MINI ALL4 Racing scores a one-two for German Monster Energy X-raid Team at the 2012 Rally Dakar.
The first car was driven by the Dakar veteran Stéphane Peterhansel (FR) and his co-driver Jean-Paul Cottret (FR), which won the rally with a time of 38h 54m 46s. The second car was in the hands of Joan “Nani” Roma (ES) and Michel Périn (FR), who finished 42 minutes after Peterhansel.
This was Peterhansel’s tenth victory at the “Dakar”. He had already claimed six titles on a motorcycle, and now has four wins in the car category to his name. A trouble-free MINI ALL4, which suffered from no technical issues throughout the event, and great navigation skills of his co-driver were mentioned by Stéphane as contributing factors to his victory.
“I was starting to doubt myself, to think I was growing too old for this, that I’d lost it or that I wasn’t made for South America,” he divulged after the finish. “And in the end everything turned out fine.”
Dr. Kay Segler, Senior Vice President, MINI Brand Management and Business Coordination, said: “On behalf of MINI, I would like to congratulate Stéphane Peterhansel, his co-driver Jean-Paul Cottret and the entire X-raid team on their triumph at the 2012 Rally Dakar. To stand on the top step of the podium on ten occasions after the toughest rally in the world is quite simply an unbelievable achievement. Sven Quandt’s team has once again proven its class with all five MINI ALL4 Racings finishing in the top ten.”
Source Minimotorsport.com
