MINSK, 22 January (BelTA) - Sergei Vyazovich's crew has claimed MAZ's first ever silver medal at the Dakar Rally in the truck category, BelTA has learned.
The Belarusian driver managed to secure second place in the general classification after the 286-kilometer Stage 14 around Cordoba, Argentina. The last race was a comfortable run for the crew led by Sergei Vyazovich, navigator Pavel Garanin, and mechanic Andrei Zhigulin who secured their maiden Dakar podium.
BelTA reported earlier that the retirement of Argentina's Federico Villagra due to mechanical problems promoted Sergei Vyazovich to second place overall. Sergei Vyzazovich came in 8th at Stage 14, just seven minutes behind the winner Ton Van Genugten (Iveco).
Russia's Eduard Nikolaev took another Dakar title; his KamAZ team now has 14 wins.
The Belarusian team has enjoyed the best performance to date, the previous one being Alexander Vasilevsky's sixth place in 2017.
The 2018 Dakar edition was the seventh for the Belarusian team. The owner of MAZ-SPORTavto is Minsk Automobile Plant (MAZ trademark), the technical partner is velcom. This year, Dakar Rally was running through Peru, Bolivia, and Argentina. The race features 3,500 kilometers of high-speed sections, with most of the route running in the highlands.
Photos courtesy of MAZ
