Paulo Gonçalves já está no Chile e comanda classificação após prólogo do Atacama Rally

Piloto português ocupa o 5.º lugar no “Mundial” de Ralis Todo-o-Terreno mas mantém as esperanças à conquista do título. 

A quinta ronda do Campeonato do Mundo de Ralis Todo-o-Terreno – o Atacama Rally 2015 – decorre até ao próximo dia 5 de setembro no Chile com Paulo Gonçalves a ser um dos principais favoritos à vitória final.

 A prova teve início hoje com um curto prólogo que definiu a ordem de partida para a primeira etapa e teve como vencedor o piloto português da equipa oficial Honda, Paulo Gonçalves, num total de 58 segundos.

“Hoje, com o prólogo, começamos a quinta prova do Campeonato do Mundo de Ralis Todo-o-Terreno. É uma corrida muito importante a todos os níveis, mais um importante teste para o próximo Dakar mas também para o campeonato. Depois desta prova temos apenas mais uma jornada em Marrocos e por isso todos os pontos são importantes na luta ainda possível pelo título mundial. Temos agora cinco etapas pela frente aqui no Chile, venci o prólogo e espero manter-me na liderança com a Honda CRF450 Rally até ao último quilómetro”, comentou Paulo Gonçalves.

 Amanhã, terça-feira, realiza-se a primeira de cinco etapas que no final irão somar um total aproximado a 2.000 quilómetros, em grande parte na área de Copiapó, a capital da região de Atacama. Navegação exigente, deserto, pistas de areia, dunas e até mesmo algumas notas de montanha vão pôr à prova os concorrentes nesta penúltima prova do calendário mundial.

 Paulo Gonçalves chegou a esta ronda no quinto lugar do Campeonato do Mundo de Ralis Todo-o-Terreno, com um total de 39 pontos, mas com duas provas ainda por disputar – além do Atacama Rally 2015 o “Mundial” terá ainda a derradeira jornada no início do mês de outubro em Marrocos – tudo está em aberto no que respeita à luta pelo título com a saída do espanhol Marc Coma.

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Paulo Gonçalves e Jeremias Israel preparados para o Atacama Rally

Team HRC kick off the fifth date of the FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship today at Chile’s Atacama Rally. The team lines up Portuguese rider Paulo Goncalves alongside local boy Jeremias Israel.

 Monday sees the official start of the Atacama Rally with a short curtain-raising prologue. Prior to this, technical and administrative checks have to be overcome. It will be the seaside location of Viña del Mar, close to Valparaíso, which hosts the start of the fifth edition of the rally, the penultimate date of the six events featured in this year’s FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship.

 For Team HRC, participation in the Chilean race forms an integral part of the squad’s rally schedule and will be spearheaded by Paulo Gonçalves and Jeremias Israel. The Portuguese rider currently holds fifth overall place in the World Championship with 39 points and will be challenging to keep his potential title hopes open. Jeremias, meanwhile, makes his second round outing this season, having recovered from an injury picked up in Qatar in April.

 The rally will be disputed over some 2,000 kilometres, for the most part in the area of Copiapo, the capital of the Atacama region. Riders will be faced with tough navigation, desert zones, dunes, sandy track, off road and even some mountain routes. The spectacle gets underway today with a ceremonial start followed by a prologue that will dictate the start-order of the first full-length stage which takes place on September 1.

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Holowczyc retira-se do Todo-o-Terreno com uma vitória

- Krzysztof Holowczyc wins Baja Poland 

- Nasser Al-Attiyah extends his World Cup lead 

Krzysztof Holowczyc is the ‘Baja Poland King’! He won his home event for the fifth and arguably last time as he announced his retirement from cross-country rallying, today.

 In his career, Holowczyc celebrated numerous successes with the MINI ALL4 Racing, such as finishing third in this year’s Dakar Rally, representing be best Dakar result of a Polish competitor in the car category. Two years ago, he secured the FIA Cross Country Rally World Cup title – and also did so at the wheel of a MINI All4 Racing.

  “After 10 intense years of cross-country rallying I opted for retiring from the sport,” said Holowczyc. “In these years, I secured many good and several excellent results and also had to cope with some setbacks. I made it to the Dakar podium, I won the FIA World Cup and many rallies. 10 fantastic but also extremely tough years but they were worth the effort. Securing a podium in the Dakar was my goal from the very beginning and this year, my dream came true. Therefore, it’s the arguably best moment to go – you should retire at the top of your game. I am not going to completely retire from rallying but I plan to only make very sporadic appearances, in the future. I owe doing so my wife and my family who supported me throughout my 30 years in motor racing. I want to really thank Sven Quandt and X-raid, in this special moment. He always believed in my skills and my talent. Without the enormous support of the team I hadn’t been able to secure the Dakar podium. I will never forget that they gave me a helping hand in the most difficult moment of my career.”

 Nasser Al-Attiyah and Mathieu Baumel finished second behind Holowcyz to extend their lead in the FIA Cross Country Rally World Cup standings.. On Saturday, he lost several minutes due to a damaged tyre. “I focused on scoring World Cup points,” Al-Attiyah said later. Winning the World Cup is far more important for me than securing the win in the Baja Poland. In addition, Krzysztof was extremely fast, here.”

 Meanwhile, Jakub ‘Kuba’ Przygonski made a great debut, both on four wheels and as MINI ALL4 Racing driver. Together with his German co-driver Andreas Schulz, he secured the very fine seventh place. In four of the five special stages the young Pole made it to the top 10 and only in the prologue he had to settle for finishing 13th. “For me, everything was new, here,” admitted the young Pole. Right behind his compatriot, Adam Malysz and his French co-driver Xavier Panseri who also resides in Poland came eighth. They lost time due to a damaged tyre on Saturday and in the short Bajas, losing a couple of minutes makes a particularly big impact. “We made mistakes again and again, revealed the Pole, “But for me and Xavier, preparing for the Dakar represents the No-1 priority.” 

Meanwhile, Erik van Loon and Wouter Rosegaar, had to cope with a major dose of bad luck: the two Dutchmen were hampered by several slow punctures but succeeded in coming 12th, nevertheless – three positions ahead of the German-Portuguese pairing Stephan Schott / Pedro Velosa who finished 15th.

  “I’m very satisfied because of Krzysztof’s win in his last cross-country race,” said X-raid Team Manager Sven Quandt. “He delivered in great style. Just as it was the case in January when he secured third place in the Dakar. We jointly celebrated quite a number of successes and the entire team will miss him. Nasser’s performance also was impressive. He didn’t take any unnecessary risks and succeeded in extending his championship lead. Meanwhile, Kuba also drove a fine rally and learned a lot.”

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Peterhansel e Cottret alcança a liderança após vitória na Etapa 2

· Spanish rider Armand Monleón Hernandez pulls clear of two-wheel field

· Haval’s Han Wei holds second overall; Peugeot’s Despres in third place

 Record-breaking 11-time Dakar champion Stéphane Peterhansel called upon all his experience to win the tricky short second stage of the China Silk Road Rally between Zhongwei and Alxa Zuoqi and take the overall lead in his factory Peugeot 2008 DKR.

 Peterhansel and navigator Jean-Paul Cottret clocked a time of 1hr 19min 09sec on a special that included a series of tricky dunes and sandy terrain and they arrived at the bivouac at Swan Lake in Alxa Zuoqi Left Banner, Inner Mongolia, with an unofficial outright lead of 1min 35sec.

  “We started with too low pressures in the tyres and had a tyre come off the rim,” admitted Peterhansel. “We got some help from Cyril (Despres). The stage was very technical and really hard. You can see that from the time of 79 minutes for 63km. We didn’t attack too much, but I am very happy for this first stage victory for the Peugeot 2008 DKR with the changes we have made since the last Dakar.”

 Cyril Despres and David Castera shadowed their Peugeot colleagues to the finish of the stage in the second of the Peugeots. Despres was 52 seconds slower than Peterhansel and holds third overall.

  “We stopped to help Peter so he lost as little time as possible,” admitted Despres. “I was very surprised by the stage. It was very technical and there were all kinds of dunes - short, high, sharp and non-stop. I was behind (Christian) Lavieille for a time and we tried to pass him like on a bike out of the tracks. It was a bad idea. We couldn’t make it! We stayed behind and waited for a good moment.”

 Overnight leader Han Wei finished the special in third position and slips to second place in the overall standings with his Haval.

 After delays on the opening stage, Chinese driver Lui Kun clocked the fourth quickest time of the day with his Mitsubishi Pajero MPR11 and a close contest persists between the L200 of Lui Yan Gui and the Haval of Christian Lavieille for fourth overall. The Chinese holds a slender advantage over the Frenchman after day two, despite getting stuck in the sand on two occasions.

 Armand Monleón Hernandez was the class of the motorcycle field for a second day on his KTM 450 Rally. The Spaniard finished the short stage around 11 minutes quicker than Su Wen Min to extend his overall advantage into Inner Mongolia.

 The Australian Isuzu MU-X crew of Adrian Di Lallo and Harry Suzuki found the short stage extremely challenging and lost over three hours. “Those dunes were really gnarly and difficult to read,” said Di Lallo. “We lost some time as a result of the GPS and our tyres today – a couple of times the tyre rolled off the rim due to the low pressures we had to run on the sand.”

 Chinese driver Zhang Guo Yu and his French navigator Sébastien Delaunay enjoyed the challenge in their Polaris. “It was a good stage and very funny with the ATV Polaris,” admitted the co-driver. 

The Dutch crew of Jan and Mark Mooij were forced to change a tyre and lost the wheel they had changed on the McRae Prototype in the stage, but they reached the finish without serious issues.

