Volkswagen celebrated a one-two-three win at the Silk Way Rally through Russia: on the new Race Touareg 3’s competitive debut Carlos Sainz and Lucas Cruz (E/E) triumphed in front of their team colleagues Nasser Al-Attiyah/Timo Gottschalk (Q/D) and Mark Miller/Ralph Pitchford (USA/ZA) in predecessor models. The tough and demanding rally that led from St. Petersburg on the Baltic Sea to the Olympic city of Sochi on the Black Sea served as the team’s preparation for the 2011 Dakar Rally. The penultimate day saw a high-ranking visitor: Vladimir Putin, the Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, visited the Volkswagen team, had the squad show him the bivouac and “Dakar” winner Carlos Sainz explain the Volkswagen Race Touareg 3 to him. Putin expressed enthusiasm afterwards.

The new Race Touareg 3, which is powered by a highly efficient 310-hp TDI diesel engine, marked the next step in Volkswagen’s technical development for the Dakar Rally. Updated aerodynamics with improved air routing on the one hand and evolutions of the chassis and powertrain on the other are aimed at providing the basis for the third consecutive “Dakar” victory.

In Russia the new components were subjected to in-depth testing on the new Race Touareg 3. The eight legs of the Silk Way Rally through the Volga Delta, the Kalmykian desert and the big Caucasus were a test in competitive conditions. On the quick gravel sections with long flat-out passages and stretches with small dunes both the technology and the drivers were taken to the limits. Another important aspect was to train the interaction with the co-drivers for the cross-country classic in January: some of the legs were up to 700 kilometres long.

With their fourth victory in their fourth joint race the 2010 “Dakar” winners, Carlos Sainz and Lucas Cruz, continued the success story of the Race Touareg. The cross-country rally prototype has clinched a total of 14 overall victories and 42 podium places in 29 rally runs since 2004. 121 out of 225 possible stage wins and 120 leading days complement the successful track record of Volkswagen’s “Dakar” programme. At the 2010 Silk Way Rally Volkswagen celebrated eight out of eight possible stage wins and was leading the event on all eight days.

The incident involving Giniel de Villiers and co-driver Dirk von Zitzewitz showed how difficult the “Dakar” dress rehearsal was. The South African-German duo opened the course on the fifth day of the rally when it hit a transverse rut at a blind spot and rolled over. Thanks to the high-level safety equipment of the Race Touareg the driver and the co-driver sustained no injuries but had to retire from the event due to a damaged cooling system.
Kris Nissen (Volkswagen Motorsport Director)
“The decision to contest the Silk Way Rally as a Dakar Rally dress rehearsal paid off in every minute. For the new Race Touareg 3 it was the final endurance test for our run in January 2011 and it proved to work perfectly. For the entire squad it was important to internalise the processes and procedures again. And last but not least it was a big challenge for the drivers and co-drivers and the perfect opportunity to gel with each other. All in all, we can be more than pleased.”

#100 – Carlos Sainz (E), 1st place overall
“The Silk Way Rally was a real acid test for the Dakar Rally and a successful one at that. Our aim was to gain as much experience as possible with the new Race Touareg 3 and its new components. The route with the long special stages with difficult dune passages and hot days was virtually tailor-made for this purpose. We can take a lot of positive things home from Russia, primarily the knowledge that the Race Touareg 3 is a reliable and quick car. That’s encouraging for the ‘Dakar.’”

#100 – Lucas Cruz (E), co-driver
“The Silk Way Rally was at times tougher for the co-drivers than the Dakar Rally. There were countless branch-offs and directional changes in quick succession. Finding the right way was often a tough job. In addition, the Silk Way Rally gave us the first opportunity to test the stricter rules regarding the way points. This, too, was a good test for the ‘Dakar’.

#101 – Giniel de Villiers (ZA), retirement
“We’ve got to take the positive things home from the Silk Way Rally although the disappointment about our retirement predominates. My co-driver Dirk von Zitzewitz and I were very pleased with our performance up to this unfortunate incident and we were leading the rally. But the accident also showed that in cross-country rally events the race can be over within just a few seconds.”

#101 – Dirk von Zitzewitz (D), co-driver
“I’m impressed with what the organisers of the Silk Way Rally came up with this year. The route was a lot more demanding than last year. That was both a challenge and good fun. Up to our accident things had been going well for us. The crash itself was a mishap of the kind that is always possible in this type of sport. I’m also impressed with the solid team performance of all the Race Touareg crews. Being so close in terms of performance provides a positive feeling for the ‘Dakar.’”

