Jutta Kleinschmidt back in the buggy
X-raid to race on two continents
While one part of the X-raid team currently contests the second half of the Silk way Rally in China, another part travels to Spain for the Baja Aragon, held from 22nd to 24th July around the city of Teruel. The Trebur based team will be represented in the three-day Baja by three MINI ALL4 Racing vehicles and the buggy. For Mikko Hirvonen (FIN) and Michel Périn (FRA), it will the first rally since the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge that was their first rally in the 2016 season. And for the Argentinean Orlando Terranova it even will be the first appearance in the MINI ALL4 Racing since the Dakar. He will contest the Spanish event with the Belgian co-driver Tom Colsoul. The third MINI ALL4 Racing will be raced by Ricardo Porem / Paulo Fiuza (both POR), with Jutta Kleinschmidt in the buggy being accompanied by PhilipBeier (both GER).
The event is one of the most popular ones on the FIA World Cup calendar. The tracks are demanding, with both driver and co-driver having to be fully focused all the time if they want to make it to the top. Rocky sections represent a true punishment for the tyres and in addition, the distance to cover in the Baja Aragon is rather long, compared to other Bajas.
The Baja will be kicked off on Friday with a 17-kilometre prologue. The result also counts for the overall ranking and in addition it determines the starting order for the following day. Both on Saturday and Sunday, the competitors will contest a stage around Treuel, taking them to the regions Jiloca and Comarca de Teruel. Altogether, the pairings have to cover a distance of 800 kilometres.
In the Silk Way Rally, the MINI ALL4 Racing vehicles deliver in fine style. All the five cars involved currently hold top-10 positions in the overall rankings. The fastest MINI ALL4 Racing pairing Al Rajhi (KSA) / Gottschalk (GER) currently holds 3rd place overall. Just as the Baja Aragon, the Silk Way Rally also will officially end on Sunday.
