Press releases

The crew comprising pilot Sergei Vyazovich (race number 510), co-pilot Pavel Garanin, and mechanic Andrei Zhigulin ended the 331km special stage in the second place clocking 3h34m47s. The Belarusians crossed the finishing line just 46 seconds behind the stage winner, Eduard Nikolaev’s crew (KAMAZ-Master, Russia). After the second stage Sergei Vyazovich’s crew moved up to the fourth position in the general classification with a total time of 5h07m36s.

MAZ’s second entry, Vladimir Vasilevsky’s crew (race number 560), ended the second stage in 36th place clocking 4h36m11s, 1h02m10s off the leader’s pace. The third MAZ-SPORTavto crew led by Alexander Vasilevsky (race number 535) finished 37th (4h37m22s). After the second stage, Alexander Vasilevsky now sits 34th in the Dakar Rally overall standings, and Vladimir Vasilevsky’s crew is 54th.

Spain’s Joan Barreda Bort (Honda) took the stage win in the motorcycle category. Polish rider Rafal Sonik (Yamaha) assumed the lead in the quad race, and Qatar's Nasser Al Attiyah (MINI) became a front-runner in the car category.

The third stage of the Dakar Rally will run from San Juan to Chilecito, Argentina. The competitors in trucks will have to travel 542km. Some 8,200km will be covered by trucks and over 9,000km by bikes, quads, and cars during the 13 stages of the rally that runs through the territory of Argentina, Bolivia, and Chile.