MINSK, 15 January (BelTA) - Sergei Vyazovich's crew of Belarus' MAZ-SPORTavto team came in sixth at Stage 7 of the 2018 Dakar Rally in the truck category, BelTA has learned.
The 313-kilometer special mainly ran through the Bolivian mountains to see the shores of the famous Lake Titicaca. The stage was a serious challenge for the vehicles and drivers whose mistake could cost their crews a lot.
Sergei Vyazovich clocked 4:20:00 to finish sixth, nine minutes behind the pace-setter Ton van Genugten (Iveco). The Belarusian crew is third in the overall standings, 2:49:00 behind the leader Eduard Nikolaev (KamAZ).
Sergei Vyazovich produced a convincing performance but felt unwell and had a fever in the barrack. The race was not a huge success for Alexander Vyazovich either, whose truck suffered damage after getting into a mud hole at high speed. Aleksei Vishnevsky also faced some problems at the beginning of the special section and went to help out the partner after fixing them. The organizers decided to hand a 20-minute penalty to Sergei Vyazovich's crew. The reasons will be revealed later on, when all the details are clear.
The 2018 Dakar edition is the seventh for the Belarusian team. The owner of MAZ-SPORTavto is Minsk Automobile Plant (MAZ trademark), the technical partner is velcom. The 2018 Dakar Rally is running through Peru, Bolivia, and Argentina to wrap up in Cordoba, Argentina on 20 January. The race features 3,500 kilometers of high-speed sections, with most of the route running in the highlands.
