FIA Cross Country World Cup title for TOYOTA GAZOO Racing's Al Attiyah and Baumel as they win in Hail

Summary

TOYOTA GAZOO RACING’s Nasser Al-Attiyah and co-driver Mathieu Baumel claimed victory in the final round of the 2021 FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies, the Hail International Rally. This gave them the points needed to seal the World Cup title, bringing Nasser to a career total of five cups, with Mathieu notching up his fourth career cup.

Both Nasser and Mathieu have now won three world cup titles with Toyota, this year’s win coming as part of the works TOYOTA GAZOO Racing team. They won four of the six rounds making up the 2021 World Cup, electing to sit out two rounds due to other commitments. They ended their campaign in style, winning the closing stage of the Hail International Rally, by 1min 15sec.

The final stage was 148km in length, with liaisons of 56km and 132km before and after the timed section. Where the preceding three stages were run mainly in sand and dune areas, the closing stage of the Hail International Rally saw the crews take on rocky gravel tracks, in the final dash to the end. Their winning margin after four stages was 21min 51sec, and they lead the rally from start to finish, winning three of the four stages.

Nasser and Mathieu reported no technical issues with their Toyota Hilux during the rally, driving this version of the car for the last time. They will be campaigning the newer generation Toyota GR DKR Hilux T1+ in the Dakar Rally and beyond, as they take on the 2022 FIA World Rally-Raid Championship.

The team will now shift all attention to the upcoming Dakar Rally, which starts early in the new year. Nasser and Mathieu have finished as runners up in both 2020 and 2021, after winning the race for TOYOTA GAZOO Racing in 2019. The new car promises an exciting race in Saudi Arabia.

QUOTES:

Glyn Hall, Team Principal:

“Nasser and Mathieu did a perfect job this year. They won every World Cup race they entered, and ended the year on a high note by winning in Hail again. We are also pleased that the Hilux ran problem-free for the entire year, showing once again how tough and reliable our car is. What a great result for Nasser, Mathieu and the entire team.”

Nasser Al-Attiyah:

“It was a good last stage and completely different to the first three. It was all gravel through the mountains. It was fantastic and we are obviously very happy with the result. I am so happy to win this race and to win the World Cup title. It was a great win. This was the last time for me in this car. The next step will be the T1+ in Dakar!”

STAGE 4 RESULTS:

1. Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah (QAT)/Matthieu Baumel (FRA) TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Hilux 1hr 16min 39sec

2. Jakub Przygonski (POL)/Timo Gottschalk (DEU) MINI John Cooper Works Buggy +1min 15sec

3. Lucio Alvarez (ARG)/Armand Monleón (ESP) Toyota Hilux Overdrive +3min 16sec

4. Denis Krotov (RUS)/Konstantin Zhiltsov (RUS) MINI John Cooper Works Buggy +3min 33sec

5. Sebastien Halpern (ARG)/Bernardo Graue (ARG) MINI John Cooper Works Buggy +4min 46sec

FINAL RESULTS:

1. Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah (QAT)/Matthieu Baumel (FRA) TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Hilux 10hr 50min 23sec

2. Denis Krotov (RUS)/Konstantin Zhiltsov (RUS) MINI John Cooper Works Buggy +21min 51sec

3. Sebastien Halpern (ARG)/Bernardo Graue (ARG) MINI John Cooper Works Buggy +28min 44sec

4. Vladimir Vasilyev (RUS)/Oleg Uperenko (LVA) BMW X5 +29min 27sec

5. Lucio Alvarez (ARG)/Armand Monleón (ESP) Toyota Hilux Overdrive +35min 08sec