(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Nasser Al Attiyah warmed up for January's Dakar Rally in style by winning three of the six legs to claim Morocco's round of the FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies in his X-raid-run MINI ALL4 Racing.
Co-driven by Frenchman Mathieu Baumel, Al Attiyah beat team-mates Orlando Terranova, Erik van Loon and Vladimir Vasilyev in a MINI one-four on the 25th anniversary of the event, which ran over a competitive distance of 1441 kilometres.
"It's a great feeling to win here in Morocco," said Al Attiyah at the finish in Marrakesh.
"It was a tough challenge, a lot of difficult sandy parts in the desert, where you could get stuck easily. Some sections were a lot trickier than I expected. But my co-driver Mathieu did a great job as always, he's a great navigator, who always finds the best route. The MINI ALL4 Racing was again very reliable and nice to drive. I love it and I'm now looking to the next big challenge, the 2015 Dakar Rally."
Rallye du Maroc is considered the perfect dress rehearsal for the South American Dakar with both rallies featuring huge sandy dunes with very fine sand and sections on narrow mountain roads.
The FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies concludes on Baja Portugal from October 30-November 2.
Vasilyev tops the standings with 216 points compared to Al Attiyah's 196. The Dakar starts in Buenos Aires on January 3 and finishes in the Argentine capital on January 17.
Meanwhile, Qatar Motor and Motorcycle (QMMF) President Nasser bin Khalifa Al Attiyah congratulate his namesake on his win.
"Congratulation for our champion Nasser bin Saleh Al Attiyah for this special performance in this rally, which is considered one of the most difficult stages of the cross country World Cup rallies, but the Qatari experience and the will of the our man were fair enough to give Nasser bin Saleh the crown. I hope this success would extend to the coming remaining competitions," Nasser bin Khalifa said.
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