Carlos Sainz and Lucas Cruz are already guarding their weapons in Jeddah, the Saudi town that will host the start of the 43rd edition of the Dakar, which is to be held from January 3 to 15, at the Persian Gulf country for the second consecutive year… despite COVID threat. 

Eager to defend the 2020 crown, the Spanish pair will share the MINI John Cooper Works Buggy for the third time in a row. The German missile, specially tailored for the Dakar by X-Raid Team, is emerging as one of the great favourites. 

Their greatest rival will be the Toyota Hilux of Qatari Nasser Al-Attiyah, who, like the man from Madrid, has climbed up the podium at the desert race for the last three years. Third on the race for glory is Sainz’s partner, the Frenchman Stéphane Peterhansel, onboard another MINI identical to that of the Spaniard. 

Both Sainz and the Peterhansel will have at the service of their goals one of the best machines in the latest editions of the toughest race on the planet.

Since its debut in 2018, when it still suffered some minor mechanical problems, the MINI JCW Buggy has grown to win eleven stage victories, almost a third of the 35 disputed in total. 

One of the most versatile cars in the desert, the MINI took first and third places on the podium (Stéphane Peterhansel), overthrowing the previous monarch, the Toyota of Al-Attiyah,  and adding up the fifth trophy for the MINI firm. 

Thanks to the wondrous hands of ‘El Matador’, the performance of the German machine has kept on growing. The intense perfecting and tweaking work performed on the car has transformed a project that started practically from scratch, into one of the great aspirants for victory year after year. 

https://twitter.com/CSainz_oficial/status/1343927568630755329

Small but significant improvements 

The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic last year has limited the opportunities for testing, Sainz’s feedback to the X-Raid Team engineers has, in any case, proved invaluable in order to implement a series of small but relevant changes to the car. 

One of the most significant improvements is the reduction of its weight, a vital quality on the sand. Another change has to do with the optimization of the suspensions’ geometry and adjustments. Likewise, the weaker components in 2020 have been made more durable. 

On the contrary, there has been little or nothing to modify in the heart of the beast. Under the hood, a 350 hp turbocharged six-cylinder engine at 3,500 rpm with a maximum torque of 770 Nm will roar again in Saudi Arabia. 

The engine is associated with a six-speed sequential gearbox and integrated differential, developed specifically for the buggy. The gearbox has been designed under parameters of simplicity and maximum operability, seeking to facilitate maintenance and repair work after each stage. 

Two of the MINI’s greatest strengths are its long suspension and efficient tire inflation and deflation system. Thanks to the latter mechanism, tire pressures can be modified without wasting any time, something essential in a race with many sudden changes of terrain. 

Carlos Sainz has confirmed this year’s is the best MINI of his three Dakar participations: “I am prepared, both mentally and physically, for the Dakar, and the MINI JCW Buggy is also working very well.

This will be my third Dakar with MINI, and we have improved it every year. The first one was of trial and error and there were some problems. Last year was excellent and for this year’s edition, although we had little time to prepare, the car will be even better. Without a doubt, now it is far superior than in the last two years “.

Images of Carlos Sainz´s car: X-Raid Team.