Press releases

MINSK, 9 January (BelTA) – Belarus’ MAZ-SPORTavto crew led by pilot Sergei Vyazovich finished third in the T4 truck category of the 2015 Dakar Rally Stage 5, BelTA has learned.

Sergei Vyazovich (race number 510), his co-pilot Pavel Garanin and mechanic Andrei Zhigulin ended the 458km special stage in the third place clocking 4h50m41s. The Belarusians crossed the finishing line 15m46s behind the stage winner, KAMAZ’s Eduard Nikolaev. Eduard Nikolaev leads in the truck category overall standings after Stage 5 of the Dakar Rally. Sergei Vyazovich’s crew sit in the sixth position in the general classification losing 51m28s to the leader.

MAZ’s second entry, Alexander Vasilevsky’s crew (race number 535), ended the fifth stage in 12th place clocking 5h18m31s, 43m36s off the leader’s pace. The third Belarusian crew led by Vladimir Vasilevsky (race number 560) were 37th, 3h45m16s off the pace. After Stage 5, Alexander Vasilevsky is 16th in the Dakar Rally overalls, and Vladimir Vasilevsky is 34th.

Spain's Marc Coma (KTM) took the stage win in the motorcycle category. Polish rider Rafal Sonik (Yamaha) assumed the lead in the quad race, and Russia’s Vladimir Vasilyev (MINI) became a front-runner in the car category. Honda rider Joan Barreda Bort retains leadership in the motorcycle class overall standings. Qatar's Nasser Al Attiyah (MINI) and Poland’s Rafal Sonik (Yamaha) continue to hold sway in the overall classification of the cars and quads correspondingly.

Stage 6 (255km) of the 2015 Dakar Rally will take drivers from Antofagasta, Chile, to Iquique, Chile. Some 8,200km will be covered by trucks and over 9,000km by bikes, quads, and cars during the 13 stages of the rally that runs through the territory of Argentina, Bolivia, and Chile.