January 26, 2015 – Khaled Karam and Jad Deaibes interview Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah on Sawt El Mada radio station after his outstanding Dakar Rally victory; the Qatari driver discusses his great win in South America, his 2015 motorsport programme and a few things in between.
You won the Dakar Rally for the second time in your career, and it was a dominant win without any issues. Tell us, how were you able to win by such a big margin?
Our experience and the strategy that we put for the rally allowed us to pull a gap starting from the second day, and we were able to dominate from then on. It is known that in order to put yourself ahead in the Dakar, you have to avoid any mistakes and problems.
You drove a MINI ALL4 Racing this year, just like last year. However, you weren’t this dominant in 2014. What was the fundamental difference?
The difference between this year and last year is my co-driver Mathieu Baumel, who was behind the successful strategy. Last year, we received a 1-hour penalty and it dropped us back significantly, but we finished the rally in third place overall, which gave us great determination and made us target an outright victory for 2015. The difference between Mathieu Baumel and my previous co-driver (Lucas Cruz) is that Baumel has a rich background in rallying and cross-country rallies, unlike Cruz, and he has given me all the advice throughout the rally this year, which gave me an advantage and helped me win many stages, knowing that we were the first car out in every stage.
This year, you drove for a private team, not a factory team. What is the difference?
Private teams have less spare parts. We are allowed only two gearboxes, whereas factory teams have 4 to 5 gearboxes. The cost is also cheaper in a private team, but it was our team’s tactical excellence and the absence of mechanical trouble throughout the 9300 kilometers that helped us overcome factory teams.
What do you think of Yazeed Al Rajhi’s participation, especially that he was one of the fastest drivers prior to his retirement?
Yes, Yazeed was very fast, and he had luck on his side because of all the trouble that had plagued his rivals, which allowed him to advance to third place overall; he also had a good co-driver, my previous co-driver Timo Gottschalk who raced with me in 2010 and 2011, securing the Dakar victory together in 2011. Of course, Yazeed needs more experience in these kinds of rallies because too much pressure on the engine will lead to big problems, and eventually a retirement, which is what happened to him.
What is the difference between your 2011 victory and your 2015 victory?
It’s different. This victory has a different taste because we participated with a private team and we dominated from start to finish, whereas in 2011, we were in a factory team (Volkswagen), and we didn’t have the issue of spare parts. When you beat factory teams with a private team, you take more pleasure from the triumph, and you become at your highest level, so now manufacturers will compete to sign Nasser Al-Attiyah next year.
After the Dakar Rally, what is Nasser Al-Attiyah’s programme for the 2015 season?
The programme starts with the Middle East Rally Championship, followed by the World Cup for Cross Country Rallies and the WRC2 championship, which we will contest in a Ford Fiesta starting with Rally Mexico, and we’ll pick other WRC events thereafter.
There was controversy in the Dubai International Rally at the end of 2014, and the issue was settled in the court and you were crowned the Middle East Champion. Do you think this issue will affect the 2015 championship and will you be part of the championship?
Of course we will participate, and there are no issues. The problem was that Abu Dhabi Racing failed to respect the regulations, so we appealed, and the FIA declared the winner of the event, and that is something I’m very happy about; I will take part in the championship with or without Abu Dhabi Racing, who aren’t my concern, and we will prepare ourselves to win the championship again.
Will you participate in Rally of Lebanon?
We’ll be here for sure this year, and we will prepare very well for the rally.
One last question: will your Dakar Rally victory and Yazeed Al Rajhi’s participation open the way for more Arab contestants in the Dakar?
Definitely. Arab countries today are some of the best in motorsports. There are active participations in Dakar and the WRC2 and I think new drivers will be there to contest global races, and they surely need experience and patience, because events such as cross-country rallies are difficult and exhausting.