Press releases

MINSK, 10 January (BelTA) - Belarus' MAZ-SPORTavto crews successfully cleared Stage 6 of the 2015 Dakar Rally in 6th, 11th, and 31st places in the T4 truck class, BelTA has learned.

Out of the three Belarusian crews in the truck class, Sergei Vyazovich (race number 510), his co-pilot Pavel Garanin and mechanic Andrei Zhigulin performed the best, finishing the 255 special timed section of Stage 6 in 3h19m44s which was 6th fastest, 25m16s behind the time set by the front-runner, KAMAZ’s Eduard Nikolaev. After six stages Eduard Nikolaev continues to lead the Dakar Rally overall rankings. Sergei Vyazovich’s crew moved up to the fifth position in the general classification losing 1h16m44s to the leader.

MAZ’s second entry, Alexander Vasilevsky’s crew (race number 535), ended the sixth leg of the Dakar Rally in 11th position clocking 3h36m58s, 42m30s in arrears. The third Belarusian crew led by Vladimir Vasilevsky (race number 560) crossed the finishing line 31st, 3h23s off the pace. After Stage 6, Alexander Vasilevsky sits 12th in the trucks general classification, and Vladimir Vasilevsky is 34th.

Portugal's Helder Rodrigues on a Honda took the stage win in the motorcycle category. Chilean rider Ignacio Casale (Yamaha) is leading the way in the quad race, and Qatar's Nasser Al Attiyah (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 general classification of the cars and quads correspondingly.

Stage 7 of the 2015 Dakar Rally truck race will differ from the previous ones. It will be the first half of the marathon stage. The competitors will spend the night in a bivouac without the back-up of their assistance teams. The trucks will set off from Iquique, Chile, and face a 335km special stage and a 101km liaison section.

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. The Dakar Rally will finish on 17 January.