 The rally is being organised by the China Silk Road Rally Auto Sports Management Company Limited, in association with CCTV Sports and Entertainment Company Ltd. and the Beijing Motorsports Development Company, with the full cooperation of the Federation of Automobile Sports of China (FASC) and the support of the sporting bureaux of several Chinese regions. 

Tomorrow (Tuesday), competitors tackle a loop stage through Inner Mongolia. The selective section begins just over a kilometre from the bivouac and runs for 152.62km, before a short liaison section of 4.31km brings teams back to Alxa Zuoqi.

 2015 China Silk Road Rally – overall positions after SS2 (Cars):

 1. Stéphane Peterhansel (FRA)/Jean-Paul Cottret (FRA) Peugeot 2008 DKR 2hr 42min 41sec
 2. Han Wei (CHN)/Pan Hong Yu (CHN) Haval 2hr 44min 16sec
 3. Cyril Despres (FRA)/David Castera (FRA) Peugeot 2008 DKR 2hr 45min 05sec
 4. Liu Yan Gui (CHN)/Sha He (CHN) Mitsubishi L200 2hr 53min 14sec
 5. Christian Lavieille (FRA)/Jean-Pierre Garcin (FRA) Haval 2hr 55min 48sec

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Piloto da Haval, Han Wei, é o primeiro líder no China Silk Road Rally

· Factory Peugeots of Peterhansel and Despres in second and third places 

· Spanish rider Armand Monleón Hernandez leads bike and quad category 

· Punctures delay several leading crews as rally arrives in Zhongwei 

Chinese driver Han Wei edged into a slender early lead after the opening 102.30km special stage of the China Silk Road Rally between Xi’an and Zhongwei on Sunday.

 Despite a flat tyre, the Haval driver and navigator Pan Hong Yu benefited from warm, dry and dusty conditions to post the target time of 1hr 23min 22sec. They held a slender lead over the French duo of Stéphane Peterhansel and Jean-Paul Cottret in the first of the two factory Peugeot 2008 DKRs.

  “We had a small problem with the GPS, but nothing serious,” said Peterhansel. “The stage was very nice, quite technical and twisty, and a nice way to start the first day.”

 Peterhansel’s Peugeot team-mate Despres was also upbeat after the opening day and held third place: “I am very happy with the new evolution of the 2008 DKR. It performed well on this tricky stage. There were quite a lot of rolling stones and rocks on the side of the track. We also got stuck in the dust behind Christian (Lavieille) and had a small issue with the GPS by PC1.”

Christian Lavieille sustained a flat tyre 80km into the special and managed to complete the stage with the fourth quickest time in the second of the Havals. Lui Yan Gui was fifth in a Mitsubishi L200 and Fan Ting Jun rounded off the top six.

 Adrian Di Lallo safely negotiated the opening timed test in his Isuzu MU-X. “The car performed perfectly today and Harry (Suzuki) and I enjoyed ourselves,” said the Australian. “Besides one small navigational issue that cost us about five minutes, and being stuck in dust for about 30 kilometres, it was a great first day. The stage resembled a mini Dakar stage.”

 Armand Monleón Hernandez drew first blood in the motorcycle and quad category on his Red Bull KTM 450 Rally. The defending Spanish Rally TT champion led the way from the Chinese duo of Su Wen Min and Zhou Tian of the Jincheng Team. Tong Lei of the Offroad Union Team was fourth on his Yamaha 700R.

 The rally is being organised by the China Silk Road Rally Auto Sports Management Company Limited, in association with CCTV Sports and Entertainment Company Ltd. and the Beijing Motorsports Development Company, with the full cooperation of the Federation of Automobile Sports of China (FASC) and the support of the sporting bureaux of several Chinese regions.

 Tomorrow (Monday), the second day of the event heads out of Zhongwei and competitors use a liaison section of just 21.15km to the start of a short special stage of 62.92km. A second liaison of 225.65km guides teams into the overnight halt at Swan Lake in the city of Alxa Zuoqi Left Banner in Inner Mongolia.

 2015 China Silk Road Rally – positions after SS1: 

1. Han Wei (CHN)/Pan Hong Yu (CHN) Haval Great Wall 1hr 23min 22sec
 2. Stéphane Peterhansel (FRA)/Jean-Paul Cottret (FRA) Peugeot 2008 DKR 1hr 23min 32sec
 3. Cyril Despres (FRA)/David Castera (FRA) Peugeot 2008 DKR 1hr 25min 04sec
 4. Christian Lavieille (FRA)/Jean-Pierre Garcin (FRA) Haval Great Wall 1hr 26min 58sec
 5. Liu Yan Gui (CHN)/Sha He (CHN) Mitsubishi L200 1hr 28min 21sec, etc

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Quatro Toyota Hilux Overdrive no Top Seis da Baja da Polónia

· Podium finish for Dutchman Ten Brinke; Vasilyev returns to finish sixth 

· Poles Kaczmarski and Dabrowski in fourth and fifth; Jes Munk out on last stage 

Overdrive Racing’s Toyota Hiluxes dominated the upper reaches of the top 10 at the end of Lotto Baja Poland, round eight of the 2015 FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies, which finished in Szczecin Bezrzecze on Sunday afternoon.

 Four of the Belgian team’s cars finished the event in third, fourth, fifth and sixth overall, while a customer car finished 11th and a fifth team car held 15th before leaving the road on the final stage. 

Leading the way were Dutchman Bernhard Ten Brinke and Belgian co-pilot Tom Colsoul in a fine third overall. Ten Brinke drove at a consistent pace from the start and set the second fastest time on the fourth Dobra stage.

 Martin Kaczmarski returned to rallying action after a back injury forced him to miss numerous events and the talented Pole teamed up with Finnish co-driver Tapio Suominen to finish his home event in fourth place. The Polish Team Orlen duo of Marek Dabrowski and Jacek Czachor rounded off the top five.

 After undergoing a heart procedure and missing the two Bajas in Spain and Hungary, Russian Vladimir Vasilyev teamed up with fellow Russian Konstantin Zhiltsov and tried to kick-start the defence of their FIA World Cup title. The Russian admitted that he was a little rusty after a two-month lay-off and he reached the finish in sixth place and collected valuable championship points in his quest to pip Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah to the FIA World Cup title.

 The Polish crew of Pawel Molgo and Janusz Jandrowicz guided their Overdrive Racing-supplied Toyota Hilux to 11th overall, while Dane Jes Munk teamed up with Polish navigator Rafal Martin instead of Frenchman Jean Brucy and held 15th overall before leaving the road on the final Dobra stage.

  “I am satisfied with the performance of the cars and the team, but I am very frustrated with the rules and regulations being adopted by the FIA in cross-country at the moment,” said Overdrive Racing’s team director Jean-Marc Fortin.

“The rules are unfair. We really need a bigger restrictor for the diesel cars to give a fairer playing field. Staff in Geneva need to look closer at the sport and analyse the data carefully.

“Our drivers performed very well. Martin (Kaczmarski) came back after one year out and was pushing for the podium. He was a little disappointed with his performance this morning in the woods on the tighter stages, but it was an excellent result for him. Bernhard (Ten Brinke) and Marek (Dabrowski) drove very well and Marek had a big fight with Erik Van Loon and won that contest today.

  “Vladimir (Vasilyev) admitted that he is still not back to 100%, but he picked up some points here for sixth and he went much better today when we changed the set-up on the car. Pawel Molgo is taking part in the Polish Championship and was on course for eighth or ninth before he had a small accident today. But it was disappointing for Jes Munk, because he was driving well and looking like having a good finish until he hit a tree on the last stage.” 

Al-Attiyah drew first blood in the six-kilometre Prologue stage in Szczecin on Friday evening. Ten Brinke recorded a time of 6min 22sec and that lifted the Dutchman into second overall and that was six seconds quicker than fourth-placed Overdrive colleague Dabrowski and nine ahead of fifth-placed Kaczmarski.

 Vasilyev was a further six seconds adrift in eighth and the Overdrive-prepared customers cars of Pawel Molgo and Alexander Zheludov were in close attendance in 12th and 16th. Munk safely negotiated the Prologue in 26th with a time of 7min 15sec.

 The four selective sections took place in the military area of Drawsko Pomorskie on Saturday and the community of Dobra on Sunday. Pole Krzysztof Holowczyc set the quickest time through the opening 144km selective and edged into a slender lead over Al-Attiyah. Kaczmarski, Ten Brinke, Dabrowski and Vasilyev were third, fourth, sixth and seventh for Overdrive Racing and Munk improved to 16th.

 Holowczyc was again fastest on the repeat run through the special and held an overnight advantage of 6min 22sec over Al-Attiyah. Kaczmarski, Ten Brinke, Dabrowski and Vasilyev recorded the third, fourth, sixth and ninth quickest times to stay in the hunt for a podium finish and were classified in third, fourth, sixth and seventh overall. Munk held 18th.

  “To be honest I was pleasantly surprised by the stage, it was prepared superbly,” said Kaczmarski, who is still recovering from a back injury. “The stage was really nice and fast and the partnership worked well with Tapio.”

 Two runs through the 60km Dobra selective section brought proceedings to a close on Sunday and Ten Brinke set the second fastest time for Overdrive Racing in the first one to maintain third overall. Dabrowski was third, Vasilyev came in sixth and Kaczmarski was seventh. It meant that the Overdrive quartet headed to the final stage in third, fifth, seventh and fourth overall. Jes Munk climbed to 15th.

 Al-Attiyah claimed the final stage win to confirm second position behind Holowczyc and Ten Brinke and Kaczmarski stayed out of trouble to seal third and fourth overall. Vasilyev moved up from seventh to sixth when Erik van Loon was delayed on the final stage.

