Nuno Matos promoveu Road TT Solidário em Reguengos de Monsaraz

Nuno Matos e a Opel Mokka Proto Team foram os protagonistas de um evento de co-drives em Reguengos de Monsaraz, com o objetivo de ajudar os Bombeiros Voluntários locais.

 O conceito do Road TT Solidário foi inicialmente criado por Nuno Matos em 2012, tendo entretanto auxiliado instituições de diferentes cidades por onde passa o CNTT, como Fafe, Portalegre, Proença-a-Nova, Oleiros ou Idanha-a-Nova. Agora, foi a vez de Reguengos de Monsaraz, onde a equipa que lidera o Campeonato Nacional promoveu um dia de co-drives com adeptos da modalidade, com as receitas do evento a reverterem totalmente para os Bombeiros Voluntários de Reguengos de Monsaraz.

“Foi um excelente dia para nós e uma oportunidade para mostrarmos às pessoas que gostam da modalidade como é a nossa realidade na competição. Senti que as pessoas gostaram da experiência de andar no carro, apesar do intenso calor que se fazia sentir. Foi um dia de convívio mas claro que o nosso objetivo era ajudar os Bombeiros de Reguengos e penso que isso foi conseguido. O nosso agradecimento aos parceiros que nos ajudaram neste Road TT Solidário, principalmente à Câmara Municipal de Reguengos de Monsaraz”, referiu o vice-campeão nacional absoluto.

 Agora, Nuno Matos e a Opel Mokka Proto Team vão entrar num período de pausa até à quinta prova do Campeonato Nacional de TT, em Idanha-a-Nova, a 9 e 10 de Setembro.

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SILK WAY RALLY – Leg 3 : CYRIL DESPRES EMERGES IN FRONT

The third leg of the 2016 Silk Way Rally saw competitive action get underway in earnest in the course of today’s 815.15km run (Monday) from Ufa (Russia) to Kostanay in Kazakhstan.

 - Today’s 200.43km stage saw Cyril DESPRES/David CASTERA move to the top of the leaderboard in the N°104 PEUGEOT 2008 DKR. It is the first time in his brief career on four wheels that the Peugeot Sport driver has led a cross-country rally; a good omen for the remainder of the event.

 - Sébastien LOEB and Daniel ELENA soon found themselves running first on the road after the day’s two front-running crews came to a stop on the stage. It was a big challenge for the Franco-Monegasque pair, especially as the correct route was often obscured by tall grass. The crew of the N°12 PEUGEOT 2008 DKR coped well, however, to claim a solid third place.

 - After winning Saturday’s super-special in Kazan on July 9, Stéphane PETERHANSEL and Jean-Paul COTTRET were first into today’s test but conceded nine minutes due to a slow puncture and a broken rim.

 TYPE OF TERRAIN : Dirt and tall grass through forests.
CONDITIONS : Numerous junctions and re-acceleration; few straights.
WEATHER : Bright and sunny, no wind, 28°C.
AVERAGE SPEED : 103.3kph

 Bruno FAMIN (Team Manager, Team Peugeot Total / Director, Peugeot Sport) “It’s a good start to the Silk Way Rally for Team Peugeot Total. It was nice to see Cyril DESPRES and David CASTERA win the stage and take the lead. The event has only just begun, though, and the conditions are going to get tougher. Even so, we have already seen Stéphane PETERHANSEL hit trouble. My advice to the crews is to keep calm and stay focused.”

 Cyril DESPRES (Leg: 1st / Overall: 1st) “I thoroughly enjoyed myself today. The stage was twisty and pretty much stone-free, so it was fun to drive. We made a couple of navigational errors but they didn’t cost us much time. David did a great job. I hope we will see more of the same tomorrow and that we will be able to keep up the same sort of pace as we did today.”

Sébastien LOEB (Leg: 3rd / Overall: 3rd) “My car performed well and we didn’t have any problems whatsoever. After Stéphane and Vasilyev stopped, we found ourselves running first on the road. There was a lot of tall grass and it wasn’t always easy to spot the correct track. We made a few mistakes but we didn’t take any risks. We mustn’t lose sight of the fact that our objective is to clock up as many kilometres as possible and also find a pace that suits us without overdoing it.”

 Stéphane PETERHANSEL (Leg: 8th / Overall: 8th) “We picked up a slow puncture shortly after the start of the stage. We decided not to change the wheel but then we had to stop because of another puncture. It was a very interesting stage and technically quite challenging. Like most crews, we made a few navigational mistakes like others competitors. Things will be better tomorrow.”

