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Saudi Arabia’s Yazeed Al-Rajhi put his day one accident to the back of his mind to claim the fastest time on the second selective section of Rally Kazakhstan between Aktau City and Kenderly on Monday.

But, with the Mini All4 Racing driver already heavily penalised by 100 hours for missing most of the opening day’s competitive action, Qatar’s Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah - driving an Overdrive Racing Toyota Hilux - was able to snatch the overall lead from Poland’s Jakub Przygonski.

“Okay today, but we have a big penalty,” said Al-Rajhi. “Now we are out of the rally (victory) and we try to enjoy and learn something. After 75km, I caught Nasser and Kuba (Przygonski). I pushed from the start. At the first dunes I see the dust and then, in the second dunes, I catch them and we exit together. I follow because I want to support Kuba. It was a nice stage. There was a lot of water in some places and the dunes were so difficult. They were very slow. There were bushes inside. For T2 and slow car, this will not be easy. There is also mud. Some people will be stuck. It was very fast to the finish.”

The day’s 368km stage wound its way in a loop via the town of Ushtagan and south of the remote oil and gas hub of Zhanaozen to finish 28.5km north of the Kenderly Sea Resort. There were two passage controls, near Ushtagan after 102.92km, and east of Zhanaozen at 223.22km. A stretch of sand dunes before the first checkpoint caused numerous problems for the T2 drivers and the local amateur entrants.

Al-Attiyah and French navigator Matthieu Baumel now lead the event by 3min 39sec from Przygonski in the second Mini. “To lead the rally is the most important thing,” said Al-Attiyah at the blustery Kenderly outpost adjacent to the Caspian Sea in southwest Kazakhstan. “Yazeed is very far behind and he won the stage. But my target is to make a good race and now we are leading by a good time. We try to keep going like this because this rally is very new and not easy. Never have we been in an area like this, but we are quite happy. The dunes were not easy. Never in my life have I seen dunes like this.”

Flat tyres were Przygonski’s bugbear on a stage where even the scale of the dunes caught the Pole by surprise. “Today we were opening the stage. It was really nice, a long stage. In some places the kilometres were passing really slowly. There were huge dunes. We did not expect dunes like this here in Kazakhstan. Then, we had two, almost three punctures. We lose about four minutes with this. In the last 40kms, we had a puncture and finished the stage on a flat tyre and we lose a little bit more there. The speed was good and we are still in game and will push tomorrow.”

Fellow Pole Aron Domzala managed to fend off a strong challenge from the Hummer H3 driver Miroslav Zapletal to hold on to third place in the second of the Overdrive Toyotas. Last year’s winner Yuriy Sazonov consolidated his fifth position with the seventh quickest time and fellow Kazakh Yerden Shagirov maintained sixth.

Lithuania’s Antanas Juknevicius benefited from the sixth quickest time to close the gap on Shagirov and Qatar’s Mohammed Abu Issa overcame delays early in the stage to set the ninth quickest time and move into an unofficial eighth overall.

Saudi Arabia’s Yasir Saeidan managed to pull further clear of Qatar’s Adel Abdulla after the tricky sand dunes cost the T2 runners a lot of time. AMFK President Marat Abykayev also lost time in the sand earlier in the stage and was on course to finish the stage in third place in T2.

Frenchman Claude Fournier was running near the rear of the field and was the sole entrant in T3 after Patrice Garrouste’s unfortunate retirement on Sunday evening. Fournier lost chunks of time before PC1.

