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Nasser Al-Attiyah (Toyota Hilux n°101) has won this 6th and penultimate stage of the SILK WAY RALLY in the car class. In the process the Qatari driver moves up to second place overall behind Yazeed Al Rajhi (MINI John Cooper Works n°103), who by finishing 3rd today maintains a comfortable lead. In the trucks, the longest stage of this 2018 edition allowed Andrei Karginov (Kamaz-Master n°309) to win his 3rd stage victory and take the overall lead on the eve of the finish in the Red Square in Moscow.
Cars: Al Rajhi, the manager
He made his intentions clear yesterday on arriving in Volgograd: ‘I won’t take the slightest risk before getting to Moscow…’ Starting 2nd this morning, behind his team mate Nani Roma (MINI John Cooper Works n°104), Yazeed Al Rajhi (MINI John Cooper Works n°103), was happy to simply manage his comfortable lead of over one hour and rely on the proven reliability of his MINI.
After four days struggling with his rear differential and gearbox, Nasser Al-Attiyah (Toyota Hilux n°101), four times winner of the FIA All Terrain Rallies World Cup and two times Dakar winner, took a radically different approach. With a car that was at last repaired and able to function to its full potential, the Qatari driver literally flew over the special stage, overtaking one after the other each of the eight competitors that started in front of him. Finishing in the wake of Nani Roma, Nasser Al-Attiyah and Matthieu Baumel took their third stage win on this SILK WAY RALLY to take the 2nd place overall. A place that Mathieu Serradori and Fabian Lurquin (Buggy SRT n°108) were unable to defend due to mechanical problems suffered after CP1 (km 112) that effectively wiped out their day. Towed more than 240 kilometres by the Toyota of Italian competitor Marco Piana, they lost more than 4 hours and only managed to hold on to a place on the podium ‘thanks’ to the mechanical problems suffered by the Russian driver Rudskoy (Proto G-Force n°110).
T2 & T3 categories in brief
Tough luck for Nifontova
In the T2 category, this 6th stage proved disastrous for Nifontova (Toyota Land Cruiser n°132). Stuck in the dunes north of Volgograd, the Russian driver was forced to head for the tarmac and in so doing waving had to settle for third place on the podium in her class. All of which proved highly favourable for the Chinese competitors Chinois Zi Yun Gang and Lu Binglong (Toyota Land Cruiser n°134 and 128) who monopolise the first two places both on the stage and overall. In the SSVs (T3 category), the Russian competitors Opariina and Shtaneva (Maverick X3 n°115) held steady. Victory on the stage and a first place overall reinforced the all-female crew’s position as they continue to resist the Bulgarian Petar Cenkov (Quaddy Yxz n°130) and the Frenchman Nicolas Duclos and his British co-driver Steven Griener (Polaris RZR n°117).
Tomorrow: Stape 7 - LIPETSK-MOSCOW: “Finish in Red Square!” - 497,22 km
As the thickness of the road book would suggest, the 7th and final stage (497,22 km), taking the competitors from Lipetsk to Moscou for the finish of this 2018 SILK WAY RALLY, could well decisive in terms of navigation over the 191,70 km special stage run through the fields and thus upset the rankings. Care will need to be taken with the many changes of direction and also with the many spectators who will be alongside the route. It is a last special that is not to be underestimated. The arrival of the first competitors at the final podium, set up in the Red Square in Moscow, is scheduled for around 18:00 (GMT +3).