 Provisional classification – Leg 3 (Ufa-Kostanay)

1. Cyril Despres (FRA) / David Castera (FRA), PEUGEOT 2008 DKR, 1h56min45s
2. Yazeed Al-Rajhi (SAU) / Timo Gottschalk (DEU), Mini, +2min40s
3. Sébastien Loeb (FRA) / Daniel Elena (MC), PEUGEOT 2008 DKR, +4min14s
4. Vladimir Vasilyev (RUS) / Konstantin Zhiltsov (RUS), Mini, +5min15s
5. Evgeny Firsov (RUS) / Vadim Filatov, Toyota Pick-up, 6min37s
8. Stéphane Peterhansel (FRA) / Jean-Paul Cottret (FRA), PEUGEOT 2008 DKR, +9min00s

 Overall positions after Leg 3

1. Cyril Despres (FRA) / David Castera (FRA), PEUGEOT 2008 DKR, 1h58min24s
2. Yazeed Al-Rajhi (SAU) / Timo Gottschalk (DEU), Mini, +2min37s
3. Sébastien Loeb (FRA) / Daniel Elena (MC), PEUGEOT 2008 DKR, +4min10s
4. Vladimir Vasilyev (RUS) / Konstantin Zhiltsov (RUS), Mini, +5min11s
5. Evgeny Firsov (RUS) / Vadim Filatov, Toyota Pick-up, 6min40s
8. Stéphane Peterhansel (FRA) / Jean-Paul Cottret (FRA), PEUGEOT 2008 DKR, +8min52s

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The long journey across two continents has started

• Vasilyev secures the second place in the prologue 

• Al-Rajhi, Hunt and Rakhimbayev in the top 10 

The 2016 Silk Way Rally has kicked off and the first 850 kilometres of the total distance of more than 10,000 kilometres have been covered. But it has to be admitted that the MINI ALL4 Racing vehicles covered the way from Moscow to Kazan, capital of the autonomous Russian republic Tatarstan on a trailer. Only in Kazan they had to go for it in the two-kilometre prologue.

 The Russians Vladimir Vasilyev and Konstantin Zhiltsov took their MINI All4 Racing to second position behind Stéphane Peterhansel in the Peugeot. Meanwhile, Yazeed Al-Rajhi (KSA) and Timo Gottschalk (GER) finished fifth. “The terrain of the prologue was surprisingly soft,” said Al-Rajhi. “We tried to drive the cleanest line possible and secure a top-five position. We succeeded in doing so and our starting position for tomorrow is promising.”

 Harry Hunt (GBR) / Andreas Schulz (GER) and Aidyn Rakhimbayev (KZA) / Anton Nikolaev (RUS), finished seventh and eighth in the Silk Way Rally prologue. “I’m happy that the rally finally has started,” revealed Hunt, “But in this stage, losing ground was easier than gaining it. Therefore, we opted for a conservative approach. But at the same time, the prologue was big fun and even more so as it was attended by many spectators.” Bauyrzhan Issabayev (KAZ) / Vladimir Demyanenko (RUS) secured the fine 12th place, in their debut appearance with a MINI ALL4 Racing.

 The result of the prologue will be reflected by the starting order for tomorrow’s first stage. The 136-kilometre special stage will be contested on very fast terrain, with overtaking possibilities being rare. In addition, the special stage with its difficult navigation will represent a major challenge for the co-drivers. Altogether, the pairings will have to cover 626.66 kilometres, from Kazan to Ufa.

 Facts and figures around the 2016 Silk Way Rally

5 MINI ALL4 Racing vehicles
2 Service trucks
1 Trailer truck
1 Kitchen trailer
6 X-raid service vehicles
29 X-raid team members
3 Countries (Russia, Kazakhstan, China)
15 Stages
10,774.70 Total mileage
4,104.96 Special-stage kilometres
8,720.11 Service kilometres
1 Rest day
125 Racing cars contesting the event
68 Vehicles of the rally organisers
192 Service vehicles
2 Clock changes +3h on 12th July 2016 in Kostanay +2h on 17th July 2016 in Bortala

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SILK WAY RALLY – PROLOGUE : THE PEUGEOT 2008 DKRs RAPIDLY INTO THE GROOVE

The prologue to the Silk Way Rally offered a brief warm-up as the PEUGEOT 2008 DKRs and Peugeot Sport crews got quickly down to business in Kazan, Russia. Stéphane PETERHANSEL assumed an early lead and will consequently run first on the road for Leg 2 tomorrow. Sébastien LOEB and Cyril DESPRES placed respectively third and sixth, just four and eight seconds adrift of their pace-setting team-mate.