#102 – Nasser Al-Attiyah (Q), 2nd place overall
“I experienced a lot of positive things at this rally, and learned a lot as well. In the dunes I made a big mistake and lost a lot of time in the battle for victory – this won’t happen to me again like this. In many respects the Silk Way Rally was a good test for the ‘Dakar’, also with respect to the teamwork with my co-driver Timo Gottschalk.”

#102 – Timo Gottschalk (D), co-driver
“This rally was extremely demanding – for the material as well as for us drivers and co-drivers. We started early each day. The road-books were loaded with information and thus meant a lot of work. This also took us to our physical performance limits with respect to concentration. I think everyone is exhausted – this also shows us what shape we’ll need to be in for the Dakar Rally.”

#104 – Mark Miller (USA), 3rd place overall
“At our personal ‘Dakar’ dress rehearsal we were struggling with some minor problems. There were two or three ‘Dakar‘-like legs. The teamwork between the driver and co-driver is complex. After the long ‘Dakar’ break Ralph Pitchford and I had a hard time finding our rhythm and were only working in perfect harmony towards the end. After the rally we’ll continue to work together on being able to deliver top performance at the ‘Dakar’ from the very first minute.”

#104 – Ralph Pitchford (ZA), co-driver
“The terrain at the Silk Way Rally was absolutely fascinating and challenging. It was a huge step compared with last year. The terrain was very varied and demanded the full amount of driving and navigational skills. The support by the local people was good as well. All in all it was a great event and a good decision to run here.”
Number of the day
Four runs and four victories are reflected on Carlos Sainz’ and Lucas Cruz’ track record so far. The all-Spanish duo has been running together in the Race Touareg since the 2009 Rallye dos Sertões (Brazil); they won this rally, the Silk Way Rally in 2009 (Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan) and 2010 (Russia) as well as the 2010 Dakar Rally in Argentina and Chile.
Tentative final results
Standings after leg 08, Maykop (RUS)–Sochi (RUS); 16/375 km SS8/total
Pos. Team, Vehicle, Leg 08, Total time
1 Carlos Sainz/Lucas Cruz (E/E), Volkswagen Race Touareg 3, 19m 23s (4), 19h 42m 02s
2 Nasser Al-Attiyah/Timo Gottschalk (Q/D), Volkswagen Race Touareg 2, 16m 34s (1), + 8m 27s
3 Mark Miller/Ralph Pitchford (USA/ZA), Volkswagen Race Touareg 2, 17m 44s (2), + 40m 22s
4 Alexander Mironenko/Sergey Lebedev (RUS/RUS), Nissan Frontier, 1h 06m 48s (-), +5h 35m 34s
5 Matthias Kahle/Thomas Schünemann (D/D), SMG Buggy, 22m 33s (8), + 6h 50m 09s
6 Binyamin Dzhepaev/Alexey Kuzmich (RUS/RUS), UAZ Pickup, 23m 27s (11), + 7h 12m 26s
7 Frédéric Chavigny/Jean Brucy (F/F), Nissan Pathfinder, 21m 26s (7), + 7h 12m 48s
8 Benediktas Vanagas/Saulius Jurgelenas (LT/LT), OSC Oscar, 19m 55s (5), + 9h 01m 13s
9 Alexey Berkut/Konstantin Mescheryakov (RUS/RUS), Mitsubishi Pajero, 17m 53s (3), + 9h 14m 53s
10 Raz Heymann/Hillel Segal (IL/IL), Mitsubishi Pajero, 24m 46s (15), + 9h 31m 12s
The Silk Way Rally on TV
Saturday, 18 September 2010
23.00–23.15, Eurosport, Silk Way Rally, summary, leg 8

Monday, 20 September 2010
01.00–01.15, Eurosport, Silk Way Rally, summary, leg 8 (rerun)

Additional reports on the news and sports programmes of n-tv starting at 18.00 hrs.

Wolfsburg (17 September 2010). A distinguished visitor at the bivouac: the Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, paid a brief visit to the Volkswagen “Dakar” team at the Silk Way Rally. The politician from St. Petersburg obtained first-hand information of the fielding of the four Volkswagen Race Touareg vehicles at the bivouac of the seventh leg in Maykop. Putin had the “Dakar” drivers of the factory squad from Wolfsburg, Carlos Sainz, Giniel de Villiers, Nasser Al-Attiyah and Mark Miller, explain the technology of the cross-country rally cars and the logistics operations behind the commitment to him.