 2015 Lotto Baja Poland – final positions:

 1. Krzysztof Holowczyc (POL)/Lukasz Kurzeja (POL) Mini All4 Racing 4hr 35min 05sec
2. Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah (QAT)/Matthieu Baumel (FRA) Mini All4 Racing 4hr 42min 37sec
 3. Bernhard Ten Brinke (NED)/Tom Colsoul (BEL) Overdrive Toyota Hilux 4hr 43min 58sec
4. Martin Kaczmarski (POL)/Tapio Suominen (FIN) Overdrive Toyota Hilux 4hr 44min 49sec
 5. Marek Dabrowski (POL)/Jacek Czachor (POL) Overdrive Toyota Hilux 4hr 45min 50sec
 6. Vladimir Vasilyev (RUS)/Konstantin Zhiltsov (RUS) Overdrive Toyota Hilux 4hr 53min 21sec
 7. Jakub Przygonski (POL)/Andreas Schulz (DEU) Mini All4 Racing 4hr 53min 56sec
 8. Adam Malysz (POL)/Xavier Panseri (FRA) Mini All4 Racing 4hr 55min 46sec
9. Miroslav Zapletal (CZE)/Maciej Marton (POL) Hummer H3 5hr 01min 34sec
11. Pawel Molgo (POL)/Janusz Jandrowicz (POL) Overdrive Toyota Hilux 5hr 08min 50sec

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Hélder Rodrigues venceu hoje derradeira etapa e terminou TransAnatólia no 2º lugar

Excelente teste com vista ao Dakar por parte do piloto oficial da Yamaha 

Hélder Rodrigues foi hoje o vencedor da 7ª e derradeira etapa do TransAnatólia, a longa maratona de sete dias que o piloto português tem estado a disputar na Turquia. Com este resultado o líder da equipa oficial da Yamaha confirmou o 2º lugar na classificação geral posição a que ascendeu no terceiro dia de prova.

  “Estou contente com a nossa prestação nesta corrida. Alcancei um bom 2º lugar e foi também um bom resultado para o Botturi que terminou em terceiro. O Gerard esteve sempre muito forte, principalmente no início da corrida. Tentei sempre acompanhar o ritmo, mas foi um bom resultado para mim e para a Yamaha. Foram sete dias de corrida, o que deu para testar diversas coisas e para fazer muitos quilómetros. É muito bom continuar a subir ao pódio em cada corrida que faço e não ter problemas na moto ”, comentou Hélder Rodrigues no final do rali que terminou na capital turca Ancara.

 Recorde-se que, já este ano, Hélder Rodrigues venceu no regressado Rali da Tunísia e subiu ao pódio na etapa do mundial de TT, disputada na ilha italiana da Sardenha.

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China Silk Road Rally começa com etapa entre Xi'An e Zhongwei

· Peugeot’s Peterhansel and Su Wen Min top car and motorcycle categoies 

· Course car opening duties for French duo of Patrick Sireyjol and Jean Brucy 

The third China Silk Road Rally gets underway with two liaison sections and a special stage of over 100km between the ceremonial start in Xi’an and the city of Zhongwei on Sunday.

 Sixty-five cars and trucks and 16 motorcycles safely completed their scrutineering and administration checks inside the park of the Legend of the Tang Empire in Xi’an and Team Peugeot Total driver Stéphane Peterhansel heads the international field into 13 days of action across some of the remotest terrain in central China and Inner Mongolia. The event finishes in Dunhuang on September 11.

 Chinese riders dominate the motorcycle field, with Su Wen Min leading the way on his JC 450Y Rally.

 Main competition for Peterhansel and Peugeot colleague Cyril Despres comes from Haval driver Christian Lavieille and his Chinese team-mate Han Wei. Local drivers dominate the upper reaches of the top 20, while the Australian crew of Adrian Di Lallo and Harry Suzuki carry the number 173 on their Isuzu MU-X and Jan Mooij’s McRae Prototype sports the number 172 under the Moditech racing banner.

  “We are delighted to have such a strong field for this year’s rally and, particularly, the excellent support from Chinese teams,” said clerk of the course Hubert Auriol. “All the effort put in by our organising team over many weeks will now be put to the test over the next 13 days.”

French driver Patrick Sireyjol and former enduro rider/co-driver Jean Brucy will work as the course opening team and were one of the first crews to pass through technical checks, alongside several Chinese crews inside the park of the Legend of the Tang Empire in Xi’an.

 The event is being organised by the China Silk Road Rally Auto Sports Management Company Limited, in association with CCTV Sports and Entertainment Company Ltd. and the Beijing Motorsports Development Company, with the full cooperation of the Federation of Automobile Sports of China (FASC) and the support of the sporting bureaux of several Chinese regions.

 The competitive action starts on Sunday (August 30) after a long liaison section of 565.30km from Xi’an to the start of the stage in Taoshan. The special runs for 102.30km as far as Sikouzi.

 A second liaison section of 29.60km guides teams to the overnight halt at Tengeli Lake in the inland Chinese city of Zhongwei, a prefecture level city of over 1.1 million people in west-central Ningxia Province.

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Jeremías Israel de volta à acção no Atacama Rally

For Team HRC, participating in the Atacama Rally offers a great chance for riders to further hone their skills as part of a training schedule that will eventually culminate in the Rally Dakar 2016. Team HRC will be present, from August 31st to September 5th, with Paulo Goncalves and Jeremias Israel. 

The Portuguese rider currently occupies fifth position in the overall world championship standings with 39 points and will be battling to keep all title options open. Jeremías will be making his second outing of the season having recovered from an injury picked up in Qatar in April.

– So Jere, first of all, what sort of physical shape are you in? You had your arm operated on after the injury in Qatar, the same one that had been hurt in Dakar 2014. How did it go?

– I had the arm operation to change the metal plate that I had from the accident in Dakar 2014. Now I’ve got a smaller plate and it’s much better. Taking advantage of the time with the surgeon, I also got my left ankle operated on which had been nagging me since Abu Dhabi 2013 when I fell onto Hélder’s (Rodrigues) bike whilst jumping a short dune. I’m feeling better by the day and I’m firmly focused on being at 100% for the Dakar 2016.

– I assume that you must be pleased to have renewed the contract with Honda HRC for the 2015 season and the Dakar 2016.

– I’m very happy and more than satisfied; I’m really looking forward to it. I feel that the team has great strength; each component of the team works well and brings something that will be great for the future. I hope that things turn out better in this Dakar 2016 and that it will be more competitive.

– You return to the competition on home soil with the Atacama Rally. What will you be expecting from the Chilean race?

– For me, it is an opportunity to get back to racing. Moreover, it’s the beginning of the final stretch of the year which will be very intense. I hope that this edition of the event will have an improved roadbook and hopefully the intense rains in northern and central Chile won’t complicate the race. I’ll take this opportunity to send my best wishes to those affected by this in the Tocopilla region.

– What else is in store before the Dakar 2016?

– Atacama and Morocco are in the rally plan prior to the Dakar as Peru’s Inca Rally has been cancelled.

– At this point last season you were beginning the recuperation process from the injuries sustained in the Dakar 2014. So far this year you’ve trained and run a lot more. 

– It will be a positive year. Last year was a year for recovering and that limited me a bit. With the experience of everything that we have done this season, I will be looking to make it to the Dakar 2016 at 100%.

– How did it feel in the marathon stages of the Dakar 2015 in Uyuni, after the problems on the salt flats and Cachi, where you had to hand over your bike so that your team-mates could continue in the race?

– It’s hard to put those feelings into words, especially after what I’d been through with Joan on the 600 kilometres of salt lake, tracks and dunes. We interchanged, we fell, we pushed… it was an intense experience that is difficult to repeat and harder still to make it through to the finish. The marathon stage in Cachi and the struggle with Paulo’s bike was really tough too. The hardest thing wasn’t having to drop out of the race because it was something that I had to accept as it was a decision that we had taken together and we were very clear about. But what was really complicated was having to work with such limited tools, such little light, in the open air, in the rain, at night…. If a screenwriter had written the script, they wouldn’t have made it as extremely difficult as that. But in spite of all those negative aspects, I managed to overcome it all because of Paulo’s second-place finish. That result made it all worthwhile; I really felt it up close and I’m very proud of that historical result, also for Paulo. But most importantly, it strengthened the team spirit that means we can make it through even the toughest moments.

– Teamwork is one of the aspects of Team HRC that would have to be highlighted from the last Dakar, as well as the stage victories and Paulo Gonçalves’ runner-up spot.

 – I think that there is a nucleus, a team that is really strong and committed. That’s precisely why I think that good things will come our way in the future, although we have to keep working. Obviously, the Dakar 2015 was complicated – everything happened to us – but in the toughest moments we saw the team’s essence come out. That is why I’m proud to be a part of this team after renewing the contract and have my sights set on the Dakar 2016. Now it’s time to give it full throttle!

  – With an excellent relationship between the different members of the team. 

– Yes. We had a team gathering where I met all the components. That allowed me to get right into it thanks to the good friendship with Joan as well as Wolfgang [Fischer] and Taichi [Honda]. I’d also have to thank Martino for making us feel so at home in the team. It turned out to be a really tough Dakar and when things go badly, that’s when you see the real side of people and how they react. That is why we have proved that we form such a powerful and willing team.

– You also recently got together with your fellow team-mates and you had the chance to meet the latest Team HRC signing Michael Metge.

– We had a test with the new bike and the opportunity to meet almost the whole team together. I had previously met Michael in Andorra and along with Joan we had a great week of training together. I think that Metge will make a great contribution as he is a really strong rider for the team. 

 – You had two very different experiences in the Dakar 2014 and 2015, despite the same final result. In 2014 you were fighting for the podium and in 2015 you were battling with the team to win the overall race. 

