TOYOTA GAZOO Racing's Nasser Al Attiyah and Mathieu Baumel edge closer to World Cup Title with opening stage win in Hail

Summary

The opening stage of the final round of the FIA’s 2021 World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies, the Hail International Rally, proved to be a brilliant one for TOYOTA GAZOO Racing’s Nasser Al-Attiyah and Mathieu Baumel. The pair picked up from where they left off in the United Arab Emirates, as they secured yet another stage win in the Saudi Arabian finale.

After securing a comprehensive victory at the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge in November, where they won four of the five stages, the Qatari driver and his French navigator headed to Hail sitting atop the championship leaderboard on 92.5 points, 28 points clear of their nearest rivals. While they require minimal points to capture the World Cup crown, the pair were cautious, yet competitive, as they dominated the first day in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Stage 1 of the Hail International Rally featured a timed distance of 258km, and while the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing outfit experienced some minor technical issues along the way, they were easily rectified on a route which was found to be quite different from what competitors experienced last year, with compacted sand the order of the day. Navigation proved to be a challenge for many, but Mathieu’s skills came to the fore as he expertly guided Nasser through the terrain.

The TOYOTA GAZOO Racing duo steered their V8-powered Toyota Hilux to the finish in a time of 3hr 20min 01 sec, ending over six minutes clear of their closest challengers Denis Krotov and Konstantin Zhiltsov. Lucio Alvarez and Armand Monleon, who lie second in the championship, finished the stage in seventh position, more than 22 minutes off the pace.

The Hail International Rally consists of four competitive stages and takes place in the same region of Saudi Arabia as the early stages of the upcoming Dakar Rally. Stage 2 is the longest of the event and sees competitors take on a total of 314km of terrain. It starts after a road liaison of 99km and features passage controls at 105km and 194km. The rally follows a cloverleaf layout, with crews returning to the same bivouac at the end of each stage.

QUOTES:

Glyn Hall, Team Principal:

“We can’t take any risks as the World Cup is balancing on the result. While Nasser and Mathieu have already opened up a good lead, it’s never over until it’s over.”

Nasser Al-Attiyah:

“It was not an easy stage, especially for navigation, but we worked well together as a team. I’m delighted to be leading already, while the Toyota Hilux did an outstanding job.

Mathieu Baumel:

“The first stage was certainly not easy. You could pretty much describe it as being divided into two parts, with the first focusing on navigation, while the second was more for the driver. The first 170km were really difficult. That said, we have a healthy lead which helps our World Cup aspirations.”

STAGE 1 RESULTS:

1. Nasser Al-Attiyah/Mathieu Baumel Toyota Hilux (TGR) 3hr 20min 01sec

2. Denis Krotov/Konstantin Zhiltsov MINI +6min 05sec

3. Jakub Przygonski/Timo Gottschalk MINI +10min 02sec

4. Vladminir Vasilyev/Oleg Uperenko BMW +10min 14sec

5. Sebastien Halpern/Bernardo Graue MINI +11min 34sec

STANDINGS AFTER STAGE 1:

1. Nasser Al-Attiyah/Mathieu Baumel Toyota Hilux (TGR) 3hr 20min 01sec

2. Denis Krotov/Konstantin Zhiltsov MINI +6min 05sec

3. Jakub Przygonski/Timo Gottschalk MINI +10min 02sec

4. Vladminir Vasilyev/Oleg Uperenko BMW +10min 14sec

5. Sebastien Halpern/Bernardo Graue MINI +11min 34sec