Schwarz/Schulz gain third daily victory - Team Middle East takes over the lead in the overall standings

Part one: 549 km
Special stage: 78 km
Part two: 85 km

The sixth stage of the Transsyberia Rally 2008 powered by Sony Ericsson began in Omsk and proceeded across almost 700 kilometers to Novosibirsk.

For a second time in a row and a third time within the Transsyberia Rally 2008 powered by Sony Ericsson Team Germany 1 was the fastest en route. In 51:21 minutes Armin Schwarz and Andreas Schulz hightailed to victory. With the collaboration of his navigator, the former European Rally Champion Schwarz gave himself a nice present for his 45th birthday today. The French Christian Lavieille and Francois Borsotto made the second place with a lag of four minutes and now also moved into second in the overall standings. The native Team Porsche Russia 1 came in third near the large city of Novosibirsk.

The new leaders in the overall standings, Said Rashid Al Hajri and Tim Trenker from Team Middle East experienced a few exciting moments, after crossing the finish-line and the 4th place in the daily standings. “We knew we’d been really fast and that we’d performed great and we expressed our happiness about it too. At the finish-line checkpoint we were supposed to have our board card stamped, but we couldn’t find it. We turned the entire car upside down. Nothing. Then Tim dismantled his baseboard: the card had fallen into a little crevice behind it. Fortunately we have it again and can now tackle the missions in Mongolia as the leaders”, Said Rashid Al Hajri described the situation excitedly.

Regrettably Team Italia had to retire from the Transsyberia Rally 2008 powered by Sony Ericsson today. During a maneuver in the first part of the stretch, their vehicle smashed into a bump. The force on his body was so strong that he injured a vertebra. At the moment, Antonio Tognana is in an airbed at the team hotel, and will be flown to Italy tomorrow together with his co-driver Carlo Cassina, who remained unharmed.

For this reason, the program for the upcoming stage will be changed. The special test has been canceled, since the rally’s physician will be attending to the injured Italian until the transfer to the airplane and wouldn’t be able to be back in time for the evaluation test. The seventh stage from Novosibirsk to Kosh Agash will therefore be a clear transfer stage. Near the Mongolian border, the teams will be spending the night outside for the first time during the Transsyberia Rally 2008 powered by Sony Ericsson.



Daily and overall standings.