The Silk Way Rally started with fifth place

7.7.2019

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North Bohemian truck from MKR Technology team started this year's Silk Way Rally with a fifth place. Belarussian Viazovich won the opening short stage from Irkutsk to Baikal.

"It's nice and sunny now, but it rained a lot at night, so the course was muddy. What is more, it was on very narrow roads between trees where there was not much opportunities for overtaking. Therefore, Martin went cautiously and slower through the water not to lose time unnecessarily, ”said Daniel Kozlovský technician of MKR Technology team.

The North Bohemian team of engineers lead by Mario Kress, sent this year to Russia only one truck. The truck has typically red colors of the Dutch Mammoet Rally Sport team. Pilot Martin van den Brink made the fifth fastest time when he lost slightly over three and a half minutes on the winning Viazovich with MAZ. Sunday's first leg totaled over two hundred and fifty kilometers, of which only fifty were measured. The route from Irkutsk to Baikalsk led through narrow roads in the Siberian taiga. On the first kilometers the course was hard and rocky. Forest roads, river beds and dusty Siberian hills waited for the riders, then they headed for bivouac at Lake Baikal. "We were looking forward to seeing the lake itself, but we are close to it, but without a direct view, which is a shame," said Kozlovský, who is preparing the truck for his next stage with his MKR partners. "On one hand, it is nice to have more trucks in the race because then we would also bring more spare parts, and we can help each other a bit, on the other hand now we can focus more on just one special racing truck. Both situations have their own pros and cons, ” Kozlovský compared situations with one or more trucks in the race.

On Monday, crews will undertake 2nd stage from Baikalsk to Ulan-Ude, over four hundred kilometers in length, with two hundred and twelve kilometers of timed sections. The stage goes on rocky roads and rises and falls over a mountain pass. The program will include a diverse landscape - mountains, taiga and bridges over the rivers. "It will be a challenge for tires, but navigators will also enjoy the Siberian hills," summed Daniel Kozlovský.

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