– In some ways the results compare, but for me, the tasks and missions were very different. You form part of the HRC team with a very clear mission: to fight for victory. Everyone is working towards that. The last edition left one concept very clear: the commitment we have and what we are prepared to give to achieve it. Now we will tackle a much more productive season as we’ve got new equipment to work with, bikes to test… This means that we will arrive at the Dakar at full strength.

– Does it sadden you as a Chilean that the Dakar won’t run through Chile?

– It was a sad day when the news came through. It’s clear that the Dakar brings a lot of energy, an economic injection and moves a lot of money in the area, not to mention tourism and image. This helps too. I hope that the heads of government have made the right decision, although obviously I would have continued with the Dakar. I just hope that in the future they put Chile back on the Dakar route.

– And you helped too, putting in your grain of sand to send aid to the flood hit areas of Copiapó and your own region. 

– It wasn’t much, but we did it thanks to my friend ‘Maqui’ Dollmann, a doctor and motorcycle enthusiast who managed it all and the people from Cruz Verde and Tamarugal who supplied the transport. Because of them we were able to sent a small contribution of 5000 doses of essential medicines to the area.

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Hélder Rodrigues em 2º lugar no TransAnatólia

Piloto oficial da Yamaha foi 2º na etapa e mantém 2º lugar à geral 

Hélder Rodrigues foi hoje o 2º classificado na 5ª etapa no TransAnatólia, a longa maratona de sete dias que o piloto português está a disputar na Turquia. Com este resultado o líder da equipa oficial da Yamaha manteve o 2º lugar na classificação geral que ocupa desde o terceiro dia de prova. Para a etapa de hoje estavam previstos dois troços cronometrados, um com 168 e outro com 194 quilómetros, mas apenas este último se disputou.

 Hélder Rodrigues foi o quarto piloto a partir para esta antepenúltima etapa e o segundo a terminar tendo ganho 20 segundos ao líder da prova. O mais rápido foi o seu companheiro de equipa Alessandro Botturi.

  “Foi uma boa etapa. Passei dois concorrentes mas felizmente não apanhei muito pó. Estamos quase no final do rali e estou satisfeito com a minha classificação. A moto está impecável, a equipa está a funcionar bem, está tudo OK”, comentou Hélder Rodrigues no final do troço cronometrado.

 Classificação após a 5ª etapa: 1º Gerrad Farres (KTM); 13h35m49s; 2º Hélder Rodrigues (Yamaha), 13h55m09s; 3º Alessandro Botturi (Yamaha), 13h58m02s; 4º Paolo Ceci (KTM), 14h01m36s; 5º Laia Sanz (KTM), 14h16m53s.

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Seis MINI All4 Racing na Baja da Polónia

- Nasser Al-Attiyah wants to extend his World Cup lead 

- Przygonski to make his MINI ALL4 Racing debut 

This weekend, six MINI ALL4 Racing vehicles will be involved in the Baja Poland. For Nasser Al-Attiyah, the championship leader, it will be the seventh FIA Cross Country Rally World Cup round he is going to contest this year. At the same time, the Baja Poland will be the home event for three other drivers representing the MINI ALL4 Racing colours: Krzysztof Holowczyc, Adam Malysz and Kuba Przygonski who is making his debut at the wheel of the MINI. The MINI line-up will be completed by Erik van Loon and Germany’s Stephan Schott. 

Al-Attiyah (QAT) and his French co-driver Mathieu Baumel want to tie in with the success they celebrated in the Hungarian Baja by winning the Baja Poland, too. Would they succeed in doing so they also would extend their lead in the FIA Cross Country Rally World Cup. Currently, the pairing has got 180 points on its tally and holds a nine-point lead over their closest rival.

 For Holowczyc who finished third in the 2015 Dakar Rally it’s the first off-road rally of the year. In the past, the Pole already celebrated four wins in front of his home crowd. He is going to contest the event together with his long-term WRC co-driver: Lukasz Kurzeja (POL). And Adam Malysz also is keen on contesting his home race: for the former ski jumper, it will be the fourth rally behind the wheel of the MINI ALL4 Racing. Meanwhile, the Baja Poland also is a special event for his co-driver, Xavier Panseri. He is a Frenchman but has been living in Poland’s capital Warsaw for a long time, now, and also speaks a little Polish.

 Kuba Przygonski does not only make his debut in the MINI ALL4 Racing but in the car category too. To date, the young Pole contested off-road rallies on motorbikes. In the Baja Poland he will be supported by the experienced German co-driver and two-time Dakar winner Andreas Schulz. Erik van Loon will cross the starting podium as always with his navigator Wouter Rosegaar and the sixth MINI ALL4 Racing will be raced by German Schott together with his Portuguese navigator Pedro Velosa. For Schott, who also contested the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, it is the second rally he uses as preparation for the 2016 Dakar. 

The Baja Poland will be kicked off on Friday evening with a 6.5-kilometre prologue held at a military training ground not far from Stettin. On Saturday, the competitors will have to contest two 144-kilometre special stages and on Sunday, the event will be completed by two 60-kilometre special stages. Altogether, the teams will have to cover a mileage of 706.86 kilometres, with the special-stage distance adding up to 414.50 kilometres.

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Hélder Rodrigues mantém 2º lugar na Turquia

Piloto oficial da Yamaha prepara Dakar 2016 

Hélder Rodrigues manteve hoje o 2º lugar que ocupa no TransAnatólia a longa maratona de sete dias que o líder da equipa oficial da Yamaha está a disputar na Turquia. A etapa de hoje foi reduzida na sua quilometragem cronometrada de 130 para 110 Km. Disputada em alta montanha apresentou uma elevada dureza, muita e exigente navegação. Mais um excelente dia para o piloto luso nesta sua preparação pessoal e da equipa para o Dakar 2016.

 Hélder Rodrigues tem estado regularmente entre os mais rápidos de cada dia foi quarto na etapa ganha pelo líder da prova e mantém a segunda posição quando o rali vai entrar na sua fase mais difícil com duas etapas com mais de 300 quilómetros cronometrados.

  “Esta era uma etapa que exigia muita concentração. Por um lado tinha bastantes zonas de velocidade controlada e por outro muitos foras de pista a obrigarem a uma leitura muito atenta do road book. Foi um dia de montanha com percursos a lembrar o enduro e estou satisfeito. Já estamos com metade da prova disputada e está tudo a correr bem”, salientou Hélder Rodrigues. 

Classificação após a 4ª etapa: 1º Gerrad Farres (KTM); 10h41m04s; 2º Hélder Rodrigues (Yamaha), 11h00m44s; 3º Paolo Ceci (KTM), 11h05m31s; 4º Alessandro Botturi (Yamaha), 11h05m58s; 5º Laia Sanz (KTM), 11h19m38s.

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Hélder Rodrigues na Turquia a preparar o Dakar

Piloto oficial da Yamaha está em 2º lugar, após os dois primeiros dias de prova 

Hélder Rodrigues o líder da equipa oficial da Yamaha está na Turquia a disputar o TransAnatólia uma longa maratona de sete dias onde serão disputadas 14 especiais cronometradas. Tendo como principal objetivo a preparação pessoal e da equipa para o Dakar 2016, Hélder Rodrigues tem pautado a sua prestação por um ritmo cauteloso, particularmente na jornada inicial em que lhe coube abrir a pista tendo sido mais rápido na segunda etapa o que lhe permitiu subir duas posições. 

Disputados que estão os dois primeiros dias de prova Hélder Rodrigues ocupa a segunda posição da classificação geral. Foram já cumpridas cinco especiais cronometradas com características muito diversas e em muitos casos tipo baja, o que favorece claramente as motos mais leves e detrimento das máquinas com a preparação tipo Dakar, como está a ser a opção do piloto português e de vários outros participantes.

  "É um importante teste para nós. São sete dias, muitos quilómetros, especiais variadas, navegação bastante exigente, tudo isto é bom para ganhar ritmo e para testar toda a evolução desta nossa nova moto. No primeiro dia coube-me abrir a pista que foi uma dificuldade acrescida, mas no segundo dia já consegui um ritmo mais forte”, salienta Hélder Rodrigues.

 Ao contrário do que estava inicialmente previsto Hélder Rodrigues já não seguirá diretamente para o Perú, onde o esperava mais uma edição do Desafio Inca, na medida em que esta prova, tal como toda a passagem do Dakar por aquele país da América do Sul, foi cancelada.

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Joan Barreda de volta a bordo da CRF 450 Rally

Two and a half months after the accident in the penultimate stage of the Argentine Desafío Ruta 40 which forced Joan Barreda to undergo right kneecap surgery, the Spaniard is already back in the saddle of the Honda CRF450 RALLY with several weeks of rehabilitation behind him.

  – Joan, how are you feeling after the fall in the Ruta 40 and the subsequent operation? 

– Great. Now I’m much better. Much stronger. The most positive thing about it was the fact that we reacted very quickly after the fall in the Ruta 40. It was decided to operate and the operation worked out perfectly. I had a rest-period to recuperate from this. It was essential to respect the first four weeks of absolute rest. This led to a loss of muscle mass which we have now remedied with strength and movement exercises. First in the gym, then on the exercise bike and after that on the racing bike. Now I’m back to 100% movement. Things are going much better than expected. We are ahead in the recuperation process, taking it easy but working to get over the injury.

  – The intention was to be back in time for the forthcoming challenges. What sports have you been doing? 

– At first it was essential to rest to improve my knee’s recuperation, but now we have begun with a training schedule to strengthen the lower limbs. In the mornings I go to do exercises in the swimming pool with aerobic training and in the afternoon gym-work, knee strengthening and we’ve started with the exercise bike and the racing bike and trekking across the Andorran mountains. Just a few days ago I was able to get back on the motorcycle.

