May 18, 2015 – Another dominant drive in the desert has seen the Qatar Rally Team pair of Nasser Al-Attiyah and Mathieu Baumel park their Red Bull flying Mini on the top step of the podium at the Pharaons Rally. The Dakar winning duo got their tactics spot on with an explosive finish to the five-day cross-country rally eventually securing a hard-fought victory.
With a string of victories already this year starting at the Dakar and continuing in WRC2, FIA Cross-Country Rally World Cup and Middle East Rally Championship events; all eyes were on the Qatar Rally Team as Pharaons got underway on Egypt’s Mediterranean coastline.
Over the opening timed special stage of 228km the pre-race tactics of doing enough to stay in touch with the leader were executed with precision by Nasser and Mathieu. The route featured a number of dangerous sections such as broken dunes so finishing the first stage just two minutes off the race leader was seen as a decent day at the office.
A further calculated drive on the second day of Pharaons (343km timed special) may not have garnered a stage win for the Qatar Rally Team, but it did move them to the top of the overall classification. Now Nasser and Mathieu were required to defend their first place position for the next three days if they were to arrive at the Giza Pyramids as victors.
After staying close to the pack on the third stage it was on the penultimate day that the Qatar Rally Team really managed to put clear distance between themselves and their desert rivals. Winning stage four of Pharaons allowed Nasser and Mathieu to plot an approach to the final stage with minimal risk and maximum reward.
Victory at Pharaons sees the Qatar Rally Team pick up valuable FIA Cross-Country Rally World Cup ranking points in Egypt as they look win this season’s title. With every passing race the driving abilities of Nasser and Mathieu’s navigational skills are putting these serial winners into a league of their own.