 - The first stage of the Silk Way Rally provided an immediate test for the support crews, with an early start followed by a liaison distance of some 850km – almost a 14-hour drive – between Moscow’s Olympic Stadium and the Kazan Arena.

 - For the crews, however, the prologue was short and sweet with just two kilometres of competitive running, but with those two kilometres settling the starting order for the second leg – the first proper stage of the Silk Way Rally – a quick time was vital to tackling the remainder of the event in the best possible conditions. The sandy terrain was characterised by ruts, fast corners and jumps.

 - Tomorrow (Sunday, July 10), competitors will leave Kazan in the direction of Ufa (Russia), with a total of 626.66km to be covered, 135.78km of which will be against the clock. The majority of the stage will take place on grassy dirt tracks, which are likely to be slippery following the bad weather of recent days.

 Bruno FAMIN (Team Peugeot Total, Team Manager) “This short introduction to the Silk Way Rally was an appetiser ahead of the first real action tomorrow. All three cars came back intact and, on such a short blast, that is always a relief because there are countless pitfalls to catch out the unwary. The outcome of the first day is very satisfying, with Stéphane winning the stage and Sébastien and Cyril similarly figuring up at the sharp end, which is in-line with our objectives. Tomorrow’s itinerary looks to be very slippery and muddy following recent rain, so we will need to stick carefully to our plan, remain on our guard and avoid making any mistakes.” 

Stéphane PETERHANSEL “The official start might have taken place last night, but today witnessed the true start of the rally. The stage was well laid-out and a lot of fun to drive with its jumps, but too short for our liking! Although it had been a few weeks since being in the car, we soon settled back into the groove. This short stage was a positive way to begin the event, given that it determined tomorrow’s starting order. We will be running first on the road and with the terrain expected to be muddy, we must treat it with the utmost respect.” 

Sébastien LOEB “Set on a beach, today’s test was covered in sand with several bumps and turns. Earlier rain made the sand particularly heavy, so we didn’t take any risks as in those conditions it’s all too easy to end up on your roof! What’s more, our goal was never to be first on the road tomorrow.”

Cyril DESPRES “After several days in Moscow, the Silk Way Rally is finally underway! We would have liked to be a touch quicker, but we misjudged what the sand would be like. We had expected it to be a bit harder, so we slightly over-inflated the tyres. This short stage was something of a sprint, whereas I’m more of a marathon man...”

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2016 SILK WAY RALLY: NEW HORIZONS AS TEAM PEUGEOT TOTAL RESUMES ITS CROSS-COUNTRY RALLY PROGRAMME

Tens of thousands of spectators gathered in the centre of Moscow today to watch the 2016 Silk Way Rally’s ceremonial send-off from the Russian capital’s impressive Red Square.

 - It was to a backdrop of the Kremlin and Saint Basil’s Cathedral that the crews of the three PEUGEOT 2008 DKRs entered for the 2016 Silk Way Rally formally started their first competitive outing since their successful Dakar performance in January. Along with some 130 other car/truck entrants, they face a 10, 000km trans-Asia trek across Russia, Kazakhstan and China divided into 15 legs.

 - Team Peugeot Total has set itself the humble objective of getting all three cars to the finish in the best position possible. Given the rally’s total length and the difficulties inherent in the terrain, to achieve that goal will call for meticulous attention to detail, especially as the rest day is scheduled well upstream of the competition’s midpoint. The second part of the event through China consequently promises to intense, demanding and potentially decisive. For the three crews and, indeed, for everyone in the team, the emphasis will be on team spirit, focus and determination.

 - Saturday’s programme (July 9) kicks off very early ahead of an 850km drive from the start in Moscow to the late-afternoon super-special situated two kilometres from Kazan which will determine Sunday’s start order. The teams’ service vehicles will be on the road for 11 hours to reach tomorrow’s destination!

