Mini has ruled the 2014 Dakar Rally, with three All4 Racing cars--all based on the Mini John Cooper Works Countryman--occupying the top three steps of the podium. All in all, seven Mini All4 Racing cars finished in the top 10 of the Dakar Rally\'s car category.
Former 2004 Dakar Rally motorcycle champion Nani Roma ruled the roost, finishing the race with a time of 50 hours, 44 minutes and 58 seconds in the yellow Monster Energy X-Raid Mini All4 Racing. A close second was teammate Stephane Peterhansel in the black Mini All4 Racing, just five minutes and 32 seconds behind Roma. Nasser Al-Attiyah of the Qatar X-Raid Team came in third.
\"It was my big goal to win the Dakar Rally not only on a motorbike but also in a car,\" said Roma after the race. Roma led the overall classification at this year\'s event for nine days, winning two stages in total. \"The Mini All4 Racing is a brilliant car and was extremely reliable and quick throughout the whole rally. It was fun to drive. A great result for Mini; now it\'s time to celebrate!\"
The 9,374km 2014 Dakar Rally, supposedly one of the toughest of all time, showed the reliability of the Mini All4 race car as all 11 units that started the event managed to cross the finish line.
