MINI at Italian Baja 2017 – R6, FIA Cross Country Rally World Cup
Munich. Race action that forms the sixth round of the FIA Cross Country Rally World Cup (15-18th June) returns to mainland Europe, specifically the north-east of Italy and the scenic countryside and river beds in the outlying areas of Pordenone. Two MINI Family crews are lined up to challenge the largest entry list to date of the long-standing Italian Baja. Technical scrutineering of competitor vehicles and safety equipment takes place 15th June. First sign of race action occurs with an official shakedown of vehicles and drivers in race trim on Friday 16th June, at an as yet undisclosed location on the dry beds of river Tagliamento. There then follows an early evening Leg 1 Super Special Stage of 20km to decide the starting order for Leg 2 (17th June). Race end (Leg 3) and following award ceremony takes place Sunday 18th June. Mohamed Abu Issa (QAT) and co-driver Xavier Panseri (FRA) are once again at the controls of an X-raid Team MINI ALL4 Racing (#1) and desperate to make amends for a difficult last race (Round 5, Kazakhstan). Unknown terrain provided valuable experience but at the cost of punctures and a finish outside of the top ten – a result that saw them slide from third to fifth in the World Cup standings. Jakub Przygonski (POL) and Tom Colsoul (BEL) of Orlen Team finished Kazakhstan (Round 5) on a high after completing the arduous race with a positive second place. Przygonski now moves up to third in the World Cup standings and hopes to grab even more valuable points from Italian Baja 2017. Przygonski: “I really like to drive with Tom Colsoul; we are good team inside the car. We solve the problems together and it is working very well. I was racing in Italian Baja two-times on the bike – it will be a new experience to race there in the car. I can’t wait for it.” |
