400 kilometers in the Kalmykian desert created the toughest stage so far in the rally. Even the greatest stars of the car category were barely searching for words after they had finished. It was a stage of truly Dakar parameters. Stephane Peterhansel had problems to remember when he had driven a six-hour special for the last time. The daily menu was clear: soft sands with numerous densely scattered small dunes full of jumps and bumps in a very irregular rhythm. In addition to that, there were dusty trails as well. All who have finished were ready for a physiotherapist and also the pilot of InstaForex Loprais Team looked for one.

Ales gradually took the course of the stage to his own hands. He took the lead from the very beginning. He passed all competitors who had started in front of him, except for three cars. At both CPs he was extending the lead and from CP2 he continued the stage together with both Kamaz trucks of Karginov and Kabirov. It is Ales’ second stage win at Silk Way rally – the first one was earned in 2009 in the stage to Turkmenbashi.

“What else can I say. We succeeded today and I am obviously happy, big thanks go to our mechanics who had not slept for two nights and this last night finally got some sleep. Today, there were no repairs, unnecessary stops or navigational mishaps, which is good. Though the stage was truly extremely grueling and navigation-wise really complicated. It looks like they want to shatter us here. The stage was full of bumps and our spines, necks and bottoms really suffered a lot. I am going t find a physiotherapist immediately and tomorrow’s stage will be long and hard, too. In the end of the stage, we drove in a dust cloud of Karginov who did not let us pass and so we did not want to take too many risks,” Ales Loprais said. He climbs back to 3rd overall, with only 2m40s adrift of Karginov. Hans Stacey did not have a perfect stage and fell to the fourth place.

The stage returned Russian participants back to the game. Ayrat Mardeev did a good job again and climbed all the way to sixth overall while his father, Ilgizar, already appears in top 10. A small loss was incurred by Franz Echter, on the other hand a stable position was maintained by Peter Versluis (in the lead at CP1!) and Johan Elfrink. Another good performance was achieved by the Liaz of Jaroslav Valtr while another Czech Tatra of Marek Spacil sadly quit after a crash.

No smooth day can be reported by Bonver Dakar Team with Tomas Vratny whose Tatra tipped on the side today. “The stage was really extremely difficult with numerous small dunes. At one curve we were too long and tipped the truck on a side. After 30 minutes, it was the Tatra of the Svoboda Team to help us back on wheels, many thanks for that! Our Tatra suffered some cosmetic damages but we keep going. The next stage will be long and tough as well,” driver Tomas Vratny said.

Really, the next stage from Astrakhan to Stavropol will include almost a 700-kilmeter special whose beginning part will be driven in the Kalmykian desert and the rest on Russian steppes with numerous paths zig-zagging each other in a tricky manner. Such long specials are hardly seen even at the big Dakar these days.

Jiri Vintr (Loprais newsletter)

Today’s stage was marked by Ales Loprais (Tatra), who made up for yesterday’s navigational mistake by beating Kabirov and Karginov’s Kamazs for the win by 14:46 minutes and 18:26 minutes, respectively. This is the Czech’s first win in 2011, and it also allowed him to take the 3rd place in the overall standings from the Dutchmen Hans Stacey (De Rooy Iveco), who suffered from mechanical problems.

As for the general classification, Firdaus Kabirov was able to defend his lead with ease. He now has 45:11 minutes over his teammate Andrey Karginov, who is only 2:40 mins ahead of Loprais.

Tomorrow’s (Thursday) timetable begins with a 55km road section to the start of a 689km special stage in the direction of Stravopol. This will be followed by a short liaison of 21km to the overnight halt. Navigation across the vast Russian steppes will not be easy and water crossings and mountains will be prevalent towards the end of the stage.

Silk Way Rally RESULTS: Stage 4 Astrakhan-Astrakhan Trucks Top 10 Day/All

01) Loprais/Holan/Stajf (CZ) I Tatra Proto I 06:17:20 I 00:00:00
02) Kabirov/Mokeev/Tanin (RUS) I Kamaz I 06:32:06 I 00:14:46
03) Karginov/Mizyukaev/Devyatkin (RUS) I Kamaz I 06:35:46 I 00:18:26
04) Mardeev Jr./Belyaev/Mirniy (RUS) I Kamaz I 06:35:59 I 00:18:39
05) Versluis/Bruynkens/Schuurmans (NL) I MAN TGA I 06:40:21 I 00:23:01
06) Maardev/Sotnikov/Yakovlev (RUS) I Kamaz I 06:45:29 I 00:28:09
07) Stacey/Willemsen/Kinderen (NL) I De Rooy Iveco I 06:56:15 I 00:38:55
08) Valtr/Macik/Macik (CZ) I Tatra I 07:08:26 I 00:51:06
09) Adua/Marco/Busoms (F/E) I De Rooy Iveco I 07:16:55 I 00:59:35
10) Echter/Ruf/Echter (D) I MAN TGS I 07:18:44 I 01:01:24