 Bruno FAMIN (Team Manager, Team Peugeot Total): “Our involvement in the Silk Way Rally fits perfectly with our programme. After January’s Dakar, taking part in an event of this stature is the ideal way to promote PEUGEOT in this part of the world. The Silk Way Rally is a key event for us and we have committed the resources necessary to allow us to achieve the ambitions we have for our three cars. It promises to be a long, hard rally and the journey across China will no doubt be the biggest single challenge for the team and our cars. We will need to take care of the latter during the early part of the event ahead of the Chinese section which includes some impressive dunes. We also face some pretty stiff opposition, with a number of drivers who have showcased their speed on other events. At Peugeot Sport, we are fortunate to have three very fast, exceptionally talented crews. Stéphane and Jean Paul are highly experienced and first competed with us in China when we did the China Silk Road Rally in 2015. Sébastien and Daniel will use the rally to gain more experience of the discipline, while Cyril and David will be a force to be reckoned with if their performance on the Dakar is anything to judge by.”

 Stéphane PETERHANSEL: “Since the Dakar, we have continued to work on the performance of the PEUGEOT 2008 DKR thanks to an ongoing test programme which has enabled us to improve the overall package. Here we are today in Moscow with Team Peugeot Total about to start another major rally which will be a very different sort of challenge. We have never competed before in either Russia or Kazakhstan, so that will be interesting from the drivers’ and the team’s angles as we do our best to adapt to the specificities of the stages. I’m convinced we will see some interesting fights over the next two weeks. We face some tough opposition but we are hoping for a good result.”

 Cyril DESPRES: “We are reasonably familiar with China after our participation in the China Silk Road Rally in 2015. That said, the Silk Way Rally is globally a completely new adventure. We will take the stages as they come and we expect it to be a tough couple of weeks. Our aim is to reach the finish, hopefully in a top position, and also gain experience. My co-driver David and I are thrilled to be taking part in this superb rally.”

 Sébastien LOEB: “The Silk Way Rally is only my third cross-country rally. It lasts two weeks, so that will give us a chance to gain more experience on what is likely to be a long, hard event. We’re competitive on the stages where you can see the road ahead of you but we’re less at ease when the route heads off road. That’s where we need to improve the most. It is very exciting to be about to start such an interesting rally with lots of driving across deserts and over dunes.”

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Rui Oliveira na Baja de Aragón

Piloto da equipa CRN Competition foi 7º no ano passado 

Encerrada que está a primeira metade do Campeonato Nacional de Todo-o-Terreno 2016, o piloto da equipa CRN Competition, Rui Oliveira, regressa agora aos palcos internacionais para disputar nos próximos dias 22, 23 e 24 de Julho a etapa espanhola da Taça do Mundo de Bajas, a mítica Baja de Aragón, de onde, no ano passado, regressou com um sétimo lugar de uma competição onde o seu companheiro de equipa Fausto Mota terminou na quarta posição.

 Fausto Mota, que continua em recuperação depois da queda sofrida no Merzouga Rally, regressará às competições no final de Agosto na Grécia, onde vai disputar em conjunto com Rui Oliveira, o Serres Rally. Para Rui Oliveira a preparação para o Dakar 2017 onde a equipa CRN Competition passa agora pelas pistas espanholas de Aragón.

  “A Baja de Aragón é uma prova muito exigente e habitualmente recheada de bons pilotos. No ano passado eu terminei em sétimo e o Fausto na quarta posição. É uma prova que se enquadra bem no nosso plano de preparação. É rápida, técnica, bem organizada e com todos os ingredientes para puxar por um piloto. Vou participar com um claro objetivo de lutar por uma boa classificação, se possível melhorar o resultado de 2015 mas o essencial é terminar e evitar cometer erros”, explica Rui Oliveira.

 A Baja de Aragon compreende um prólogo com 9,6 quilómetros, uma segunda etapa com dois setores seletivos de 188 e 187 quilómetros e na derradeira etapa mais um troço de 188 quilómetros.

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Nuno Matos reedita Road TT Solidário

Recuperando uma iniciativa originalmente criada em 2012, o atual líder do Campeonato Nacional de Todo-o-Terreno vai promover um evento de codrives em Reguengos de Monsaraz no próximo dia 9 de Julho, com o objetivo de auxiliar os Bombeiros Voluntários locais.

