Five X-raid Mini All4 Racing rally cars finished in the top seven on Day One of the thirteen-day Dakar rally.
X-raid’s Orlando Terranova and Paulo Fiúza were second, Nasser Al-Attiyah and Lucas Cruz were third, and Nani Roma and Michel Périn were fourth.
The Chinese Haval H8 piloted by Carlos Sousa and Miguel Ramalho led the day, which consisted of a single stage run in Argentina, beginning in Rosario and finishing in San Luis.
Defending champion Stephane Peterhansel and his co-driver Jean Paul Cottret finished sixth after they were delayed by a puncture, while their X-raid teammates Krzysztof Holowczyc and Konstantin Zhiltsov finished seventh.
The rally spans two weeks, with thirteen days of competition and a rest on day seven. This year’s Dakar includes stages in Argentina, Bolivia, and Chile; it finishes in Valparaiso on January 18. In-depth coverage, including videos, is available on the Dakar web site, and detailed information on the X-raid team is available here.—Brian S, Morgan