Top 10 Trucks Overall results after SS04 Astrakhan-Astrakhan

01) Kabirov/Mokeev/Tanin (RUS) I Kamaz I 22:17:51 I 00:00:00
02) Karginov/Mizyukaev/Devyatkin (RUS) I Kamaz I 23:03:02 I 00:45:11
03) Loprais/Holan/Stajf (CZ) I Tatra Proto I 23:05:42 I 00:47:51
04) Stacey/Willemsen/Kinderen (NL) I De Rooy Iveco I 23:40:59 I 01:23:08
05) Versluis/Bruynkens/Schuurmans (NL) I MAN TGA I 24:07:39 I 01:49:48
06) Mardeev Jr./Belyaev/Mirniy (RUS) I Kamaz I 24:43:35 I 02:25:44
07) Van Ginkel/Wams/Van Veenendaal (NL) I GINAF I 24:48:15 I 02:30:24
08) Echter/Ruf/Echter (D) I MAN TGS I 25:07:02 I 02:49:11
09) Elfrink/Hortulanus (NL) I Mercedes Axor I 25:46:01 I 03:28:10
10) Maardev/Sotnikov/Yakovlev (RUS) I Kamaz I 25:53:32 I 03:35:41

Ilgizar Mardeev’s son Ayrat (Kamaz) was the nice surprise of today’s stage. He took his first stage win in a big international competition, beating his teammate, “mentor” and fellow Russian Firdaus Kabirov (Kamaz).

The 3rd best time in today’s stage was posted by Dutchman Hans Stacey (Iveco), 10:28 back. Ales Loprais (Tatra) had the most disappointing performance of the 3rd stage. After leading the special with a margin of over 7 minutes at CP2, the Czech made a big navigational mistake towards the end of the stage, which ended up costing him more than 25 minutes.

Of course, the 2009 champion still leads the general classification, but his margin has now increased to 41:31 minutes over his teammate and fellow Russian Andrey Karginov (Kamaz), and 58:59 mins over Dutchman Hans Stacey (Iveco). Ales Loprais was the big loser of the day and now lies 01:02:37 back from the leader of the race.

Tomorrow (Wednesday), crews will tackle a 400km loop stage around Astrakhan. Fast tracks will again be part and parcel of the special, which also includes 45km in sand dunes and a return to faster tracks for the final 60 kilometers.

Silk Way Rally RESULTS: Stage 3 Volgograd-Astrakhan Trucks Top 10 Day/All

Top 10 Trucks Stage results S03 Volgograd-Astrakhan

01) Mardeev Jr./Belyaev/Mirniy (RUS) I Kamaz I 05:51:15 I 00:00:00
02) Kabirov/Mokeev/Tanin (RUS) I Kamaz I 05:57:29 I 00:06:14
03) Stacey/Willemsen/Kinderen (NL) I De Rooy Iveco I 06:01:43 I 00:10:28
04) Karginov/Mizyukaev/Devyatkin (RUS) I Kamaz I 06:03:50 I 00:12:35
05) Maardev/Sotnikov/Yakovlev (RUS) I Kamaz I 06:08:29 I 00:17:14
06) Echter/Ruf/Echter (D) I MAN TGS I 06:09:45 I 00:18:30
07) Loprais/Holan/Stajf (CZ) I Tatra Proto I 06:16:41 I 00:25:26
08) Van Ginkel/Wams/Van Veenendaal (NL) I GINAF I 06:21:36 I 00:30:21
09) Adua/Marco/Busoms (F/E) I De Rooy Iveco I 06:22:52 I 00:31:37
10) Elfrink/Hortulanus (NL) I Mercedes Axor I 06:32:53 I 00:41:38

