MINI and the Monster Energy X-raid team have finished the 2014 season in the FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies on a high: Ricardo Porém/Manuel Porém (PT/PT) won the Baja Portalegre in Portugal in the MINI ALL4 Racing, Vladimir Vasilyev/Konstantin Zhiltsov (RU/RU) finished in sixth position, winning the title at the final round of the championship. Filipe Campos/Joana Sotto-Mayor (PT/PT) in the third MINI ALL4 Racing car crossed the line in fifth position.
“This is a really special moment for me and my co-driver Konstantin,” Vladimir Vasilyev said after crossing the finish line after 413.02 kms in the city of Portalegre close to the Spanish border. “The season was really challenging, there were so many different rally events, each very special and challenging in its own way. But like I said many times before: The MINI ALL4 Racing is a great car to drive, no matter on what surfaces. Snow, gravel, sand – it’s always a pleasure to drive this great car. Now I’m already looking forward to the Dakar Rally in January.”
The Portuguese duo Porém/Porém was not only celebrating their victory on home soil but also the overall win in the Portuguese Cross Country Championship. “It was such a great feeling to drive the MINI ALL4 Racing here in Portugal and to win in front of our home crowd,” Ricardo Porém said. “We had no problems throughout the event. The MINI was really reliable and also very quick. A very good combination at a challenging event like the Baja Portalegre!”
It was a dominant season for MINI and X-raid: They won four out of ten events in the 2014 World Cup, including the very demanding desert events in Dubai and Qatar. In addition, Joan “Nani” Roma, winner of the 2014 Dakar Rally, also dominated the Baja Aragon. This year’s World Cup title was the seventh for X-raid and the sixth in a row for the successful team from Trebur (DE).
The 2014 season was a perfect opportunity for the team to prepare for the biggest challenge in motorsports, the Dakar Rally. The drivers were able to adapt their driving style to the different surfaces, the mechanics and engineers were able to further develop the performance and reliability of the MINI ALL4 Racing cars – two key factors for success at the Dakar. The 2015 edition of the Dakar Rally will be held from 03 – 17 January.
2014 Baja Portalegre: Provisional Final Result (Top 6).
1. Porém/Porém (PT/PT), MINI ALL4 Racing – 5h 25m 37s
2. Al-Attiyah/Baumel (QT/FR), Ford – 5h 27m 10s
3. Varela/Gugelmin (BR/BR), Toyota – 5h 28m 17s
4. Barbose/Castro (PT/PT), Mitsubishi – 5h 29m 29s
5. Campos/Mayor (PT/PT), MINI ALL4 Racing - 5h 31m 51s
6. Vasilyev/Zhiltsov (RU/RU). MINI ALL4 Racing – 5h 32m 02s
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