Volkswagen is leading the Silk Way Rally one day before the finish in Sochi, the venue of the 2014 Winter Olympics, with three vehicles. Prior to the final 16-kilometre special stage on Saturday Carlos Sainz/Lucas Cruz (E/E) are running in front of their team colleagues Nasser Al-Attiyah/Timo Gottschalk (Q/D) and Mark Miller/Ralph Pitchford (USA/ZA).

“It makes us proud to receive such a distinguished visit by Vladimir Putin at the Silk Way Rally. It shows that the prestige of this sport is enormous in Russia,” said Volkswagen Motorsport Director Kris Nissen. “Needless to say his interest in our Volkswagen “Dakar” programme is a great honour for us.”
The Silk Way Rally on TV
Saturday, 18 September 2010
00.00–00.15, Eurosport, Silk Way Rally, summary, leg 7
08.30–08.45, Eurosport, Silk Way Rally, summary, leg 7 (rerun)
23.00–23.15, Eurosport, Silk Way Rally, summary, leg 8

Monday, 20 September 2010
01.00–01.15 , Eurosport, Silk Way Rally, summary, leg 8 (rerun)

Additional reports on the news and sports programmes of TV channel n-tv from 18.00 hrs.

The new Volkswagen Race Touareg 3 is on the verge of clinching victory on its rally debut: on the penultimate leg of the Silk Way Rally through Russia, which Volkswagen contests as its “Dakar” dress rehearsal, Carlos Sainz/Lucas Cruz (E/E) defended their overall lead in front of the stage winners, Nasser Al-Attiyah/Timo Gottschalk (Q/D), in the predecessor model. Before the last leg on Saturday, which merely features a short special stage covering 16 kilometres, the advantage of the “Dakar” winners Sainz/Cruz is 11m 16s. Mark Miller/Ralph Pitchford (USA/ZA) in the third Race Touareg continue to rank in third place overall behind their team colleagues.

The seventh of the Silk Way Rally’s eight legs led from Elista to Maykop and thus from the Kalmykian desert to the shores of the Black Sea. In a partially breath-taking landscape the entrants had to contend with a fast special stage that featured many branch-offs which put the navigators’ skills to the test as well.
Kris Nissen (Volkswagen Motorsport Director)
“Even though the special stage leading to the finish of the Silk Way Rally in Sochi is just short: victory is only certain after reaching the finish. But we can already draw a conclusion for our ‘Dakar’ dress rehearsal at this point in time. The entire team, the drivers and co-drivers did a tremendous job during the past seven days. I have no doubt that the final service and the final stage will again be handled perfectly.”

#100 – Carlos Sainz (E), 2nd place leg / 1st place overall
“Today was about losing as little time as possible to my team colleague Nasser Al-Attiyah in order to keep a comfortable advantage. We managed to do this – Nasser just beat us by a few seconds. Still, the rally will only end on the podium in Sochi. Until then we need to stay concentrated in order to win in the end.”

#102 – Nasser Al-Attiyah (Q), 1st place leg / 2nd place overall
“Today’s special stage was again marked by speed but despite these many flat-out passages it was extremely demanding in terms of navigation. The teamwork with my co-driver Timo Gottschalk was simply fantastic. If the communication and quality of our work is like this at the ‘Dakar’ too we’ll have good chances of winning it in the end.”