2017 Rally Kazakhstan – positions on SS2 (unofficial @ 17.20hrs):

1. Yazeed Al-Rajhi (SAU)/Timo Gottschalk (DEU) Mini All4 Racing                             3hrs 55min 55sec

2. Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah (QAT)/Matthieu Baumel (FRA) Toyota Hilux Overdrive          4hrs 00min 11sec

3. Jakub Przygonski (POL)/Tom Colsoul (BEL) Mini All4 Racing                                 4hrs 04min 46sec

4. Aron Domzala (POL)/Maciej Marton (POL) Toyota Hilux Overdrive                          4hrs 06min 13sec

5. Miroslav Zapletal (CZE)/Marek Sykora (SLO) Hummer H3 Evo VII                           4hrs 08min 47sec

6. Antanas Juknevicius (LTU)/Darius Vaiciulis (LTU) Toyota Hilux                               4hrs 38min 58sec

7. Yerden Shagirov (KAZ)/Dmitro Tsyro (UKR) Toyota Hilux                                      4hrs 40min 25sec

8. Yuriy Sazonov (KAZ)/Vitalyi Yevtyekhov (KAZ) Hummer H3 Evo VIII                       4hrs 41min 45sec

9. Mohammed Abu Issa (QAT)/Xavier Panseri (FRA) Mini All4 Racing                          4hrs 42min 47sec

2017 Rally Kazakhstan – positions after SS2 (unofficial @ 17.20hrs):

1. Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah (QAT)/Matthieu Baumel (FRA) Toyota Hilux Overdrive        6hrs 34min 03sec

2. Jakub Przygonski (POL)/Tom Colsoul (BEL) Mini All4 Racing                               6hrs 37min 42sec

3. Aron Domzala (POL)/Maciej Marton (POL) Toyota Hilux Overdrive                         6hrs 41min 55sec

4. Miroslav Zapletal (CZE)/Marek Sykora (SLO) Hummer H3 Evo VII                          6hrs 45min 35sec

5. Yuriy Sazonov (KAZ)/Vitalyi Yevtyekhov (KAZ) Hummer H3 Evo VIII                      7hrs 21min 10sec

6. Yerden Shagirov (KAZ)/Dmitro Tsyro (UKR) Toyota Hilux                                     7hrs 24min 14sec

7. Antanas Juknevicius (LTU)/Darius Vaiciulis (LTU) Toyota Hilux                              7hrs 28min 13sec

8. Mohammed Abu Issa (QAT)/Xavier Panseri (FRA) Mini All4 Racing                         8hrs 25min 50sec

 

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After three consecutive rounds of the FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies in the Gulf region of the Middle East, attention in the world’s premier cross-country rallying series now switches to Rally Kazakhstan, the exciting new fifth round of the series taking place in central Asia on 20-27 May.

The last three rounds of the championship in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Qatar have shown how intense and exciting competition has become in both the FIA T1 and T2 categories, with Abu Dhabi Racing’s Sheikh Khalid Al-Qassimi and Saudi Arabia’s Yasir Saiedan holding the unofficial advantages in both categories.

But any international competitor who has never taken part in the Silk Way Rally will have little idea of what to expect over what promises to be six days of varied desert action to the east of the shores of the Caspian Sea on the western side of Kazakhstan.

Overdrive Racing’s CEO Jean-Marc Fortin is planning to take two or three Toyotas to Kazakhstan. He said: “Logistically it’s difficult for us to come to Kazakhstan. We used to say the same when Egypt was a round of the championship. But everyone is very enthusiastic about it and it’s a great opportunity for us to see a new rally and new terrain.”

One of those drivers who should be at the wheel of one of the South African-built Toyota Hiluxes is Qatar’s two-time Dakar winner Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah, the defending FIA World Cup champion and winner of both the Dubai International Baja and Qatar Cross-Country Rally so far this season.

“Kazakhstan will be new to me, but it’s fantastic to see a new rally in the FIA World Cup and I have heard that the stages are varied and challenging,” said Al-Attiyah, who has also hinted that he may be taking part in the Silk Way Rally as well this season.

One of Overdrive Racing’s fiercest rivals in recent seasons has been the German-based X-raid team with its fleet of Mini All4 Racings and the new Mini John Cooper Works Rally.

