also very much looking forward to Saudi Arabia – the landscape there is simply incredible,” he added.