#104 – Mark Miller (USA), 3rd place leg / 3rd place overall
“A few tricky things had to be mastered today. For one, visibility was more difficult because we were driving in the direction of the rising sun and were dazzled by the glare. It was definitely no easy feat to properly judge the many directional changes and intersections but my co-driver Ralph Pitchford did a perfect job today. Now we’ve found our rhythm and can immediately bring our performance to bear.”
Number of the day
For the Volkswagen service crew with its MAN trucks and Multivans the seventh leg featured the so far longest route with 659.86 km some of which included poor and narrow roads. In total, the support convoy will cover 3,895 kilometres between St. Petersburg and Sochi. The trip from and to Germany will add about another 3,350 kilometres.
Results
Standings after leg 07, Elista (RUS)–Maykop (RUS); 347/791 km SS 07/total
Pos. Team, Fahrzeug, leg 07, Gesamtzeit
1 Carlos Sainz/Lucas Cruz (E/E), Volkswagen Race Touareg 3, 2h 50m 35s (2), 19h 22.39s
2 Nasser Al-Attiyah/Timo Gottschalk (Q/D), Volkswagen Race Touareg 2, 2h 49m 03s (1), + 11m 16s
3 Mark Miller/Ralph Pitchford (USA/ZA), Volkswagen Race Touareg 2, 2h 53m 14s (3), + 42m 01s
4 Alexander Mironenko/Sergey Lebedev (RUS/RUS), Nissan Frontier, 3h 23m 42s (4), + 4h 48m09s
5 Matthias Kahle/Thomas Schünemann (D/D), SMG Buggy, 4h 59m 48s (24), + 6h 47m 00s
6 Binyamin Dzhepaev/Alexey Kuzmich (RUS/RUS), UAZ Pickup, 3h 59m 18s (11), + 7h 08m 22s
7 Frédéric Chavigny/Jean Brucy (F/F), Nissan Pathfinder, 4h 00m 19s (12), + 7h 10m 45s
8 Benediktas Vanagas/Saulius Jurgelenas (LT/LT), OSC Oscar, 3h 43m 18s (7), + 9h 00m 41s
9 Alexey Berkut/Konstantin Mescheryakov (RUS/RUS), Mitsubishi Pajero, 3h 29m 10s (5), + 9h 16m 23s
10 Raz Heymann/Hillel Segal (IL/IL), Mitsubishi Pajero, 3h 44m 34s (8), + 9h 25m 49s

Coming up …
Saturday, 18 September: leg 08, Maykop (RUS)–Sochi (RUS) in brief: stony riverbeds, up to 50 cm deep; many river crossings
The Silk Way Rally on TV
Saturday, 18 September 2010
00.00–00.15, Eurosport, Silk Way Rally, summary, leg 7
08.30–08.45, Eurosport, Silk Way Rally, summary, leg 7 (rerun)
23.00–23.15, Eurosport, Silk Way Rally, summary, leg 8

Monday, 20 September 2010
01.00–01.15, Eurosport Silk Way Rally, summary, leg 8 (rerun)

Additional reports on the news and sports programmes of TV channel n-tv from 18.00 hrs.

Wolfsburg (16 September 2010). The Volkswagen “Dakar” duos decided the sixth leg of the Silk Way Rally through Russia in their favour by clinching another one-two-three exploit. Nasser Al-Attiyah/Timo Gottschalk (Q/D) celebrated their first stage win at the “Dakar” dress rehearsal. Their team colleagues Mark Miller/Ralph Pitchford (USA/ZA) confirmed their third position overall by setting the second-fastest time. The front runners of the rally, Carlos Sainz/Lucas Cruz (E/E), defended a major portion of their overall advantage. All three Volkswagen Race Touareg vehicles contested the 389.05-kilometre special stage featuring varied terrain with just small gaps between them. Navigating differences were the only crucial factor. Two days before the end of the Silk Way Rally Sainz/Cruz are leading overall with an advantage of 12m 48s ahead of Al-Attiyah/Gottschalk. Miller/Pitchford are following in third place with another 26m 34s-gap.

The route of the Silk Way Rally’s sixth leg led from Astrakhan to the multi-cultural town of Elista in the Russian republic of Kalmykia. On the way to the chess metropolis where the board game is a mandatory subject for school children and which is colloquially called “The Sandy One” steppe sections with tricky navigation and passages with soft, sandy soil were on the agenda.
Kris Nissen (Volkswagen Motorsport Director)
“A perfect day for Volkswagen. Our three Race Touareg crews perfectly tackled a tough day with good teamwork. Congratulations from me to Nasser Al-Attiyah and Timo Gottschalk, who worked as team players and skilfully clinched the stage win as well. All Race Touareg vehicles were again running like clockwork – and with respect to the Dakar Rally that’s the most important piece of information.”

#100 – Carlos Sainz (E), 3rd place leg / 1st place overall
“An interesting day for all Volkswagen duos. After a few kilometres as the first vehicle on the route we didn’t immediately use the right branch-off. This cost us some time and Mark Miller was able to catch up with us. Nasser Al-Attiyah, as well, had come close to us due to some navigation details, so we largely contested the stage together. Thanks to a good time cushion in the overall standings we can tackle the next two days with confidence, albeit with due caution: in this motorsport discipline you never know what may still be in store.”

#102 – Nasser Al-Attiyah (Q), 1st place leg / 2nd place overall
“Today was like a birthday for me. Everything seemed to be working in my favour this time – and this leg was the gift. It suited me and my co-driver Timo Gottschalk straight from the start. It was important for us to have finally clinched a stage win too. Since we were the third duo to go out on the track we carried some additional spare parts for all three Race Touareg vehicles just in case. We won’t need to haul this additional weight tomorrow because we’ll be opening the course. I’m looking forward to that. Maybe we’ll be able to make up some more time.”