Tobias Quandt, son of team founder Sven, was the acting team manager for the Mini X-raid team at the recent Qatar Cross-Country Rally. He said: “We are looking forward to going to Kazakhstan. We really enjoyed it when we passed through the country in the Silk Way Rally. I am sure organisation will be strong. It’s a new event and it’s important that we support these events for them and for the championship to flourish.”

While the likes of Toyota and X-raid and, potentially, Peugeot should be pushing for overall honours at the inaugural Rally Kazakhstan, the FIA T2 category is also becoming increasingly popular. Open to cars such as the Nissan Patrol and Toyota Land Cruiser that adhere to regulations governing series production cross-country vehicles, the series is currently being headed by Yasir Saiedan in his Toyota.

The defending champion is Adel Abdulla from Qatar, however, but the Nissan Patrol driver has struggled with misfortune at his last two events, despite setting fastest times, and wants to set the record straight with a good performance on his first visit to the event.

Adel Abdulla said: “I am very pleased that there is another cross-country event in the calendar. The rally is new and it reflects that the championship is global and international by visiting that part of Asia. Because it is a cross-country round of the championship it also gives me a chance to catch my T2 rivals and score more points!”

Organised by the Automotorsport Federation of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the rally starts and finishes in the main square in Aktau City, although it will be based at the Kenderly Sea Resort, around 220km from Aktau, for three nights after the second selective section on May 22.

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Poland’s Jakub Przygonski and Belgian navigator Tom Colsoul were the early leaders of the inaugural Rally Kazakhstan, after a 268.23km loop stage around the remote deserts of the Mangystau oblast to the north of Aktau City, on Sunday.

Low-lying fog in the Caspian depression had delayed the start of the day’s action by 2hrs 20mins, but it failed to stop the Pole clocking a time of 2hrs 32min 56sec in his Orlen Team Mini All4 Racing to open up an unofficial lead of 56 seconds over Qatar’s Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah and French navigator Matthieu Baumel in their Overdrive Racing Toyota Hilux.

Fellow Pole Aron Domzala settled in well to hold third overall in the second of the Belgian-run Toyota Hiluxes and Czech Miroslav Zapletal was fourth in his Hummer H3 Evo VII. Yuriy Sazonov began the defence of his Rally Kazakhstan title strongly by holding fifth in a second Hummer and fellow Kazakh driver Yerden Shagirov rounded off the top six.

Qatar’s Mohammed Abu Issa held sixth overall until he stopped for nearly an hour with technical issues after 218.66km of the stage. Lithuania’s Antanas Juknevicius and Russian Viktor Khoroshavtsev duly moved up  to seventh and eighth in their respective Toyota Hilux and BMW X3 CC.

Saudi Arabia’s Yazeed Al-Rajhi endured a disappointing start in his X-raid Mini All4 Racing and suspension damage after an awkward jump forced him to stop after 81km of the special. “It happened at a big jump and the car landed on one wheel at the rear, sideways, and the suspension broke,” said X-raid team director Sven Quandt.

Saudi Arabia’s Yasir Saeidan and Qatar’s Adel Abdulla were evenly matched in the T2 contest. Saeidan managed to edge into an unofficial lead of 26 seconds over his Qatari rival. Marat Abykayev was a close third, while Patrice Garrouste held the advantage over T3 rival Claude Fournier on the opening stage.

2017 Rally Kazakhstan – positions after SS1 (unofficial @ 15.45hrs):

1. Jakub Przygonski (POL)/Tom Colsoul (BEL) Mini All4 Racing                                       2hrs 32min 56sec

2. Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah (QAT)/Matthieu Baumel (FRA) Toyota Hilux Overdrive                 2hrs 33min 52sec

