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The Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge is on its second round and things are starting to get really exciting! Stage three of the 2016 FIA Cross Country World Cup has been very good for the MINI vehicles competing. In fact, four MINI ALL4 Racing cars are in the top 5. Zooming out a bit, six MINI ALL4 Racing cars are placed in the top 10. This just highlights the true capabilities of the MINI ALL4 in the extreme weather conditions of the desert.
The Russian driving pair who managed to get in the 2nd place after four days of racing in the desert is Vladimir Vasilyev and Konstantin Zhiltsov (#201). There’s still two more stages to go so they need to get all the advantages they could get if Vasilyew wants to repeat his win in last year’s season. He says that Abu Dhabi’s dunes are extremely hard on them on this race but he is thankful that it did not rain.
In fifth place this stage and third place overall is Yazeed Al Rajhi (KSA) and Timo Gottschalk (GER) driving the #204 MINI All4 Racing car. Even in Rajhi is experienced racing in the sand, he still experienced difficulties. His car got stuck so they lost time in trying to get out of that situation. Thankfully, there were smaller dunes in the last part of the stage so he was able to catch up and maintain a top position.
Fourth place is Jakub Przygonski (POL) and Tom Colsoul (BEL). Mikko Hirvonen (FIN) took third in a hard fought race, getting studck many times, together with Michel Perin (FRA). They are also fifth place overall.
Bryce Menzies (US) drives a MINI ALL4 Racing in his very first Abu Dhabi Racing Challenge. He id partnered with Andreas Schulz (GER), an experienced desert driver, and so they were able to take the fourth place in this stage and sixth place overall.
Driving the #203 is Sh. Khalid Al Qassimi (UAE) and co-driver Khalid Al Kendi (UAE) are seventh overall. Al Qassimi unfortunately suffered from a back injury in the previous stage.
