Five crews represent Kazakhstan at Africa Eco Race-2015

Five crews are representing Kazakhstan at Africa Eco Race-2015, Tengrinews reports citing Vesti.kz. The event started with administrative and technical procedures on December 28, 2014 in French Saint Cyprien. The race itself starts today.

President of Kazakhstan Automotosport Federation Marat Abykayev and his navigator Andrey Chipenko will drive Nissan Patrol in T2 class (all-terrain vehicles with small difference from production models). Kazakhstan’s Andrei Cherednikov and Dmitriy Tsyro will drive Hummer H3 in T1 class (significantly modified all-terrain vehicles). The racers represent Off Road Kazakhstan team.

Kanat Shagirov and Aleksandr Moroz on Toyota Hilux Overdrive and Yuriy Sazonov along with Arslan Sakhimov on Hummer H3 will race in the same class. Both crews along with an Ukrainian biker capped for Kazakhstan Vadim Pritulyak represent Mobilex Racing Team. 

“The team and crew members are the same. Nothing has changed. We had a year of preparation, the entire championship, and ten stages. Now our goals and ambitions have become higher. Our task is to be in Top 5. We are prepared emotionally, technically and physically. We are here not just to race or learn, but to win. As organizers say, the area of the race has remained the same, but all the racing tracks have changed. There will be no last year’s tracks, that is, all routes will be new. More sand, more dunes, and no less gravel that is very difficult to ride on, we have to take three spare wheels. Therefore, the race will be interesting and unforgettable,” Kazakhstan’s racer, one of the members of Mobilex Racing Team Yuriy Sazonov said about the race.

All four offroad vehicles will start next to each other: Shagirov - Moroz got the 215th starting number, Sazonov – Sakhimov – got 216, Abykayev - Chipenko –  №217, Cherednikov – Tsyro – №218 and Vadim Pritulyak will start 104th.

After the administrative and technical checks, as well as the opening ceremony, the racers will go to Spain on a ferry and then, drive through Spain, Morocco, Mauritania and Senegal. Racers will have to overcome 12 stages of a total length of 6337 kilometers, 3430 kilometers of the route will be in special sections. The ceremonial finish will take place on January 11, 2015 at Lake Retba in Dakar (Senegal).

Africa Eco Race is an annual rally raid organized in Northern Africa. This rally gives special attention to environmental security and sustainable development. In addition to the sports, the rally aims to put emphasis on individual awareness about eco-responsibility.

Bivouacs are chosen far from cities and airport tarmac, competitors find themselves in the desert, far from everything, left to themselves. Mutual aid, solidarity and friendliness are the words that come up in the mouths of those who lived through that adventure.

Here is 2015 edition teaser:

By Assel Satubaldina