REPORT: Turkmem Desert Race – 11/15 September
All the vehicles from the caravan have now arrived on the main parking at the Lebap Market. So it is here in the town of Turkmenabad that the adventure will begin for all the competitors. They have been reunited with their cars and trucks, which for some left Europe over 15 days ago. This first day is also the opportunity for the competitors to meat the staff behind this adventure, and what a better way to do so than by doing the administrative and technical checks. All day, this huge space with the beautiful building has been vibrating to echos of these powerful engines and at the same time filled with emotions while meeting up with all the rally friends. With over 80 teams in this rally, all this activity and emotions will stay high tomorrow. A PREMIERE FULL OF HOPE This first edition has been created in a way to show the most beautiful countryside the country has to offer while traveling from east to west. All this while staying on the original Silk Road through the mythical Karakum desert and also the many other beauties Turkmenistan has to offer us. ALREADY A HUGE SUCESS In the truck category the Kamaz Master team is sure to be entertaining the whole race, and of course lets not forget the SSV’s who will have a fun and work driving around all these over powered engines The stage is set, the vehicle are ready… but first let’s do a parade around Turkmenabad and only Tuesday morning will the race really begin. |
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STAGE #1 – AMUL / IKIUZAK PLAIN: 308 KM |
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The race is on! It was with a prologue of 9 km that the official start of the race was launched this morning. A first day of competition divided into two parts with a first small timed loop before the start of the first stage of the rally, all under a very strong morning sun to enter the desert. OPENING WARM-UP ROMA DOING WELL IN THE COMPETITION QUOTES: Nani ROMA (ESP) – MINI: “It’s always difficult to begin a new rally. The prologue was really nice, we had fun, then the first stage was very soft at first. You have to be careful in the first stage and take the time to enter the race. It went well, I started 2nd and I passed Miroslav Zapletal (HUMMER). I just had a slow puncture but nothing serious. The navigation was good, it’s a new country that we discover and this first day was really beautiful. “ Harry HUNT (ENG) – PEUGEOT: “We had a very complicated start … Even if everything started well with the prologue. We left 3rd but we quickly stopped in the first kilometers. We changed a wheel in some soft sand and then got stuck which made us waste time again. And then we left with a slow puncture … it really was a difficult start, but for the rest it went pretty well. We got along very well with my new co-driver while it’s our first race together. “ Mathieu SERRADORI (FRA) – LCR 30: “After the prologue, we decided to speed up as we left in 4th position, but we quickly realized that we were consuming far too much fuel. So we decided to lift the foot after 50 kilometers to avoid breaking down. So we lost time on Roma, it’s a shame but the rally is just beginning and 5 days is long. Fabian has done a very good navigation, it allows us to make a great first leg and we are happy to have arrived safely because it was not obvious just like René Metge warned us. “ |
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STAGE #2 – IKIUZAK PLAIN / DARWAZA: 392 KM |
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SURPRISES IN SURPRISES THE CHANGE IS NOW! For these 55 vehicles, they managed to see a variety of landscapes each one more spectacular than the previous during this 230,91 km stage. A day finishing at the « Door of hell » in Darwaza. Turkmenistan’s tourist and historical site, this is an old borehole that has collapsed over a pocket of gas and has been burning for over 40 years. HUNT 1ST, NANI STILL LEADER QUOTES : Nani Roma (ESP – MINI): « The landscapes were different from yesterday and the track was very fast. We did the first 70 kilometers, but we thought that Hunt was going to catch up with us. At kilometer 130, we saw Harry behind, we let him pass. Then we grit our teeth to pick it up and not let go. But in the straight lines, it was impossible to pass them, they went very fast, but we are happy, the car is doing well. » Harry Hunt (GBR – PEUGEOT): « It was Really good, I think we did well. We overtooked Nani at about 100km, so that was really good. Wouter did an amazing job of a difficult navigation. We are really happy with this first proper stage. We had a fuel pressure problem the whole way through the whole stage so a little bit of monitoring but it was ok. Once we caught Nani, I thought well, we’ll overtake him and just chill. But no, yeah, super good. » |