 É mais um exemplo do carácter solidário que tem marcado o percurso de Nuno Matos no desporto automóvel. O piloto de Portalegre será protagonista de um dia de co-drives no Opel Mokka Proto na Herdade da Herdadinha – Ervideira, um evento aberto a qualquer interessado e cujas receitas revertem integralmente para os Bombeiros Voluntários de Reguengos de Monsaraz. O valor desta experiência ao lado de Nuno Matos é de 50 euros, estando incluído o co-drive no Opel Mokka Proto e um kit do qual fazem parte uma t-shirt, um saco da equipa, brindes e uma bebida no Classic Pub, em Reguengos, onde se realizará uma festa da equipa após o evento.

  “Após a prova de Reguengos recebi várias mensagens com pedidos para codrives. Pensei que poderíamos reeditar esta iniciativa e proporcionar a todos os que gostam de competição automóvel (e não só) a oportunidade de descobrirem as sensações que nós temos em prova, com a mais valia de simultaneamente ajudarem uma instituição que merece toda a nossa atenção como os Bombeiros Voluntários. Desde 2012 já auxiliámos diferentes instituições em cidades por onde passa o Campeonato Nacional de TT, desde Fafe a Portalegre, Proença-a-Nova, Oleiros ou Idanha-a-Nova. É a nossa forma de estar no desporto e na vida, e por muito pouco que seja o nosso contributo fico contente por poder ajudar”, afirmou Nuno Matos, líder isolado do campeonato depois de vitórias no Rali TT Reguengos e na Baja TT do Pinhal.

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DAUNTING SILK WAY RALLY CHALLENGE AWAITS DMAS SOUTH RACING’S CHILEAN DUO OF GARCES AND EGUIGERAN

· South Racing set to run a Nissan Navara for Jürgen and Maximilian Schröder 

· Punishing 15-day cross-country event crosses Russia, Kazakhstan and China 

DMAS South Racing faces one of its most formidable challenges when it enters a Toyota Hilux for the Chilean duo of Hernan Garces and Luis Eguigeran and a South Racing-run Nissan Navara for the German duo of Jürgen and Maximilian Schröder in the gruelling Silk Way Rally, a punishing 15-day cross-country rally from Moscow to Beijing, starting in the Russian capital’s Red Square on Saturday (July 9).

 Garces is relishing the chance to drive the DMAS Ford Ranger over such a long distance. He and fellow Chilean navigator Juan Pablo Latrach finished eighth overall at the Sealine Cross-Country Rally, one of the most demanding rounds of the FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies in terms of navigation, at the end of April.

 New co-driver Eguigeran has competed behind the wheel himself and has previously tackled the Dakar Rally in both Africa and South America. He fell heavily while competing on a motorcycle in Africa way back in 2002, but one of the highlights of his off-road career was finishing the event with his son in Buenos Aires in 2011.

 South Racing will also run a Nissan Navara for the German duo of Jürgen and Maximilian Schröder. The experienced German has tackled the Dakar in both a car and a truck in the past and is looking forward to his Silk Way experience with South Racing.

 The Silk Way Rally has attracted a superb entry and Garces and Eguigeran will line-up alongside a catalogue of rallying champions including Stéphane Peterhansel (the record-breaking 12-time Dakar champion), Sébastien Loeb (the world’s most successful ever WRC driver) and five-time Dakar motorcycle winner Cyril Despres.

 South Racing was founded in 2013. Based near Frankfurt in Germany, the young, customer-driven team also has workshops in Portugal and has extensive experience of the Dakar Rally and rallying in South America.

 The Silk Way Rally is being organised under the presidency of former Kamaz truck racer Vladimir Chagin and will run under the auspices of the Russian Automobile Federation (RAF), the FIA the Kazakh Motorsports Federation (KAMS) and the Chinese Motorsport Federation (FASC).

 After administration and scrutineering checks in Moscow on July 7-8, the action gets underway on Saturday (July 9) with a long road section of 849.85km between the start in Moscow’s Red Square and the city of Kazan, where there will be a short spectator stage of just two kilometres to get the competition underway.

 The proper off-road action takes centre stage from Sunday onwards with the route heading from Kazan and on through the cities of Ufa, Kostanay, Astana, Balkhash and arriving in the Kazakh capital of Almaty on July 14th The city will then play host to the rest day the following day.

 Action resumes on Saturday, July 16th with a selective section between Almaty and Bortala and then the route heads further east towards Urumqi, Hami, Dunhuang, Jiayuguan, Alashan, Wuhai, Hohhot and on to the finish in the Chinese capital of Beijing on Sunday, July 24th.

 In a total route of 10,774km, race officials have planned for nearly 4,105km to be timed against the clock.

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