The German X-raid team is fielding three Mini JCW Plus in Saudi Arabia in 2024 – Annett Quandt is back in a Yamaha SSV in the T3 Challenger class
In January 2023, the German X-raid team tackled the Dakar Rally with a new vehicle. The Mini Buggy was further developed for the T1+ regulations and went by the name “Mini John Cooper Works Plus”. A sustainable fuel was also used
The Dakar was the first outing for this new car. Sebastian Halpern finished in ninth place, just over four hours behind the leader. There were further rally appearances during the course of the year.
In August, Krzysztof Holowczyc won the Baja Poland, marking the first victory for the Mini JCW Plus. The X-raid team will enter three of these vehicles in the 2024 Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia.
In addition to Holowczyc and his co-driver Lukasz Kurzeja, these are Vaidotas Zala/Paulo Fiuza and Pau Navarro/Goncalo Reis. It will be Holowczyc’s eleventh Dakar start, but his first since 2015 and therefore his first in Saudi Arabia.
“It’s nice to be back here after a few years of watching the cars climb dunes on TV,” laughs the Pole, who finished third on the podium in 2015. “Rally-raid is still my world, my life.”
“I’ve won a few races since I last took part, especially the Baja Poland. So I’m still competitive. I finished third in the 2015 Dakar, but you know how it is – the best step on the podium is always the highest!”
“I’m a racer and my ambition is to be at the top. But I also understand that we don’t necessarily have the resources or the experience here. We will do our best with Lukasz. The Dakar is new to him, but we have already won many races together. “
Parallel to the T1+ program, X-raid continues to be represented in the Challenger class for side-by-side vehicles. There has been a cooperation with Yamaha for several years. The result is the 1000R Turbo SXS vehicle.
In January 2024, X-raid will field three teams. These are Ignacio Casale/Alvaro Leon, Annett Quandt/Annie Seel and Pal Lonyai/Filippo Ippolito. This will be the sixth Dakar for Quandt, who competed under her maiden name Fischer last year.
“I think the only other all-female team for 2024 will be Anja van Loon’s T5 truck, which is really disappointing,” says the German. “It would be nice if we had more encouragement and support. In any case, we will do our best again in 2024.”
“Annie and I both know our strengths and weaknesses. We get the best out of each other. The T3 category is an incredibly competitive class.” The women’s duo were eliminated last year. In 2022, they finished 15th in the T3 class and won the women’s classification