MINSK, 15 January (BelTA) – Belarus' MAZ-SPORTavto crew led by Alexander Vasilevsky withdrew from the race due to problems with engine manufactured by Tutayev Engine Factory, BelTA learned from Alfa Bank (Belarus), a partner of Belarus' team.
Now the crew of Vladimir Vasilevsky who used to perform the role of a maintenance crew are the only Belarusians to continue the race as both Sergei Vyazovich and Alexander Vasilevsky withdrew from the 2016 Dakar Rally due to technical issues.
The eleventh leg of the rally ran through dried up river beds, harder terrains, and fesh-fesh. Many trucks did not withstand the challenging conditions and engine overheating. Only 38 out of 55 trucks made it to the finish line.
Meanwhile, Vladimir Vasilevsky cleared the stage with no particular problems. He finished in 24th clocking 7h55m, some 2h24m behind Russia's Eduard Nikolayev who took the stage win. The results of the stage placed Vladimir Vasilevsky in 25th overall.
Earlier Sergei Vyazovich withdrew from the race during the eighth stage of the rally. His crew faced problems with the engine.
“We feel sad to withdraw from the race when there are only a few stages left. We were ready to show good results. However, Dakar is unpredictable, you never know what to expect,” the team explained.
The 2016 Dakar Rally is running across the mountains and deserts of Argentina and Bolivia. It kicked off on 3 January and will finish on 16 January.
