A dominant display from Nasser Al-Attiyah and co-driver Mathieu Baumel at the Hungarian Baja have propelled the pair to the top of the FIA Cross-Country Rally World Cup leaderboard. The Qatar Rally Team pair were in a class of their own all weekend as they opened up an impressive gap over their rivals during 350km of timed racing.
Nasser and Mathieu were grateful to have the opportunity to race again just a fortnight after the disappointment of a forced retirement at the last round of the championship. The best way to put the misfortune of the Baja Aragón behind them was to take the win in Hungary and they were clearly focused on their task from start to finish amid the challenging heat and dusty terrain.
From Friday night’s short prologue through to Sunday’s final stage the determination of the Qatar Rally Team to get the job done was clear for all to see. Even when a brake disc problem arose during Saturday’s 172km stage the team worked at an impressive speed to ensure the car was running smoothly. A potentially race ending complication was fixed and Nasser and Mathieu finished the day in first place with a cushion of over 18 minutes from their nearest rivals.
With the Qatar Rally Team in full control of the race they were able utilise their race management experience on the final day to ensure they defended last year’s title and secured 30 points to take themselves top of the FIA Cross-Country Rally World Cup overall rankings. With three races remaining this season the duo and their flying Red Bull Mini are nine points clear of Vladimir Vasilyev in second place.
The return to winning ways sees Nasser and Mathieu get their hands on yet another trophy in 2015 following their wins at the Dakar Rally, WRC2 events and previous Cross-Country World Cup and Middle East Championship rallies.
Nasser Al-Attiyah: “We considered it very important to get the victory here so we gave it our best from the beginning of the race. We were able to build up an advantage on Saturday and this helped us to minimise risk on Sunday. Even though we were in front on Saturday night it did not mean we could relax. We did a professional job on Sunday and that allowed us to get the win.”
“I’m happy with this win and the fact that it puts us at the top of the World Cup leaderboard. There is no such thing as an easy victory in this sport and it feels even more satisfying to lead the World Cup after a hard battle like we just had in Hungary.”
“With three wins here including back-to-back victories this is a race I’m starting to like more and more. I hope the team can look back at this result as a turning point in the World Cup championship. I have no doubt we’ll be back here to race again in the future.”