  – And the sensations? 

– Really good! I’ve been training on cross bikes as well as the CRF450 RALLY, training with the roadbooks alongside Michael Metge and the knee hasn’t given me any problems.

  – The holidays are over. Now it’s time to get down to work… 

– That’s the way it is. Now it’s time to work hard. Last year we planned it out in a different way. The work routine was different: a phase with a lot of kilometres, a lot of hours on the bike through the whole of August, September and October: different tests, kilometres, Atacama Rally, Morocco Rally… more tests… I spent more than three months on the bike almost every day. In November and December I didn’t get on the bike so as to prepare physically and to increase volume. This time we will do it differently. We have taken advantage of this ‘break’ to create a peak of fitness with a solid muscle base and will then dedicate the final part – October and November – to doing more mileage. In December we’ll rest and get our ideas sorted out ahead of the next Dakar.

  – You intended to return for the Desafío Inca. How will the cancellation of the race affect your preparation? 

– The aim was to compete in the Inca Rally to test the bikes out and to see how they measure up in terrain that the Dakar will pass through, but without Peru in the Dakar, we will have to change plans. We will probably do more training in Spain to compensate before we go off to the Morocco Rally in October to give the new bikes a workout. It’s a shame that Peru has pulled out of the Dakar and the Desafío Inca.

  – The Team HRC Dakar team is taking shape: Paulo and you, with Jeremías and Michael Metge, who you’ve worked with before. 

– Yeah, since I first met him we’ve done various things together. The team is more compact than last year’s one and we’ve got the sensation that it’s stronger. Mika has got a lot of potential and can really make a step forward with Honda. He can really bring a lot to the team. He’s a very noble rider and is very single-minded about what he can do for us. He gives us confidence and we feel very protected. Jeremías and Paulo have already made up a fine team with some great people. Let’s hope that the team achieves its goal which is to win the Dakar.

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O PEUGEOT 2008 DKR regressa à competição no Rali Rota da Seda, na China

Pela primeira vez desde o Dakar, o PEUGEOT 2008 DKR estará de novo em competição, no fim deste mês. Num percurso inspirado pela mítica Rota da Seda, dois carros participarão, de 29 de Agosto a 11 de Setembro, no Rali Rota da Seda, por algumas das estradas mais épicas da China.

 É numa odisseia de cortar a respiração que o Team Peugeot Total se embrenhará no território que actualmente representa o primeiro mercado da Marca. Esta participação no Grande Rali da China, vulgarmente conhecido como Rali Rota da Seda, constitui a pedra de toque da participação da equipa para o Dakar 2016. As duas viaturas serão tripuladas por equipas totalmente francesas, compostas por Stéphane Peterhansel/Jean-Paul Cottret e Cyril Després/David Castera, que enfrentarão o desafio de um percurso tão mítico quanto selectivo.

 Para isso, o PEUGEOT 2008 DKR apresenta já evoluções técnicas decisivas. Alinhará na China numa configuração técnica conhecida internamente sob o nome «2008 DKR 2015 +». Integrando os ensinamentos retirados em Janeiro do primeiro Dakar disputado pela PEUGEOT depois de 25 anos, a viatura tem debaixo da carroçaria importantes evoluções, nomeadamente ao nível das suspensões e do motor. Dispõe também de novos pneus Michelin, que permitem reduzir o peso, aumentando ainda a performance para um nível idêntico de robustez.

 Esta viatura é uma versão intermédia que prefigura aquela que irá participar no Dakar, em Janeiro próximo. Exibe ainda numerosos componentes já testados durante uma série de ensaios em Marrocos, no início do ano. Mas uma equipa tão experiente como o Team Peugeot Total sabe bem que nada conseguirá substituir a intensidade de uma competição para colocar à prova estas evoluções. A inscrição de duas viaturas no China Silk Road Rally marca assim uma etapa crucial no desenvolvimento técnico do PEUGEOT 2008 DKR. Este continuará entretanto de uma forma intensiva pois, enquanto Stéphane Peterhansel e Cyril Després estão a correr na China, Carlos Sainz estará a «dar o litro» a alguns milhares de quilómetros dos seus colegas, na preparação do carro de 2016.

«O Silk Road Rally apresenta-se como uma mini repetição do Dakar», estima Stéphane Peterhansel, onze vezes vencedor da prova de TT mais mítica do Mundo e que irá descobrir agora o China Silk Road Rally. «Esta prova é muito importante para nós, pois será o teste mais longo que iremos fazer. Nós podemos replicar o tipo de planeamento e de condições que iremos reencontrar na América do Sul. Algumas pistas até são bastante parecidas».

 Para Cyril Després, que reorientou a sua carreira no ano passado aos 40 anos, este périplo chinês não será somente uma ocasião de aperfeiçoar a sua aprendizagem nas quatro rodas após uma cintilante carreira nas motos, pontuada por cinco vitórias no Dakar. Será também a oportunidade para se habituar ao seu novo co-piloto: David Castera. Por seu lado, este terá que se familiarizar com o seu novo papel.

«Tenho ainda muito a aprender em matéria de pilotagem de um carro no Dakar e o David terá ainda mais a aprender», sublinha Cyril Després, «mas penso que é excelente podermos aprender juntos, para nos entrosarmos melhor. Isto será importante para podermos crescer enquanto equipa. Tenho toda a confiança nas suas aptidões». 

David Castera está longe de ser um desconhecido no universo do Rallye Raid: participou em diversos Dakar em moto, tendo como melhor resultado um 3º lugar em 1998. «Nunca pude imaginar que viria a ser co-piloto do Cyril! Na realidade, quando me sugeriram isso pela primeira vez, pensei que estavam a brincar comigo. O meu espírito de competição nunca disparou verdadeiramente» explica o antigo motard. «Vivia-o apenas de uma forma diferente. Agora que se apresenta este novo desafio, estou impaciente para o começar!!»

 O China Silk Road Rally arrancará em Xi’an, a cerca de 1.000 quilómetros a Sudoeste de Pequim. Esta antiga capital da China (sob o nome de Chang’an) é mundialmente conhecida pelo seu exército de 6.000 guerreiros em terracota enterrados. O percurso desenhado por Hubert Auriol, antigo vencedor e patrão do Dakar, levará as equipas até à sombra da Grande Muralha da China, assim como para os áridos desertos caracterizados por impressionantes dunas de areia. Nas pistas de Marco Polo, o rali enfrentará também as estradas de montanha, assim como as estradas florestais mais densas, para um total de 6500 quilómetros, repartidos por 13 etapas e atravessando cinco províncias: Shaanxi, Ningxia, a Mongólia interior, Gansu e Xinjiang.

 Para o Team Peugeot Total e a Red Bull, este será um teste-chave, como explica Bruno Famin, o director da PEUGEOT SPORT: «O nosso primeiro objectivo é continuar o desenvolvimento do carro com as nossas equipas de pilotos e experimentar novos elementos num contexto de competição. Além disso, a China é um mercado extremamente importante para nós. Para lá da preparação, não deixaremos passar a ocasião de brilhar se ela se apresentar neste terreno, que se anuncia como um magnífico palco para competição».

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Lenda do Dakar Stéphane Peterhansel é cabeça de cartaz no China Silk Road Rally 2015

· Factory Peugeots for Peterhansel and Despres head Silk Road entry 

· Frenchman Christian Lavieille returns to defend China Grand Rally title 

· Team Hino Sugawara set for Chinese challenge with Teruhito Sugawara 

· Michelin offers tyre fitting service for competitors for first time in China 

Frenchman Stéphane Peterhansel and his long-time co-driver Jean-Paul Cottret top the impressive entry list for the China Silk Road Rally 2015, the revised 13-day cross-country rally that starts in Xi’an on August 30 and finishes in Dunhuang on September 11.

 Peterhansel is often referred to as ‘Mister Dakar’ or ‘Peter’ and is the most successful cross-country rally driver/enduro rider of all time. The 50-year-old has won the Dakar Rally – the world’s most famous long-distance endurance race – on no less than 10 occasions.

 Peterhansel made his debut on the African Dakar in 1988 with Yamaha and went on to win the motorcycle category with the Japanese factory team in 1991, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1997 and 1998. After six victories and countless successes on smaller enduro events around the world, he made the switch to competing on four wheels alongside Cottret in 1999 and they both joined the Mitsubishi factory team in 2003, after a brief spell with a Mega Special and as a partnership with Nissan Europe.

 He and Cottret became a devastating partnership in Africa - and in Mauritania in particular - and recorded three victories for Mitsubishi in 2004, 2005 and 2007. When the Japanese team withdrew from cross-country rallying in 2009, he teamed up with the German X-raid outfit and earned a fourth victory in a car with a Mini All4 Racing in South America in 2013.

 After missing out on an unprecedented 11th Dakar success through team orders the following season, Peterhansel and Cottret switched to the Peugeot team and have since been an integral key in the development of the 2008 DKR with the Peugeot Total team.

 Peterhansel will be joined in China by Cyril Despres and his new co-driver David Castera in a second Peugeot. Fellow Frenchman Despres switched to four-wheel rallying last year after winning the Dakar on five occasions with the KTM factory motorcycle team (2005, 2007, 2010, 2012 and 2013).

 Castera, like the China Silk Road Rally’s clerk of the course Hubert Auriol, is a former sporting director of the ASO, and joined Peugeot at the start of the season, having switched from an organising role to a position inside the cockpit of the 2008 DKR. Despres finished 34th on his Dakar debut in 2015 after overcoming numerous niggling problems along the way. This will be his first event in China.

  “It is a major boost for the organising team to see strong international teams supporting the event this year,” enthused clerk of the course Hubert Auriol. “To have a 10-time winner of the Dakar in Stéphane Peterhansel and a five-time winner in Cyril Despres is a major boost for us and we are delighted that the Peugeot factory team has decided to test its car in China.”