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ETAPE N°3 – DARWAZA / TURKMEN LAKE : 256,61 KM |
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A BIG DAY FULL OF EMOTIONS DUNES AND TROUBLES The first T2 is the Kazakh Nissan Kirill Chernenkov and Alexey Mun. HAPPY DESPITE ALL QUOTES Nani ROMA (ESP – MINI): “It was a demanding special with parts of old tracks covered by sand and dunes. There were chotts to cross and the navigation was difficult. Besides I went straight instead of turning left at kilometer 6, my mistake, and I had trouble finding the right track. After CP2, it was faster, we passed Hunt who was stopped and we managed the race without taking risks. If we continue like this we can win, now we must stay focused and make no mistake. “ Airat MARDEEV (RUS – KAMAZ): “We are happy, it was an interesting stage with a different field from what we have seen so far. The tracks were winding, there was a lot of navigation, I am very satisfied with my young co-pilot. We managed to see Roma’s Mini and we could follow the good track as there were not really any traces. “ |
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STAGE #4 – TURKMEN LAKE / GAMYSHLYJA: 410,61 KM |
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HUNT, THE DUSTBUSTER AN EASIER DAY FOR ALL HUNT IS BACK, NANI STAYS 1ST QUOTES: Harry HUNT (GBR – PEUGEOT): « It was really good even if we had a puncture toward the end of the stage.We started 11th and we had a lot of vehicles to pass but we had fun. There were a lot of dust with the trucks though… The navigation was not too easy but Wouter did a very good job, it was almost a perfect day » Nani ROMA (ESP – MINI): « It was quite fast today, a good stage, not too many difficulties. Landscapes were beautiful and we are happy we made it easily threw the sand. We had to be very careful with the navigation because it was easy to be on the wrong track. Now we have one last day to do the job, we must stay focused. » Mathieu SERRADORI (FRA – MCM): « We left 12th and finished 4th … it was hell because of trucks and dust! We started very hard and then we had to slow down and use the brakes to get out of the smoke of the trucks, it was dangerous to overtake them, that’s what wastes us time. We would have liked to do better today to enjoy this day without mechanical problems! “ |
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STAGE #5 – GAMYSHLYJA PLAIN / TURKMENBASHI: 234,01 km |
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5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0 the count down has finished ! We are now at the last stage of this rally for a total racing length of 234km. Today, the survivors of the Turkmen Desert Race had to navigator a mixture of narrow corners filled and at the same time fast tracks. On the today’s menu, washboard, trial, and all of this under a thick layer of thin dust and some mistakes. The clerk of the course had announced at the previous briefing : “be carful, read your road book well because the race is not over yet, and it can still bring you many surprises. You will have to find the only way up the mountain in order to find the sacred graal at the door of heaven on the edge of the Caspian Sea.” In the early morning the caravan started full throttle through many “pif paf” corners (a quick section of left and right hand corners). Right from the beginning the leader are doing the show and raise all the dust into the air. The first 3 leaders stay in a handkerchief and push hard throughout the whole stage. In the meantime many competitors are trying to find the perfect route that René METGE found during the creation of the road book and had explained the evening before. Finally it is the liberation for the competitors. In the distance they can see the finish line and finally relax after such an emotional week. Happiness wins over doubt and all signs of tiredness disappear. At the foot of the finishing arch, you can find the members of the organization and a lot of public who have gathered in mass’ to see the heroes of this first ever Amul to Hazar Rally and many will never forget this special moment. Once out of the car it is the breaking point for all the emotions, tears of happiness are flowing down the dust covered faces and cuddles all around. Jean-Louis SCHLESSER and René METGE can now blow out their first candle for a successful first rally here, which we all hope will not be the last ! Up next in the menu is prize giving and of course the party with the flavours of the local people with their unique music, amazing catering and their history filled songs. They where 83 on the start line in Amul and they are only 59 at the finish line. Nani ROMA and his teammate Alex HARO BRAVO are the winners of this fantastic race using all the power their Mini John Cooper X-Raid has to offer. The final ranking: 1st: N° 200 Roma/Haro Bravo |
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