By Georgy Shablyuk
“We are happy with the team results. It has been the third year we have participated in Dakar. During the first year our best result was 31st place, the next year our best result was 21st place, while this year our best result is at the turn of the first and second, 10 places higher. We have progressed year on year at these competitions, rising ten places,” said the head of the team MAZ-SPORTavto, Valery Kozlovsky, at a briefing.
The team gave itself the task to getting into the top 20. “One year ago, we were close to this result, and this time Sergey Vyazovich’s crew took the 11th position. It is a more than worthy performance. Therefore, we can say that the team fulfilled its task. At some stages, our crew showed very good results, getting into the first ten. On one of the intermediate stages, the Vyazovich crew was even first,” said Mr. Kozlovsky.
As he said, the team has serious potential for development. “The whole season lies ahead of us, during which we should correct areas which impede our progress. Besides, the crew will also gain additional experience and I am sure that next year, the team will please fans with an even more persistent struggle against the leaders, and with even better results. I hope that success will not be long in coming,” the Head of the team summed up.
The pilot of the MAZ-SPORTavto team, Sergey Vyazovich is happy with his crew’s final 11th place. “We counted on a result close to top 10, but it is always difficult to make plans before the start. We achieved a desirable result. However, I am sure that it is not the maximum we can achieve, and the team will aspire to rise higher in the league standings at future competitions. Quite often, we were in the top 10 of the best at separate stages of the rally, probably, we did not maximise our potential. But if we progress, as we have been doing it during these three years, at Dakar-2015, we will be serious competitors for the leadership of the race,” noted the driver.