Yoshimasa Sugawara is one of the most famous characters in Dakar history and amassed 31 Dakar starts and 20 finishes in his illustrious career with a Hino truck. The veteran Japanese’s son Teruhito has been entrusted with the Hino for the China Silk Road Rally and teams up with co-driver Hiroyuki Sugiura.

The 43-year-old joined his father’s team in 1998 as a mechanic and navigated for the team on numerous occasions before switching to the driving seat. He recently competed on an event in Mongolia.

 The experienced Frenchman Christian Lavieille won last year’s China Grand Rally with the Haval Great Wall Team SMG and returns on this occasion to try and defend his title with navigator Jean-Pierre Garcin in a Haval.

 A regular competitor on rounds of the FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies, Lavieille finished sixth overall in this year’s Dakar with an Overdrive Racing Toyota Hilux although, like Peterhansel and Despres, he began his career on two wheels in the 1990s.

 Red Earth Motorsport of Australia has also entered a Japanese factory-supported Isuzu MUX T2 for the West Australian driver Adrian Di Lallo. The Aussie has been a regular on the Australian Safari in recent seasons and finished his first Dakar in 2013 in 38th overall.

 Additional international teams include the Dutch Moditech operation and a car for Jan Mooij, Leonidas Marmolejo and Maximiliano Blanco at the helm of a South American 4WD Jaton Racing team car and a joint Chinese/French outfit to run a Polaris under the Rally Union Team banner. 

Numerous local drivers and riders complete the strong entry list, while French tyre giant Michelin will provide an on-event tyre service for competitors for the first time.

 The event is being organised by the China Silk Road Rally Auto Sports Management Company Limited, in association with CCTV Sports and Entertainment Company Ltd. and the Beijing Motorsports Development Company, with the full cooperation of the Federation of Automobile Sports of China (FASC) and the support of the sporting bureaux of several Chinese regions.

 Scrutineering and administration will take place inside the park of the Legend of the Tang Empire in Xi’an on August 26 and August 27.

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Vasilyev de regresso à competição na Polónia

· Dutchman Ten Brinke and Pole Dabrowski crew second and third Toyotas 

· Pole Kaczmarski returns in Toyota; Jes Munk set for second Overdrive outing 

Overdrive Racing’s hectic summer period continues unabated this weekend, when the Belgian team enters five Toyota Hiluxes in Lotto Baja Poland, round eight of the 2015 FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies.

 The three-day event is based at Szczecin Bezrzecze and the competitive action takes place in the military area of Drawsko Pomorskie and the community of Dobra on Saturday (August 29) and Sunday (August 30).

 Vladimir Vasilyev, the defending FIA World Cup champion, returns to the Overdrive Racing line-up after missing the last two Bajas in Spain and Hungary to recover from a heart procedure. The Russian lost the lead in the FIA World Cup to Qatar’s Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah after the Hungarian event and arrives in Szczecin trailing the Qatari by just nine points.

 With 30 points available to the winner in Poland, Vasilyev and his fellow Russian navigator Konstantin Zhiltsov know the importance of staying out of trouble over the demanding Polish military terrain and amassing as many championship points as possible with their Toyota Hilux.

 Dutchman Bernhard Ten Brinke and Belgian co-pilot Tom Colsoul continue their Dakar Rally preparations with a second outing in a Toyota Hilux in the space of three weeks. Ten Brinke finished second overall in Hungary and will be anxious to improve on last year’s performance in Poland. He held a top five position before leaving the track on the fourth stage.

 Electrical problems cost the Polish duo of Marek Dabrowski and Jacek Czachor a potential top finish in Hungary two weeks ago and the Team Orlen-backed pair will be aiming to climb into third place in the FIA World Cup standings with a podium finish in Szczecin. Dabrowski finished fourth in his home event last season and knows that, in the absence of team-mate Reinaldo Varela, he has an excellent opportunity to move up the championship standings and settle in behind Al-Attiyah and Vasilyev.

 Poland’s Martin Kaczmarski also returns to the Overdrive Racing line-up for the first time this season. Third overall in last year’s Baja Poland, behind winner Krzysztof Holowczyc and runner-up Adam Malysz, Kaczmarski has often shown an impressive turn of speed on cross-country events.

 He finished ninth overall in the 2014 Dakar Rally and other notable performances include second place in Baja Portalegre in 2013 and third in Baja Spain, fourth in the Russian Northern Forest Rally and fifth in the Italian Baja last year.

 Dane Jes Munk reached the finish of his first event with Overdrive Racing in 21st overall two weeks ago. He and French navigator Jean Brucy return to action in the fifth Overdrive Toyota.

  “It’s great to have Vladimir (Vasilyev) back in the team and to have five drivers on Baja Poland for a second successive season,” said Overdrive Racing’s team director Jean-Marc Fortin. “This is an important event for us. Vladimir is very much in the hunt for a second FIA World Cup title and it’s also the last of four events in just a few weeks for the entire team. 

 “This is not an easy event by any means, but we will be chasing the win and trying to put three of our five cars on the podium.” 

A round of the FIA World Cup for a fourth successive season, the event will run over a route of approximately 706km and 414km of competition. Administration and scrutineering checks take place on Thursday and Friday and the ceremonial start gets proceedings underway at Boulevard Waly Chrobrego in Szczecin from 17.00hrs (CET) on Friday. Crews then tackle a six-kilometre Prologue stage from 18.00hrs.

 The meat of the action takes place on Saturday and crews will tackle two runs through a 144km selective section (Drawsko Pomorskie), starting at 08.30hrs and 13.35hrs, respectively.

 The competitive action reaches a conclusion on Sunday with two runs through the 60km Dobra selective section, starting at 09.15hrs and 12.45hrs.

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Hélder Rodrigues disputa Rally Raid na Turquia

Depois das boas prestações alcançadas na Tunísia, onde venceu, e na Sardenha, o líder da equipa oficial da Yamaha tem agora mais um desafio pela frente. A partir de sábado e até 29 de Agosto vai disputar o TransAnatólia, um rali que tem lugar na Turquia. Para a 6ª edição desta longa maratona, os concorrentes terão pela frente 3170 kms ao longo de sete dias de rali, onde serão disputadas 14 especiais cronometradas. A prova turca terá partida e chegada da capital Ancara.

  “É uma prova totalmente desconhecida para mim, mas da qual tenho excelentes referências. Como piloto, será também um grande desafio e duro treino, nesta fase de preparação para o Dakar”, salienta Hélder Rodrigues.

 Da Turquia, Hélder Rodrigues parte para o Perú, onde o espera mais uma edição do Desafio Inca, competição integrada nas Dakar Series e que se realiza de 10 a 13 de Setembro, por onde, tudo indica, irá também partir a próxima edição do Dakar.

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China Silk Road Rally 2015 anunciado

· Gruelling off-road event starts in Xi’an and finishes in ancient city of Dunhuang 

· Three-time Dakar champion Hubert Auriol appointed clerk of the course 

Chinese officials have officially unveiled China Silk Road Rally 2015, a challenging 13-day cross-country rally that starts in Xi’an on August 30 and finishes in the ancient city of Dunhuang on September 11.

 Frenchman Hubert Auriol - the former director of the ASO’s Dakar Rally organising team for nine years and the first individual ever to win the Dakar on a motorcycle (1981 and 1983) and in a car (1992) – has been appointed as clerk of the course and has worked closely with Chinese officials over the last three years to lay the foundations for this exciting and revised off-road motor sporting challenge.

 There will be approximately 2,200km of selective sections over 13 days in a total route of around 5,000km across some of the remotest and most spectacular terrain in China and the Chinese autonomous region of Inner Mongolia.

 Auriol and former French co-driver Gilles Picard have worked tirelessly on the route and the road book for three years, in conjunction with Chinese deputy clerks of the course, Song Jun and Zhu Chenguang.

 Former enduro rider Picard is one of the world’s most experienced navigators and co-drove for the likes of Auriol, Ari Vatanen, Jean-Pierre Fontenay, Luc Alphand and Cyril Despres in a career that saw him work with the Citroën, Mitsubishi, Nissan and Peugeot teams and win the Dakar Rally outright with Fontenay and Alphand in 1998 and 2006.

 This year’s China Silk Road Rally has attracted an impressive list of local drivers and riders, while several leading international teams will support the largest event of its kind ever to cross the Land of the Dragon.

  “There has been a lot of hard work behind the scenes by many people to come up with the challenging route and format we have devised for this year’s China Silk Road Rally,” enthused Auriol.

  “We spent many hours crossing China on comprehensive recces to find the terrain we needed to incorporate into the route to make this event different and extra special. Gilles (Picard) worked with me on the road book and a Chinese team, led by Song Jun from the Chinese federation, the FASC, offered all the local support and logistics we required.”

 The event is being organised by the China Silk Road Rally Auto Sports Management Company Limited, in association with CCTV Sports and Entertainment Company Ltd. and the Beijing Motorsports Development Company, with the full cooperation of the Federation of Automobile Sports of China (FASC) and the support of the sporting bureaux of several Chinese regions. 

Scrutineering and administration will be centred inside the park of the Legend of the Tang Empire in Xi’an on August 26 and August 27 and the facility will be used until the start of the opening 102.30km selective section on August 30.

 Overnight halts will then be located at Golden Sands Island in Zhongwei on August 30 and at Swan Lake in the prefecture of Alxa Zuoqi Left Banner between August 31 and September 1. The bivouac then moves on to the Populus Euphatica forest in Ejina on September 2 and a horse racing course in the prefecture of Alxa Zuoqi Right Banner on September 3-5.

