Volkswagen drivers run away at Rally dos Sertões
Posted in Offroad, Puro Off Road, Rally Raid on June 21st, 2008
On the third leg of the Rally dos Sertões in Brazil Volkswagen further extended its one-two lead. The South African Giniel de Villiers and his German co-driver Dirk von Zitzewitz in the Race Touareg clinched victory on the rally’s third leg as well. The American Mark Miller and his South African co-driver Ralph Pitchford in the second Race Touareg finished the 415-kilometre stage from Aruanã to Niquelandia in the north of the country in second place. Since the spectators stage on Tuesday, de Villiers/von Zitzewitz have had the overall lead, twelve minutes ahead of their team-mates Miller/Pitchford. The third-placed Mitsubishi driver Reinaldo Varela is already running behind them with a 45-minute gap.
The third leg featured picturesque passages through remote regions of the state of Goias. For the first time in the history of the Rally dos Sertões, the contenders crossed this part of Brazil. In addition to flat and fast sections, the route also went through hilly areas. With the numerous jumps on the stony, rough terrain, a perfect suspension setup was the key to success. Read the rest of this entry »
Five types of road vehicles, including cars, motorcycles, four-wheelers and trucks are allowed to take part in the race which will for the first time also feature a relay category that allows several people to take turns driving one vehicle.