3. Aron Domzala (POL)/Maciej Marton (POL) Toyota Hilux Overdrive                                  2hrs 35min 42sec

4. Miroslav Zapletal (CZE)/Marek Sykora (SLO) Hummer H3 Evo VII                                   2hrs 36min 48sec

5. Yuriy Sazonov (KAZ)/Vitalyi Yevtyekhov (KAZ) Hummer H3 Evo VIII                               2hrs 39min 25sec

6. Yerden Shagirov (KAZ)/Dmitro Tsyro (UKR) Toyota Hilux                                              2hrs 43min 49sec

7. Antanas Juknevicius (LTU)/Darius Vaiciulis (LTU) Toyota Hilux                                        2hrs 49min 15sec

8. Viktor Khoroshavtsev (RUS)/Anton Nikolaev (RUS) BMW X3 CC                                       2hrs 54min 55sec

9. Yasir Saeidan (SAU)/Laurent Lichtleuchter (FRA) Toyota Land Cruiser         T2                   3hrs 11min 01sec

10. Adel Abdullah (QAT)/Sébastien Delaunay (FRA) Nissan Patrol T2                                    3hrs 11min 27sec

 

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Nasser Al-Attiyah and French navigator Matthieu Baumel began the final day with a lead of 5min 58sec over South Africa’s Leeroy Poulter and the Qatari pushed hard from the outset to extend the gap to the South African. The two Toyota Hilux drivers reached the finish in first and third overall, Poulter’s position belying the fact that he had never before competed in the Middle East and that he got stuck in the last dunes on a lump of camel grass and missed out on second.

The final stage of 343.32km started near the fort at Al-Zubara on Qatar’s north-west coast and headed down the west of the country before turning inland to finish on Sealine beach, south of Doha, with a series of dune crossings near the end. Victory on the last stage fell to Poland’s Jakub Przygonski.

“Today we tried to take care,” said Al-Attiyah. “We had a few problems, which we tried to fix and continue and then, in the last part in the dunes, we got a puncture and didn't have the jack working. We put the car on a small hill and we changed it which took around four minutes. After that, we did good navigation and we caught everybody. It was important to win here – everybody had some small problems today but this is a good result for my championship and it’s always nice to win at home.”

Przygonski and Abu Dhabi Racing’s Sheikh Khalid Al-Qassimi battled hard for the final podium position. The Emirati began the day trailing by 1min 53sec in his Peugeot 3008 DKR and Przygonski pulled clear and eventually overhauled Poulter by 28 seconds to snatch second place, with Al-Qassimi nearly slipping behind Qatar’s Mohammed Abu Issa over the closing kilometres after losing his way. The Peugeot driver maintains his lead in the FIA World Cup championship standings, but doesn’t yet have a programme of events in place to continue the season.

Al-Qassimi said: “I was struggling. I lost around 10 minutes today, yesterday maybe five and so on. It’s just very difficult navigation here, especially when I am new in this game. You keep hoping someone will pass and you can follow. I am still learning this game. You need to know a lot of detailed, tough navigation. I got lost today. I’m not sure yet about the rest of the season. I will go away and think about it, because I also have WRC commitments.”

Saudi Arabia’s Yasir Saiedan extended his lead in the FIA T2 championship with victory in the section for series production cross-country vehicles. He and French navigator Laurent Lichtleuchter finished 1hr 13min 44sec in front of Abu Dhabi Racing’s Mansour Al-Helai, who lost time on Friday with suspension issues.

Adel Abdulla set several fastest times in his QMMF and Ooredoo-backed Nissan Patrol, but the Qatari incurred massive time penalties after a troubled second desert stage in the sand dunes, south of Sealine. Ahmed Al-Shegawi, Mohammed Al-Harqan and Ahmed Al-Malki rounded off the top five.

“We had bad luck again today and that has cost me a potential stage win,” said Adel Abdulla. “I have lost points again, but the championship still has a long way to go and we have a new cross-country rally coming up next month in Kazakhstan where I can get my challenge back on track.”

Frenchman Claude Fournier was the sole entrant in the FIA T3 section and reached the finish with navigator Loic Minaudier in a Polaris RZR 1000.

 

         

 

 

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