 The Marco Polo bivouac will host teams and officials in Zhangwe on September 6-7 and the rally visits the Xuanbi Great Wall in Jiayuguan on September 8, before moving to the ancient town of Dunhuang on September 9 until the finish of the final selective section on September 11. The prize giving ceremony will take place in the Silk Road Dunhuang Hotel later that evening.

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Bruno Oliveira terminou no “top 10” na Baja TT Hungria

Piloto do Desafio Total Mazda em evidência 

Bruno Oliveira, piloto que é um dos principais animadores do Desafio Total Mazda, participou na Hungarian Baja, a sétima etapa da World Cup for Cross Country Rallies. Aos comandos de um Mazda CX-5 Proto, do Açores TT Team e acompanhado por Valter Cardoso como navegador, o piloto, terminou a prova na 19ª posição da classificação geral, cumprindo o objectivo inicial a que se tinha proposto.

 Uma missão que chegou a estar em risco pois, durante a 2ª Etapa, a equipa viu-se confrontada com inesperados problemas mecânicos, quando uma pedra existente no trilho quebrou um tubo de alumínio da caixa de direcção do Mazda CX-5 Proto, que ficou sem direcção assistida, tornando a tarefa do piloto muito complicada e difícil. Porém, depois de resolvido o problema, Bruno Oliveira e Valter Cardoso conseguiram atingir o final a prova sem mais sobressaltos.

  «A prova foi muito dura, mas tinha troços fantásticos de autêntico rali, dentro da floresta. Foi muito bom termos feito esta aposta, pois a promoção das Termas da Ferraria foi um enorme sucesso junto de milhares de pessoas das mais diversas nacionalidades, que assistiam à Baja da Hungria. Parabéns ao Valter, o meu navegador, porque fez um trabalho de topo e também à nossa equipa de assistência, que foi fantástica. O nossa Mazda teve um comportamento irrepreensível e o problema da direcção faz parte dos azares de uma competição.»

 Agora, depois de umas merecidas (mas curtas…) férias, Bruno Oliveira vai começar a preparação da próxima etapa do Desafio Total Mazda, integrada na Baja TT Idanha-a-Nova, que terá lugar a 11 e 12 de Setembro, na região da Beira Baixa.

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Kube Przygonski na Polónia com um MINI All4 Racing

- Switch from motorcycle to car-category 

- Debut at the Baja Poland 2015

 Until now, Kuba Przygonski competed only on two wheels in the off-road rally sport. At the Baja Poland taking place from the 28th until the 30th of August 2015, he will be on four wheels in a MINI ALL4 Racing for the very first time in a race. To provide him the best possible support, X-raid teams him up with the two-times Dakar winner Andreas Schulz from Germany. Furthermore, Przygonski will also challenge the Dakar Rally in a MINI ALL4 Racing in January 2016.

 The Dakar Rally is nothing new for the young Pole. He already has the experience of six starts under his belt. In 2009, he challenged his first Dakar Rally and finished eleventh which made him the best rookie in the motorcycle category. One year later he did it even in the top 10 by finishing on the 8th position. Additionally, this result made him the most successful Polish motorcycle competitor in Dakar history. In the following years he secured multiple top 3 results in the overall standings in the FIM Cross-Country Rally World Championship. But Przygonski not only competes in the off-road sport, he also proved his skills with multiple successes in the drift segment. In 2013, he set a new Guinness speed world record doing a drift with 217,92 km/h.

  3 Questions to Kuba Przygonski: Does your current experience help you to switch from motorcycle to the MINI ALL4 Racing? 

I’m proud to work together with X-raid. It is a big challenge for me to start for the currently best Dakar team and it is also a huge step in my career. I already raced the Dakar six times and for sure I will be able to transfer some of my experience, the same is for my experience in drifting.

  What is your target for the Dakar? 

The top target for sure is finishing the Dakar - of course, I want to achieve this target as fast as possible.

  How were the first kilometres in the MINI ALL4 Racing? 

The MINI is the best choice for the Dakar – it is reliable and fast. Every kilometre made me smile. The drivability on each terrain is just incredible.

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Nasser Al-Attiyah é o novo líder da Taça do Mundo

- Al-Attiyah / Baumel win the Hungarian Baja 

- Still another three FIA World Cup rounds to be contested

 By winning the Hungarian Baja with his MINI ALL4 Racing, last weekend, Qatar’s Nasser Al-Attiyah took the FIA Cross Country Rally World Cup lead. Together with his French co-driver Mathieu Baumel he won the event with a clear lead over Dutchman Bernhard Ten Brinke and Czech Miroslav Zapletal.

 Al-Attiyah started into the Baja with a success: he won the 2.5-kilometre prologue on Friday and consequently, he was the second to start into the first special stage on Saturday. Due to problems with a brake disc he slightly backed off to win the special stage and cross the finish line with a 13-second lead over Ten Brinke, nevertheless. The mechanics were able to solve the problem in the 30-minute service and so, Al-Attiyah was able to really go for it and demonstrate his own competitiveness and the one of the MINI ALL4 Racing: in the end, he was nine minutes faster than Zapletal in second position and his lead over Ten Brinke in third place even added up to 22 minutes. Therefore, he could contest the third and final special stage on Sunday without taking any risks and finished second. This result was enough for him to win the Baja and take the FIA World Cup lead at the same time. Al-Attiyah now has got 180 points on his tally, nine more than the previous World Cup leader Vasilyev. But there still are 120 points to be scored in the final three events.

 “This was a really good Baja for us and in addition we were able to take the World Cup lead,” said Al-Attiyah. “The problem that hampered us on Saturday morning quickly was forgotten as we were able to demonstrate our competitiveness just a short time later. And on Sunday I opted for a more conservative approach to avoid any unnecessary risks. The route was demanding and the temperatures were extremely high.”

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Ten Brinke luta e consegue segundo lugar na Baja da Hungria

· Electrical problems thwart Marek Dabrowski’s podium push 

· Jes Munk gains valuable Baja experience on Overdrive Racing debut 

Overdrive Racing’s flying Dutchman Bernhard Ten Brinke and Belgian navigator Tom Colsoul finished in an excellent second overall in the three-day Hungarian Baja, round seven of the FIA World Cup for Cross Country Rallies, in Veszprém on Sunday.

 The Toyota Hilux crew shadowed Qatar’s Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah to the finish to continue their pre-Dakar Rally preparations in superb fashion and give the Belgian team yet another podium finish on a European Baja-type event.

 Poland’s Marek Dabrowski and Jacek Czachor crewed the Team Orlen-backed Toyota and were well positioned until electrical problems cost them their place inside the top five on the second of Saturday’s timed stages.

 Dane Jes Munk and former Dakar enduro rider Jean Brucy crewed the third Overdrive Racing Toyota for the first time and gained valuable experience as a new partnership. Munk set some encouraging times and completed the rally in 21st place after incurring time penalties for missing some of the competitive action following an accident on Saturday.

  “I have mixed feelings about the weekend, but am delighted that Bernhard (Ten Brinke) was able to fight back from a brake disc problem and regain second place with the fastest time on the last stage,” said Overdrive Racing’s team director Jean-Marc Fortin.

  “Marek’s (Dabrowski) retirement was disappointing. We will find the problem and make sure that everything is fine for the next race.

  “It’s a little frustrating that we were not able to push hard from the start to the end and put the pressure on Nasser (Al-Attiyah). With the tyre regulations, he was struggling a little, but we showed great speed this morning. This was a learning rally for Jes (Munk). He went off on the first stage, but set a good time today and this bodes well for the future.

  “Nasser has a nine point lead now in the FIA World Cup because Vladimir (Vasilyev) was forced to miss this race. That is a bit annoying. It would have been nice if he could have taken part here and scored points. But he’s back on the next one and the title race is still wide open.”

Al-Attiyah set the quickest time through the 2.5km super special stage in Veszprém on Friday evening, the Qatari beating Overdrive Racing’s Ten Brinke by just one second on the opening timed test being organised by the Garzone Racing Organisation Promotion Limited.

 Dabrowski was 14 seconds behind in 10th and Munk’s debut with his new team got off to a steady start; the Dane posted a time of 3min 42sec and slipped down the rankings to 33rd, before the start of the opening selective section on Saturday morning.

 Ten Brinke was first on the road into the opening selective section and the Dutchman carded a time of 2hr 06min 39sec on the split stage and that was sufficient to retain his second position behind Al-Attiyah. Dabrowski was third quickest, but Munk went off the road and was not able to finish the stage.

 Ten Brinke was sixth quickest on the second timed stage of the day after damaging a brake disc. Electrical problems accounted for Dabrowski on the second section of the special, after the Pole had recorded the fifth quickest time through the shorter opening part. Ten Brinke reached the overnight halt in third, behind Al-Attiyah and Miroslav Zapletal. After time penalties had been imposed, Munk was classified in 26th.

 Al-Attiyah stayed out of trouble on the final stage on Sunday morning and the Qatari secured the overall win and gained the outright lead in the FIA World Cup from the absent Overdrive Racing driver Vladimir Vasilyev.

 Ten Brinke attacked hard in a bid to regain second overall and the fastest time on the final stage meant that he overhauled Zapletal to snatch the runner-up spot. Munk time penalties aside, managed to reach the finish of the final stage with the 10th quickest time and climbed to 21st overall. Overdrive Racing will be back in action with five Toyota Hiluxes in Baja Poland in two weeks’ time. 

