Nasser wins Baja Aragon for second successive season

Doha: Qatar's Nasser Saleh Al Attiyah and his French co-driver Matthieu Baumel delivered a sensational final stage to seal a dramatic victory in Spain’s Baja Aragon, the seventh round of the FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies in Teruel on Sunday.

Trailing overnight leader Mikko Hirvonen at the start of the stage by 11 seconds, Nasser threw caution to the wind to win the final stage by 2min 25sec and seal a second successive victory for Overdrive Racing and Toyota at Europe’s leading Baja event. The result also strengthened the Qatari’s grip on the FIA World Cup in a virtual carbon copy repeat of the stage performance he put in last year to win the event for a second time.

Spain’s Joan ‘Nani’ Roma has won this event five times in the past on four wheels and he and co-driver Alex Haro brought the Monster Energy-backed Overdrive Toyota Hilux to the finish in a solid fourth overall. 

South African Leeroy Poulter and Germany’s Dirk von Zitzewitz tackled the event for the first time together in a Toyota GAZOO Racing South Africa car. Poulter delivered an impressive performance to reach Teruel in fifth position after overhauling Nasser's closest title rival Jakub Przygonski on the final stage.

A harsh time penalty ruined Aron Domzala’s chance of finishing inside the top six but the Pole and navigator Maciej Marton recovered strongly to reach the finish in 12^th position, Aron climbing eight places on the final selective section.

2017 Baja Spain Aragón – positions after SS4 (unofficial @ 15.30hrs):

1. Nasser Saleh Al Attiyah (QAT)/Matthieu Baumel (FRA) Toyota Hilux Overdrive    6hrs 40min 20sec

2. Orlando Terranova (ARG)/Paulo Fiuza (PRT) Mini All4 Racing                              6hrs 42min 55sec

3. Mikko Hirvonen (FIN)/Andreas Schulz (DEU) Mini All4 Racing                               6hrs 43min 26sec

4. Joan Roma (ESP)/Alex Haro (ESP) Toyota Hilux Overdrive                                   6hrs 48min 43sec

5. Leeroy Poulter (ZAF)/Dirk von Zitzewitz (DEU) Toyota GAZOO Racing Hilux         6hrs 52min 05sec

6. Jakub Przygonski (POL)/Xavier Panseri (FRA) Mini John Cooper Works Rally       6hrs 57min 25sec

12. Aron Domzala (POL)/Maciej Marton (POL) Toyota Hilux Overdrive                       7hrs 21min 12sec