Defending Dakar champ Roma, Al-Attiyah lead march of the Minis

By Jan 3, 2015, 1:14 PM EST
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Mini’s sweep of the Dakar Rally last season wasn’t a smooth one.

Late team orders issued to freeze drivers Nani Roma (pictured, right), Stephane Peterhansel, and Nasser Al-Attiyah (pictured, left) in their 1-2-3 position sparked controversy.

Roma himself called the decision “disrespectful” to 11-time Dakar champ Peterhansel, and Dakar race director Etienne Lavigne appeared to flat-out condemn it – declaring that “fighting without risk is triumph without glory.”

But the orders ultimately won out in the end, and Roma, Peterhansel, and Al-Attiyah finished the rally in that 1-2-3 order. For the 2015 Dakar, one-third of that podium is gone for Mini as Peterhansel has joined up with Peugeot in its return to the event after a 25-year absence.

However, Roma, a two-time champion of the Dakar, and Al-Attiyah, the 2011 victor, still remain. And they’re still threats to go to the top once again.

“The field for this edition has evolved a lot,” said Roma, who will drive the No. 300 Mini All4 Racing. “It is no doubt very competitive. I think that the Toyotas have improved and Giniel [De Villiers] will be very dangerous. It is very good that a brand with the notoriety of Peugeot has returned. It will be a very good battle. But I think that the real rival on the Dakar, above else, is oneself. You have to be calm when making choices, one after the other.”

As for Al-Attiyah, who’s also proven himself out of the car as a 2012 Olympic bronze medalist in skeet shooting, he’s hoping to go two spots better this time around.

“The 2014 Dakar remains, of course, a disappointment, but what can you do after receiving a one-hour penalty [in Stage 5],” he said. “Today, I am in a better position and the objective is to win. I am also thrilled to be with Mathieu Baumel, my new co-driver. We get on fabulously and he is top notch. Now, we have to win.”

Also being counted on to do well for Mini is Argentina’s Orlando Terranova, who should have a sizable local following behind him. He’ll be one of Roma’s teammates on the Monster Energy Rally Raid team (the other being Krzysztof Holowczyc of Poland), and he’s coming off back-to-back fifth-place efforts in the Dakar.

Terranova is aiming for the podium following Mini’s work on making its cars lighter and more reliable. He’ll also have a new co-driver on board with him as well in Ronnie Graue.

“The engineers and staff at Mini have worked a lot on the weight, the suspension and aerodynamics, by favoring the overall reliability of the car,” Terranova said. “There are not any major technical evolutions but certain details have been improved.

“I changed co-drivers because I was looking for someone who speaks Spanish. The tests with Ronnie were very conclusive. The objective will be to do better than last year. To finish on the podium will be a fantastic result.”

Ford unveils a new Mustang for 2024 Le Mans in motorsports ‘lifestyle brand’ retooling

Associated PressJun 9, 2023, 7:00 PM EDT
Ford Mustang Le Mans
Ford Performance
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LE MANS, France — Ford has planned a return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans with its iconic Mustang muscle car next year under a massive rebranding of Ford Performance aimed at bringing the automotive manufacturer “into the racing business.”

The Friday unveil of the new Mustang Dark Horse-based race car follows Ford’s announcement in February (and a ballyhooed test at Sebring in March) that it will return to Formula One in 2026 in partnership with reigning world champion Red Bull.

The Mustang will enter the GT3 category next year with at least two cars in both IMSA and the World Endurance Championship, and is hopeful to earn an invitation to next year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans. The IMSA entries will be a factory Ford Performance program run by Multimatic, and a customer program in WEC with Proton Competition.

Ford CEO Jim Farley, also an amateur sports car racer, told The Associated Press the Mustang will be available to compete in various GT3 series across the globe to customer teams. But more important, Farley said, is the overall rebranding of Ford Performance – done by renowned motorsports designer Troy Lee – that is aimed at making Ford a lifestyle brand with a sporting mindset.

“It’s kind of like the company finding its own, and rediscovering its icons, and doubling down on them,” Farley told the AP. “And then this motorsports activity is getting serious about connecting enthusiast customers with those rediscovered icons. It’s a big switch for the company – this is really about building strong, iconic vehicles with enthusiasts at the center of our marketing.”

Ford last competed in sports car racing in 2019 as part of a three-year program with Chip Ganassi Racing. The team scored the class win at Le Mans in 2016 in a targeted performance aimed to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Ford snapping Ferrari’s six-year winning streak.

Ford on Friday displayed a Mustang with a Lee-designed livery that showcased the cleaner, simplified look that will soon be featured on all its racing vehicles. The traditional blue oval with Ford Performance in white lettering underneath will now be branded simply FP.

The new mark will be used across car liveries, merchandise and apparel, display assets, parts and accessories and in advertising.

Farley cited Porsche as an automaker that has successfully figured out how to sell cars to consumers and race cars in various series around the world while creating a culture of brand enthusiasts. He believes Ford’s new direction will help the company sell street cars, race cars, boost interest in driving schools, and create a merchandise line that convinces consumers that a stalwart of American automakers is a hip, cool brand.

“We’re going to build a global motorsports business off road and on road,” Farley told the AP, adding that the design of the Mustang is “unapologetically American.”

He lauded the work of Lee, who is considered the top helmet designer among race car drivers.

“We’re in the first inning of a nine inning game, and going to Le Mans is really important,” Farley said. “But for customer cars, getting the graphics right, designing race cars that win at all different levels, and then designing a racing brand for Ford Performance that gets rebranded and elevated is super important.”

He said he’s kept a close eye on how Porsche and Aston Martin have built their motorsports businesses and said Ford will be better.

“We’re going in the exact same direction. We just want to be better than them, that’s all,” Farley said. “Second is the first loser.”

Farley, an avid amateur racer himself, did not travel to Le Mans for the announcement. The race that begins Saturday features an entry from NASCAR, and Ford is the reigning Cup Series champion with Joey Logano and Team Penske.

The NASCAR “Garage 56” entry is a collaboration between Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet and Goodyear, and is being widely celebrated throughout the industry. Farley did feel left out of the party in France – a sentiment NASCAR tried to avoid by inviting many of its partners to attend the race so that it wouldn’t seem like a Chevrolet-only celebration.

“They’re going right and I’m going left – that NASCAR thing is a one-year deal, right? It’s Garage 56 and they can have their NASCAR party, but that’s a one-year party,” Farley said. “We won Le Mans outright four times, we won in the GT class, and we’re coming back with Mustang and it’s not a one-year deal.

“So they can get all excited about Garage 56. I almost see that as a marketing exercise for NASCAR, but for me, that’s a science project,” Farley continued. “I don’t live in a world of science projects. I live in the world of building a vital company that everyone is excited about. To do that, we’re not going to do a Garage 56 – I’ve got to beat Porsche and Aston Martin and Ferrari year after year after year.”

Ford’s announcement comes on the heels of General Motors changing its GT3 strategy next season and ending its factory Corvette program. GM, which unlike Ford competes in the IMSA Grand Touring Prototype division (with its Cadillac brand), will shift fully to a customer model for Corvettes in 2024 (with some factory support in the IMSA GTD Pro category).