Top 10 Trucks Overall results after SS03 Volgograd-Astrakhan

01) Kabirov/Mokeev/Tanin (RUS) I Kamaz I 15:45:45 I 00:00:00
02) Karginov/Mizyukaev/Devyatkin (RUS) I Kamaz I 16:27:16 I 00:41:31
03) Stacey/Willemsen/Kinderen (NL) I De Rooy Iveco I 16:44:44 I 00:58:59
04) Loprais/Holan/Stajf (CZ) I Tatra Proto I 16:48:22 I 01:02:37
05) Versluis/Bruynkens/Schuurmans (NL) I MAN TGA I 17:27:18 I 01:41:33
06) Van Ginkel/Wams/Van Veenendaal (NL) I GINAF I 17:28:19 I 01:42:34
07) Echter/Ruf/Echter (D) I MAN TGS I 17:48:18 I 02:02:33
08) Mardeev Jr./Belyaev/Mirniy (RUS) I Kamaz I 18:07:36 I 02:21:51
09) Elfrink/Hortulanus (NL) I Mercedes Axor I 18:13:37 I 02:27:52
10) Rotsaert/Dendooven/Debuf (B) I MAN TGA I 18:19:59 I 02:34:14

The 2011 Silk Way rally kicks off in Moscow on Saturday, in an event that will see the participation of 140 crews from 25 countries and is due to wrap up in the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi on July 16. The Voice of Russia will keep a watchful eye on the event, with its special reports due to be available to VOR listeners in the next seven days.

Many have already likened the Silk Way rally, which is being held for the third time, to the Dakar race in terms of ever-increasing popularity ratings. The routes of the first two Silk Way rallies passed through the cities of Kazan, Ashgabat, St.Petersburg and Sochi.

This year, a record number of participants are taking part in the event, including prizewinners of the Dakar rally. In a truck category, the main competition is tipped to be between Russia’s KAMAZ team and their rivals from TATRA, MAN, GINAF and DE ROOJ.

Due on Moscow’s Red Square later on Saturday, the opening ceremony will see a freestyle motor rally and a concert with the participation of Bolshoi Theater soloists.

Semen Yakubov is head of the Silky Way project.

“135 crews from 25 countries are taking part in the 2011 Silk Way rally, which attracts scores of journalists from many countries, who will see for themselves how Russia is preparing for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Yakubov says. The rally will be something of a test for us ahead of the Sochi Games, he adds, citing an array of high-tech achievement that he says will be used during the rally.”

Sunday will see the start of the rally’s first stage at a field in the Tula region, where the Battle of Kulikovo took place on September 3, 1380, in an event that added significantly to the overthrow of the Tatar yoke in then-Kievan Rus.

Organizers say that the rally’s program will help participants to better understand Russia’s geography, history and culture – something that is specifically thumbed up by pilot Gilles Picard of France.

A Dakar rally veteran, Picard was at the helm of those tasked with implementing reconnaissance of the Moscow-Sochi route earlier this year. At the time, his crew covered a whopping 35,000 kilometers in a bid to pave the way for the Silk Way rally’s current 3,950-km route.

The route is full of dangerous sections, Picard said, citing mountains, sands, swamps and forests, which are not uncommon across Russia. Separately, he praised the organization of the 2011 Silk Way rally, which, along with traditional Russian hospitality, is almost certain to contribute to the event’s success.

In rainy conditions, Loprais did well in the Silk Way Rally’s first stage, apart from a navigation fault after having taken the wrong track during 8 km. He drove back and overtook most of his rivals.

1st Stage Moscow – Lipetsk, Special 261 km, the total order

Ales Loprais recently tested his newest truck. Based on both his existing T 815 truck and the Jamal truck, the new truck has the advantage of a better weight distribution and a less vurnerable driving position for its crew.

Watch the video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-qcM7HcwMs&feature=channel_video_title

On the roads we see many cars that pretend they are on mountains and in the field at all at home, but do not make a scandal even before the State Opera.But who can speak about a real rough ride, the adventurers that circumstances forced to pass virtually impassable tropical rainforests in almost 60 years old Tatra 805

http://magazin.ceskenoviny.cz/zajimavosti/zpravy/cesti-dobrodruzi-projeli-zaplavene-pralesy-ve-staricke-tatre/652790

http://magazin.ceskenoviny.cz/zpravy/historicka-tatra-se-probila-zaplavenym-pralesem-zmizely-silnice-i-mosty/651655

National return for Pom

The 59th running of the VSCC’s Pomeroy Trophy took place on a damp but drying Silverstone National circuit, the first running was in 1952.

After a morning of driving/handling tests all competitors took part in the high speed trial to determine who would triumph and win the Pomeroy Trophy, devised by Harry Bowler to see if the mathematical analysis of pre-war  racing cars made by Laurence Pomeroy Junior  could be applied to more modern machinery as well, the formula came from  Pomeroy’s thesis  ‘The Grand Prix Car 1906-1939 and was derived from results in the hands of the like of Nazzaro and Nuvolari.

