The Silk Way Rally started in Russia with only one Czech truck

2.7.2021

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The Silk Way Rally started with the only North Bohemian truck from the MKR Technology workshop with technician Daniel Kozlovský from Roudnice. After Thursday's ceremony in Omsk, Russia, the first stage took place on Friday and was dominated by this year's Dakar champion Russian Sotnikov. Renault from Chvalín finished eighth in this stage.

"It was very bumpy stage. At the beginning we had a very short route in fast, but very beautiful terrain. Fields and forests everywhere. I like it here more than in Arabia and I feel like in a Christmas fairy tale, typical houses of this region also help this feeling, “said Daniel Kozlovský, the on-board technician of the Martin van den Brink's truck.

Their red truck of the Mammoet Rallysport team managed the first stage in the eighth fastest time without the slightest difficulty. "Martin drove carefully. We still have nine challenging days ahead of us, so he didn't even try to take any risks and go too hard," said Kozlovský.

The crews in the first stage had the shortest timed section, but in total it was the longest stage of this year. While the timed section was less than ninety kilometers, the complete route from Omsk to Novosibirsk measured six hundred and seventy kilometers. The Russian Kamaz trucks went to "their" Silk Way Rally in a strong line-up. However, it Belarussian Vishneuski, who came closest to the winner Sotnikov and finished just ten seconds later in this stage. Sotnikov is already the two-time champion of this long-distance competition. Van den Brink and Kozlovský lost over five minutes and they got eighth position.

The second race day will bring the competitors from Novosibirsk to Gorno-Altaisk. On a route with a total length of five hundred and eighty kilometers, time is measured on hundred and thirty-kilometer-long special section.

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