2015 Hungarian Baja– final positions:

 1. Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah (QAT)/Matthieu Baumel (FRA) Mini All4 Racing 6hr 19min 42sec
 2. Bernhard Ten Brinke (NED)/Tom Colsoul (BEL) Overdrive Toyota Hilux 6hr 34min 30sec
3. Miroslav Zapletal (CZE)/Maciej Marton (POL) Hummer H3 6hr 35min 31sec
4. Erik Korda (HUN)/Attila Csató (HUN) Mitsubishi HRX Ford 6hr 47min 14sec
5. Károly Fazekas (HUN)/László Szenáki (HUN) BMW X5 RR 6hr 47min 55sec
6. Yuriy Sazonov (KAZ)/Alexandr Moroz (KZ) Hummer H3 Evo 6hr 50min 43sec
21. Jes Munk (DNK)/Jean Brucy (FRA) Overdrive Toyota Hilux 13hr 23min 21sec

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Bruno Oliveira em bom plano no prólogo

Mazda das Termas da Ferraria (S. Miguel/Açores) no Mundial de TT 

A Mazda CX-5 Proto do Açores TT Team pilotada por Bruno Oliveira teve um excelente comportamento no prólogo da Hungarian Baja tendo alcançado o 16º melhor tempo nesta etapa inaugural da sétima etapa da World Cup for Cross Country Rallies.

 Com uma decoração que visa promover o magnífico ícone açoriano que são as Termas da Ferraria, na ilha de S. Miguel, a máquina vinda de Portugal e que ostenta o nº 22, gastou 3m21s a percorrer o traçado escolhido para esta jornada de abertura e que se disputou no magnífico Nyirád Motorsport Centrum, um complexo com várias pistas para desporto motorizado, situado 50 quilómetros a oeste de Veszprém

 Bruno Oliveira que tem como navegador Valter Cardoso e está de regresso aos grandes palcos internacionais do TT, depois da magnífica prestação de 2011 onde foi 6º classificado no Africa Eco Race, ficou bastante satisfeito com a sua prestação no prólogo:

  “Tendo em conta o nível de máquinas que aqui se apresentou tanto a posição como o tempo alcançado são muito positivos. Desportivamente o nosso objetivo é terminar esta dura corrida já que a nossa participação visa fundamentalmente promover internacionalmente as Termas da Ferraria”, salientou Bruno Oliveira que teve a oportunidade de, no pódio de apresentação dos concorrentes, cumprir de forma muito positiva esta missão.

 Amanhã disputa-se a 2ª etapa da Hungarian Baja que, em 2014, teve como vencedor o consagradíssimo Nasser Al Attiyah piloto do Qatar que agora foi o mais rápido no prólogo.

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Após 3000 kms arranca agora a competição

Prólogo da 7ª etapa do mundial de TT disputa-se em Veszprém 

Depois de uma longa viagem com cerca de 3000 quilómetros por estradas de Portugal, Espanha, França, Alemanha, Áustria e finalmente Hungria, a formação da Mazda CX-5Proto do Açores TT Team chegou já ao Nyirád Motorsport Centrum e prepara-se ativamente para o arranque desportivo da Hungarian Baja que começa amanhã com a disputa do prólogo desta que é a sétima etapa da World Cup for Cross Country Rallies.

 A Mazda CX-5Proto nº 22 que será pilotada por Bruno Oliveira tendo Valter Cardoso como navegador e cuja decoração visa promover o magnífico ícone açoriano que são as Termas da Ferraria, na ilha de S. Miguel, cumpriu já com sucesso as verificações administrativas e técnicas.

  “A primeira parte da nossa aventura foi cumprida com sucesso e agora estamos prontos para o desafio desportivo que iremos enfrentar a partir de amanhã. Estamos todos desejosos de entrar em competição nesta prova que congrega tantos nomes fortes do TT mundial”, salientou após as verificazções Bruno Oliveira que acrecentou: “Sabemos o nosso valor e temos os nossos trunfos. A nossa principal meta é terminar a corrida e depois alcançar um bom resultado. Não menos importante é a nossa missão de, através desta prova da Taça do Mundo, divulgar as Termas da Ferraria e incentivar a sua visita”.

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Bruno Oliveira a caminho da Hungria

Piloto dos Açores leva Termas da Ferraria (S. Miguel/Açores) ao Mundial de TT 

A Mazda Proto do Açores TT Team, com uma decoração que visa promover o magnífico ícone açoriano que são as Termas da Ferraria, na ilha de S. Miguel, arrancou esta manhã rumo à Hungria onde , de 13 a 16 de Agosto, irá ostentar o nº 22 na Hungarian Baja, a sétima etapa da World Cup for Cross Country Rallies.

 Bruno Oliveira que terá como navegador Valter Cardoso, regressa desta forma aos grandes palcos internacionais do TT depois da magnífica prestação de 2011 onde foi 6º classificado no Africa Eco Race.

 Até chegar ao magnífico Nyirád Motorsport Centrum, um complexo com várias pistas para desporto motorizado, situado 50 quilómetros a oeste de Veszprém, onde terá lugar a receção aos concorrentes no dia 13, a formação lusa terá de fazer ainda cerca de 3000 quilómetros por estradas de Portugal, Espanha, França, Alemanha, Áustria e finalmente Hungria.

  “O estado de espírito da equipa é magnífico. Estamos todos preparados para disputar uma competição que seguramente será muito disputada e com muitos nomes fortes do TT mundial, mas nós temos os nossos trunfos que passam, entre outros, pela excelente performance da nossa Mazda. Temos por outro lado a não menos importante missão de divulgar as Termas da Ferraria e incentivar a sua visita, através de uma competição altamente mediatizada, referiu Bruno Oliveira à partida para a Hungria.

 A Hungarian Baja que, em 2014, teve como vencedor o consagradíssimo Nasser Al Attiyah está sediada em Veszprém, cidade que fica 120 quilómetros a sudoeste da capital Budapeste.

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Jes Munk junta-se a Ten Brinke e Dabrowski na Overdrive Racing para a Baja de Hungria

· Convalescing Vasilyev forced to miss out on Hungarian outing in Toyota Hilux 

Danish driver Jes Munk will join forces with Overdrive Racing for the first time alongside Poland’s Marek Dabrowski and Dutchman Bernhard Ten Brinke to form a three-car team for this weekend’s Hungarian Baja.

 After undergoing a heart procedure in July, Russian driver Vladimir Vasilyev remains on the sidelines on medical grounds and will not return to competitive action as originally hoped at the Veszprém-based event, which starts on Friday, August 14th and finishes on Sunday, August 16th. 

The Russian currently has a 21-point lead in the FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies and will be hoping that he maintains a series lead before he is giving the all clear to rejoin the championship. He was forced to miss last month’s Baja Spain Aragon, but benefited from the fact that nearest championship rival, Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah of Qatar, failed to finish the Teruel-based event and status quo prevailed at the top of the points’ standings.

 Dabrowski and Jacek Czachor crew the Team Orlen-backed Toyota in Hungary’s premier off-road event that is based at the historic baroque town of Veszprém, which is situated 15km north of Lake Balaton and 110km from the Hungarian capital of Budapest.

 Overdrive Racing won the event last year, when Al-Attiyah was a member of the team, and Vasilyev finished second overall, with Dabrowski in eighth in a second Overdrive Toyota. The Pole currently holds fourth place in the championship standings.

 Munk’s first appearance with Overdrive Racing will be alongside the former Dakar enduro rider Jean Brucy reading his pace notes. Both the Dane and the Frenchman tackled the Dakar on two wheels and Munk was the first Dane ever to finish the event on a motorcycle and in a car.

 Munk suffered a serious motorcycle crash in 2013, broke numerous bones in his body and remained in a coma for 15 days. After a long recovery, he took the decision to switch to competing on four wheels and tackled this year’s Dakar in a Buggy, finishing 55th overall.

  “My goal on the Dakar was to become the first Dane to finish the event in a car and on a motorcycle and I achieved that and now I have teamed up with Overdrive Racing and am looking forward to this event very much,” said Munk.

 Ten Brinke teamed up with Overdrive Racing at the Dakar in January and finished a fine seventh overall with Belgian navigator Tom Colsoul. The pair join forces again in Hungary and occupy the third V8-powered Toyota Hilux.

  “We are midway through a very busy four weeks for the entire team, with the Baja in Spain, the win for Reinaldo Varela in Brazil on Saturday and then two Bajas in Hungary and Poland in the space of three weeks,” said Overdrive Racing’s team director Jean-Marc Fortin.

  “I extend a warm welcome to Jes and Jean and hope that they will enjoy the Hungarian Baja as part of Overdrive Racing. We have a strong three-car team and will be trying to keep our rivals at bay and give Vladimir every chance of winning the FIA World Cup when he is given the all clear to return to action.”

 The event is being organised by Garzone Racing Organisation Promotion Limited in conjunction with the FIA and the National Automobilsport Federation of Hungary (MNASZ).

 Administration checks will take place at Nyirád Motorsport Centrum on Thursday afternoon (August 13) and Friday (August 14) morning, before the ceremonial start and the first 2.5km super special stage take place on Friday evening in Veszprém.

 Two timed selective sections are planned for Saturday and a final stage brings the competitive action to a close on Sunday morning (August 16) before the prize giving takes centre stage in Veszprém Aréna. In a total route of around 706km, approximately 518.5km will be timed against the clock.

 FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies – positions after round 6:

1. Vladimir Vasilyev (RUS) 171 pts
 2. Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah (QAT) 150 pts
 3. Reinaldo Varela (BRA) 97 pts
 4. Marek Dabrowski (POL) 82 pts
5. Erik van Loon (NLD) 72 pts
6. Yazeed Al-Rajhi (SAU) 66 pts
 6. Miroslav Zapletal (CZE) 66 pts
 8. Orlando Terranova (ARG) 37 pts
9. Harry Hunt (GBR) 32 pts
10. Joan Roma (ESP) 30 pts
10. Tapio Suominen (FIN) 30 pts

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