Transsyberia Rally 2008 powered by Sony Ericsson: 14th of August

August 14th, 2007, 11th stage, Darvi – Altay

Injured drivers on the way to recovery

Paul Watson, Neil Hopkinson and Christian Pfeil-Schneider, who were slightly injured in accidents with their Porsche Cayenne Transsyberia are, according to the accompanying German team of doctors, in good condition. The three drivers have left the hospital in Khovd, and are already staying at a hotel in Ulan-Baatar. "They are doing well. The injuries don't have to be treated any longer.", said the manager of the rescue service, Klaus Spoerl.

The three Porsche pilots had driven their Porsche Cayenne Transsyberia into a dry river bed during the 10th stage, and were injured as a consequence. Pfeil-Schneider's co-driver Claus Vatter had survived the accident uninjured.

Interview with Simon and Matt Garnham, who are in first place right now

"We can win the rally" – Interview with Simon and Matt Garnham, the leaders in the overall classification

Before the rally nobody reckoned that you would be in the lead at the Transsyberia. Why are you so successful?

Simon: For me there are basic things: don't get stuck, don't loose your way, and drive sensibly. To have a fast car, doesn't have to neccessarily be good if you're not driving on asphalt. The Cayennes did great on-road, but now their tires seem to be a huge problem.

Matt: I believe we have a secret weapon in the Toyota Landcruiser. With very good tires. Not once have we had to change a tire. We have been driving with the same four tires since we set off from England.

Please tell me another reason for your success.

Simon: No matter in what kind of surroundings you put us, we will always do well. Even if it looks very difficult, we will try it. When we made first place in the last stage, we didn't see another car behind us for an hour, even though there should have been 30 cars. There was a possibility that we made a mistake and lost our way, but we just kept going.

How did you prepare for the rally?

Simon: In a great hurry.

Matt: We had no experience whatsoever in the off-road area. We got advice from some people, which led to them preparing the car with us.

Simon: A big problem was time. We only had three weeks from the point in time we bought the car until the rally started. When we found the car, we still had to prepare it, and that took another ten days.

Matt: When we got the car back in order to test it, it had just rained in England for 24 hours straight, and we were able to test the car under really difficult conditions. The car endured the test unbelievably well, and it has been running flawless here too.

Who can still become dangerous for you in the remaining three stages?

Matt: Erik Brandenburg and Stephan Preuß in their Porsche 911. They are tremendously fast. It will depend on how hard and difficult the stretch is. A lot will depend on navigation, and if one has done one's homework on the maps.

Do you think you can win the Transsyberia Rally?

Simon: Yes, I think so. It will depend on the routes. The more difficult they are, the better for us. If they are fast stretches, then the Cayennes and the Porsche 911 will have an advantage.

August 14th, 2007, 11th stage; Darvi - Altay: Only 31 vehicles at the start

Two cars are are not operational since yesterday's accident

Today's stage is about 236 miles long, and will be completed without an evaluation test. All teams were at the start this morning, but two vehicles didn't make it through yesterday's test.

The Colombian team # 16 with Christian Pfeil-Schneider and Claus Vatter (Team Colombian Arrow), as well as Paul Watson and Neil Hopkinson (team #19, Australia/Team Great Britain), damaged their vehicles heavily when they drove into a river bed with more speed than was advisable in these conditions. Luckily the pilots were only slightly injured during this fall, and were examined in the hospital just to be sure. Both vehicles however cannot be repaired on site within the time frame which would enable them to continue to participate in the rally. The drivers and co-drivers will be taken to the rally's destination, Ulaanbaatar, by airplane. The Australian Dave Morley was replaced yesterday morning by the British Hopkinson due to illness.