Van den Brink adds another silver on Silk Way

25.7.2018

Fifty-nine seconds prevented the North Bohemian truck from a victory at the Silk Way Rally. Renault Trucks by MKR Technology with pilot Martin van den Brink arrived again in the 4th leg on silver position.

             The Dutch pilot demonstrates that, if there were no technical failures in the opening stage of the Silk Road, he could have been fighting for overall podium again. This is now virtually impossible due to the high penalty, but Harskamper, as he is nicknamed thanks to his homeland, does not give up his fight for partial wins and shows what potential is within him and his special. "The boys were trying today to get the gold, which they would have deserved, but it just did not work out. If you lose less than a minute to win on a four and a half hour stage, it's a bit of annoyance, but no one's taking it like that. We are happy. The car is riding perfectly and the boys are very good on the sand, " technician Daniel Kozlovsky praised the crew from Roudnice.

            Stage 4 around Astrakhan was 366 km long and was won by Russian pilot Andrey Karginov with a Kamaz. On the last checkpoint, at around three hundred kilometre mark, Martin van den Brink still had a two-minute lead. Eventually, however, he had to settle for silver, but only tightly. The third Shibalov has already lost over ten minutes. 

            Russian Sotnikov is in the overall lead, followed by another quartet of Kamaz trucks. Russian domestic machines strongly dominate the race. "It is, of course, difficult to fight with such a powerhouse, but you can see, that it is possible. But there is a need for a good portion of happiness, that you need to have. That's why we changed the gear at night. We ended up in the morning at half eight, and at eight the truck started the stage. Silk Way is simply hard, "said Kozlovsky.

            This year just got into the second half and there are final three stages to go. Fifth test leads to Volgograd. With its four hundred and forty kilometres it is the longest timed section. The technical course will be very hard.