#104 – Mark Miller (USA), 2nd place leg / 3rd place overall
“After just a few kilometres we came up to Carlos Sainz who had apparently gotten lost. From then on we kept staying close to him. The lead only changed between us due to a different choice of route. It was a nice leg with many great impressions of the country and the people.”
Number of the day
During the Silk Way Rally the Volkswagen team carries 402 aluminium transport boxes for spare parts and equipment. Each Race Touareg has its own service truck assigned to it for spare parts supply and garage equipment.
Results

Standings after leg 06, Astrakhan (RUS)–Elista (RUS); 389/494 km SS 06/total

Pos., Team, Vehicle, Leg 06, Total time
1 Carlos Sainz/Lucas Cruz (E/E), Volkswagen Race Touareg 3, 3h 47m 28s (3), 16h 32m04s
2 Nasser Al-Attiyah/Timo Gottschalk (Q/D), Volkswagen Race Touareg 2, 3h 44m 35s (1) + 12m 48s
3 Mark Miller/Ralph Pitchford (USA/ZA), Volkswagen Race Touareg 2, 3h 45m 36s (2) + 39m 22s
4 Alexander Mironenko/Sergey Lebedev (RUS/RUS), Nissan Frontier, 4h 38m 51s (7) + 4h 15m 02s
5 Matthias Kahle/Thomas Schünemann (D/D), SMG Buggy, 5h 13m 05s (12) + 4h 37m 47s
6 Ilya Kuznetsov/Andrey Neshin (RUS/RUS), Mitsubishi L201, 4h 37m 26s (6) + 5h 02m 57s
7 Binyamin Dzhepaev/Alexey Kuzmich (RUS/RUS), UAZ Pickup, 5h 15m 56s (13) + 5h 59m 39s
8 Frédéric Chavigny/Jean Brucy (F/F), Nissan Pathfinder, 5h 08m 47s (11) + 6h 01m 01s
9 Bogdan Novitsky/Vitaly Evtekhov (UA/UA), Nissan Pickup, 4h 34m 38s (4) + 6h 55m 30s
10 Benediktas Vanagas/Saulius Jurgelenas (LT/LT), OSC Oscar, 4h 48m 49s (8) + 8h 07m 58s

Coming up …

Friday, 17 September: leg 07, Elista (RUS)–Maykop (RUS) in brief: 50% steppe; 30% hard/sandy; 20% farm roads
The Silk Way Rally on TV
Thursday, 16 September 2010
23.55–00.10 Eurosport Silk Way Rally, summary, leg 6

Friday, 17 September 2010
08.35–08.45 Eurosport Silk Way Rally, summary, leg 6 (rerun)

Saturday, 18 September 2010
00.00–00.15 Eurosport Silk Way Rally, summary, leg 7
08.30–08.45 Eurosport Silk Way Rally, summary, leg 7 (rerun)
23.00–23.15 Eurosport Silk Way Rally, summary, leg 8

Additional reports on the news and sports programmes of TV channel n-tv from 18.00 hrs.

One-two-three victory for Volkswagen: Carlos Sainz wins Silk Way Rally

Carlos Sainz/Lucas Cruz, Volkswagen Motorsport Director Kris Nissen

Carlos Sainz

The fourth Volkswagen pairing, Nasser Al-Attiyah/Timo Gottschalk (Q/D), had been fighting a close duel with Sainz/Cruz and was leading the rally up to the eighth leg. After a roll-over, which both survived unharmed, they did not start to the ninth leg any more. The final leg, which was not held as a special stage, was opened by the presidents of the three hosting countries, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, the President of Turkmenistan, Dmitri Medwedew, the President of Russia, and Nursultan Nasarbajew, the President of Kazakhstan.

Kris Nissen (Volkswagen Motorsport Director)

“The ‘Dakar’ dress rehearsal was successful: The Race Touareg vehicles were running with absolute reliability, our drivers and co-drivers delivered a close competition and the service crew did a perfect job. Long stages, dust and heat put the entire team to a tough test. There’s no better way to prepare. My thanks also go to the organisers and the hosts who created a competition that was well-organised and marked by a high sporting level. Volkswagen is perfectly prepared to tackle the ‘title defence project’ at the Dakar Rally in January 2010.”