The Pom is designed to determine the best all round touring car from any era, this year the oldest car was a 1904 Rochet-Schneider Series 2500 and the newest an Audi RS6 from 2009 a span of 105 years, an entry of 94 cars was reduced by one even before the first test began when the Datsun 240Z of Martin Greaves suffered an engine fire whilst in the queue for the handling trial.

This year the Frazer-Nash saloon of multiple Pom winner Patrick Blakeney-Edwards is the provisional victor narrowly ahead of Fredrick Wakeman also in a Frazer-Nash previously raced by Blakeney-Edwards. Third was the more modern machine of  Jason Kennedy driving a 1996 Fiat Coupe, who in the third speed trial competed against such exotica as Gavin Henderson’s 1965 Ford GT40 (only a week before had burst its gearbox casing at Goodwood) and Gareth Williams in an Aston Martin V8 Vantage.

Every year oddball entries abound, one was a Ford Dorchester Limo (stretched Granada) was saved from a scrapyard by Andy Cawley, and  VSCC’S Steve Allen borrowed  a 1948 Tatra V8 T87….  More….

The Kamaz team are somewhat of an enigma. Their HQ is in a place called Naberezhnie Chelni… and I’m sure that I’m not alone in not knowing exactly where that is. At this time of the year snow has covered the ground for almost three months already and no one would be overly concerned if the thermometers showed -25. Yet the men from this frozen land are the undisputed kings of the desert. Behind living legend Peterhansel there is only one other man who comes close to his record and that is the ‘Tsar’ Vladimir Chagin with six wins to his name in the truck class prior to the 2011 edition of Dakar.

However 2011 didn’t seem to be the dominant performance we’ve been used to from recent years. He lost time with punctures and as the teams headed for the rest day he was languishing in 3rd place, some 30 minute behind the leader, his Kamaz team mate and fellow Russian Firdaus Kabirov. If anyone was ready to write him off, all the critics were silenced with a serious of stunning stage times that only the Master himself could produce. On Stage 8 for example, he posted the 5th fastest overall time behind the VWs! Stages 10 and 11 were the same, changing the deficit into a half an hour lead… one that he was not to loose. Now with 64 stage wins and seven outright victories Chagin is officially the most successful Dakar class driver ever. (Peterhansel has won 9 titles, but only 6 in the bike class).

But not at every stage did it look like it was going to be a Kamaz white-and-blue wash, at the half way point the bright yellow Tatra team of Ales Loprais were in 2nd after two straight stage wins, just 16 minutes behind Kabirov and the same ahead of Chagin. It’s hard to call an 8-ton behemoth a minnow, but the Kamaz Master Team is just about a works effort, with support from the very highest circles of the Russian state administration… while Loprais has just eight people working on his truck. His challenge didn’t last to the end though and a faulty turbo charger put pay to their hopes of an amazing podium. With no turbo boost it was almost impossible to crest the dunes and with the lacking torque momentum is what they used… until the suspension started to give way after too many heavy landings. They managed to get back to camp but missed so many waypoints on the way that the organizers had no choice but to exclude them. From that point Kamaz victory was assured.

Going almost unnoticed behind his famous team mates was the young Eduard Nikolaev in the third Kamaz but the lack of press coverage belies that fact that this 26 year old finished in an unchallenged 3rd place on his first ever Dakar behind the wheel. In his first major event, last year’s Silk Way Rally he beat both Chagin and Kabirov on merit and as Chagin himself said, the next generation of Kamaz drivers is starting to come to the fore, Nikolaev at the head of the queue.

Vladimir Chagin took the final stage to end a successful Dakar Rally campaign in style.

The Russian built up his remarkable Dakar numbers still further – sealing his seventh overall victory, and winning eight of the 13 stages to take his career total to 63.

Firdaus Kabirov, who pushed his Russian compatriot and Kamaz team-mate closest, settled for second place on the final stage and in the overall standings.

Kabirov, three-times a Dakar winner himself, was joined by Eduard Nikolaev in a Russian one-two-three in the final standings.

Final Position:
1. Vladimir CHAGIN (Kamaz) 48h28m54s
2. Firdaus KAVIROV (Kamaz)  30m04s
3. Eduard Nikolaev (Kamaz)  3h20m17s
4. Ilgizar Mardeev (Kamaz)  5h44m56s
5. Franz Echter (MAN) 5h45m37s
6. Pep Vila (Iveco)  7h16m01s
7. Marchel Van Vliet (MAN) 10h42m03s
8. Artur ARDAVICHUS (Kamaz) 11h09m45s