Two of the eight Minis entered in the 2017 Dakar finished in the top ten on the first day of the 2017 event. The X-raid Team’s Yazeed Al-Rajhi and co-driver Timo Gottschalk finished seventh, while their teammates Mikko Hirvonen and Michel Périn finished ninth.
The seventh and ninth place cars were two of the three new John Cooper Works Rally models to debut in the Dakar. The third, with Orlando Terranova and Andreas Schulz on board, finished eleventh. Nasser Al-Attiyah and Matthieu Baumel in a Toyota Hilux won the stage.
The new Minis, like the earlier generation Mini All4 Racing, are based on the Mini Countryman. Compared to the All4s, the new cars feature a redesigned tubular steel frame that allows storage of a third spare wheel in the lower section of the car and a lower position for the cooling system. The changes lower the car’s center of gravity. The new car also has improved aerodynamics and new engine mapping. The team is running five All4s along with the three new cars.
The first stage ran from Asuncion, Paraguay to Resistencia, Argentina. While the entire stage was 454 kilometers long, the timed portion was a 39-km section early in the stage.
The Tuesday stage, from Resistencia to San Miguel de Tucuman, Argentina, runs for 802 kilometers including a 275-kilometer special stage. The rally route includes stages in Paraguay, Argentina, and Bolivia, It ends in Buenos Aires on January 14.
The series’ website provides in-depth coverage. In the USA, NBC Sports Network provides daily updates, beginning at 5:30 PM eastern time on January 3. Broadcast times vary from day to day.—Brian S. Morgan