#100 – Giniel de Villiers (ZA), 3rd place overall

“We had a good rally week. For Dirk and me, it was particularly important to get used to working in the cockpit after such a long break – the ‘Dakar’ in January was our last competition. At the beginning we had a bit of a problem getting back into the swing of things, but during the second half of the rally we found the right pace. I’m very optimistic as far as the ‘Dakar’ is concerned, we’re well prepared. I enjoyed the Silk Way Rally, it was well organised and a real change.”

#100 – Dirk von Zitzewitz (D), co-driver, 3rd place overall

“The rally was a great experience and a very good test for the whole team. I’m very confident for the ‘Dakar’. I really respect the organisers; they did a good job with this rally that was a nice as well as a difficult event. We received a very warm welcome in Russia, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan and I would be happy if this rally were staged again next year.”

#101 – Carlos Sainz (E), 1st place overall

“My assessment of this rally is completely positive. Our car was running perfectly, the whole squad did an outstanding job, and it was also a long and tough event. The pace was very high throughout and the duel with Nasser and Timo was really good fun. It’s a shame that they were unlucky in the end and had to retire; they would have deserved victory as well. Our prospects of again competing for victory at the Dakar Rally in January are good.”

#101 – Lucas Cruz (E), co-driver, 1st place overall

“The navigators had a difficult job at the Silk Way Rally: Unlike at the ‘Dakar’ where the motorcycles start in front of us, we often had no orientation at all as the first vehicle out on the course. What’s more, the pace was very high and there was very little time to make decisions on the special stages with the many small branch-offs. Of course I’m happy about our victory, but the fact that the whole squad was able to get attuned to the ‘Dakar’ in an optimal manner is a lot more important.”

Mark Miller

#103 – Mark Miller (USA), 2nd place overall

“The rally really helped us to prepare for the ‘Dakar’. Ralph and I learned a lot about good teamwork in difficult situations. On three or four days, a lot more would probably have been possible for us, we’ll reflect on that again afterwards. In addition, for me as an American, it was a very special experience being able to explore these countries that were a taboo just a few years ago.”

#103 – Ralph Pitchford (ZA), co-driver, 3rd place overall

“Driving the Silk Way Rally was absolutely the right thing to do. There’s no better way to prepare for the ‘Dakar’ than in a competition in unknown territory. We can definitely be pleased with our result. Mark did a very good job of driving; the navigation problems were a bit frustrating at times. Nevertheless, ‘well done’ to the organisers; it was a very good rally.”

#104 – Nasser Al-Attiyah (Q), retired

“Of course we’re disappointed about retiring so close to the finish, but these things can happen in rally racing. I was impressed with how positively the squad received us afterwards. I really feel at home with Volkswagen, Timo and I grew together as a team. That was our major goal and we achieved it. We’re ready for the ‘Dakar.’”

#104 – Timo Gottschalk (D), retired

“We fought a great duel with Carlos and Lucas and led the rally for a long time. I feel particularly sorry for the team, which did a great job day by day, that we didn’t quite make it in the end. But we proved that we’re serious contenders. Our time will come.”

Provisional final standings Silk Way Rally

Pos., Team, Vehicle, Total time

1 Carlos Sainz/Lucas Cruz (E/E), Volkswagen Race Touareg 2, 24h 12m 21s

2 Mark Miller/Ralph Pitchford (USA/ZA), Volkswagen Race Touareg 2, +21 m 52s

3 Giniel de Villiers/Dirk von Zitzewitz (ZA/D), Volkswagen Race Touareg 2, +28 m 09s

4 Ruslan Misikov/Konstantin Zhiltsov (RUS/RUS), Nissan, +4h 44m 04s

5 Ilya Kuznetsov/ Andrey Neshin (RUS/RUS), Mitsubishi, +5h 23m 30s

6 Maris Saukans/Didzis Zarnis (LV/LV), OSC, +6h 06m 56s

7 Alexey Berkut/Konstantin Meshcheryakov (RUS/RUS), Mitsubishi, +6h 12m 25s

8 Benediktas Vanagas/Saulius Jurgelenas (LT/LT), OSC, +6h 26m 11s

9 Raz Heymann/Hillel Segal (ISR/ISR), Mitsubishi, +8h 17m3 5s

10 Bodgan Novytskyi/Iurii Kondratiiev (UKR/UKR), Mitsubishi, +10h 20m 01s

Links:    Volkswagen Motorsport –    Silk Way Rally –     YouTube Videos

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