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On the track of ancient caravans

Stage 6. Turkmenbashy - Balkanabat. Turn to the East.

Our story about a rally-raid «the Silk Road - 2009» -a series "Dakar" goes on. At the previous - the fifth stage - the road crosses Kazakh-Turkmen border and runs through the territory of our country to the finish in Ashgabat. The sixth stage will take off on September, 11th from Turkmenbashy and will finish in the evening at the same day in Balkanabat. For some reasons this stage is named as critical. Starting from it, after a five-day driving strictly to the south, the participants will change their direction to the east. Ahead there is the most difficult part of the route: crews have to cross one of the greatest deserts of the world, there is only a sand blanket for three days till the finish. The fiercest struggle for the victory will burst out exactly on the heated sand of the Kara-Kum.



If throughout the first five stages the rally-raid partially repeated the Gold Trading Way once connecting the Scandinavian kingdoms with Persia, but starting from the sixth stage, the route will run in those places where earlier the system of caravan communications connecting Europe and Asia lay, - the Great Silk Road. About 700 years ago Venetian traveller Marco Polo has brilliantly described the adventures of brave earliest explores that were searching for the unknown countries and treasures. At times desperate wanderers travelled more than one year, straying from nomads, overcoming arid deserts and sandy storms. For modern «conquerors of deserts» - participants of rally-raid - the travel on the legendary Silk Road promises to be not less easy.

Comparing with others the sixth stage of rally-raid is not so long. The length of the special area will make up about 360 km. It is interesting that the distance between the start and the finish - Turkmenbashy and Balkanabat - makes about 150 km. This rather short driving between cities is very convenient for service commands. After all during rally-raids technicians have more difficulties than racing crews. They overcome almost the same route as the racers and use roundabout ways. It happens that the driving of assistance appears twice longer, than the basic route of participants. Besides the mechanics have to arrive to the point of destination earlier. Moreover, having overcome the next stage, pilots and navigators go to sleep at once (otherwise in couple of days they won’t be able to continue the race) and the mechanics have to repair the car all night long. And the next day - on the way again!.. Owing to a short linking on the sixth stage, service commands can relax a little. However, despite a small distance, the cars of assistance nevertheless should overcome a number of difficulties: roads with a stony covering, sometimes solid stones, and hot asphalt - severe test for tyre covers of heavy trucks.


It is difficult to tell, how the organizers will wind the route of the sixth stage, but proceeding from that, the special area exceeds twice the distance between start and finish, it is possible to guess that it is something like a semicircle. Judging by the description given by the organizers, at the sixth stage the first serious contact between the participants and the sand of Kara - Kum will take place. This day crews are to spent some kind of developing attack - to make a throw in the depth of sand and then to return back. Owing to it they can test the full features of local sand, better learn the character of the Kara-Kum and be ready for the next day when sportsmen have to cross the desert from the West to the East.

At the sixth stage crew will face hard sandy roads (it is comparatively a little) and sandy roads of unstableness. The half of the route is dunes, sandy mountains and runs where it is hard to drive. This day the rally-raid will also cross a zone of continuous saline soils, in some places with shell rocks. This area will surprise with fairy-like mirages. In the afternoon the surface of saline soils sparkles with all shades of white under strong sunbeams and bright, repeatedly reflected light is so saturated and material, it seems that it can be touched. However besides the spectacular sight, saline soils will bring some additional complexities and danger to the race. Its flat surface under a sick layer hides huge cavities filled with never drying brine of sodium chloride. It is necessary to follow strictly the direction of the “road-book” and not to make mistakes in navigation, and a thin layer of saline soils in some areas won’t stand the slightest deviation from the route and as the result a car can sink into the black quagmire. And it is very difficult to get out.


In a word, the sixth stage in the spirit of the best “ Dakar ” races will bring many emotions and the participants will remember it. Ahead there are last two decisive stages that will bring changes to the formed alignment of forces. It is necessary for leaders to keep their positions and the others can have a chance for the victory. Considering all the complexities of the route it is quite possible to assume that after first six stages the race string of cars will considerably lessen. And only the most skilled (and in a certain extent lucky) crews, having overcome all the difficulties of the road can struggle for the victory or at least for the possibility to finish in Ashgabat.

In general, the pilots of the cars starting from “ Dakar ” – are mainly the masters of high level (even the pilots that take part in “ Dakar ” for the first time, as the rule have considerable racing skills). But often even racers who drive with more rapid race can withdraw from the race early, and slower cars at first sight continue the struggle. One of the components of the success is certainly a reliable and strong car. It has to sustain enormous load and guarantee safety in case of accident. Technical equipment will undergo difficult examinations, a test of endurance in the most extreme conditions that racing automobile sport offers.

However a good car is not enough. Inexperienced pilot can already break a high-class car on the first stage. And so skill and at least some experience in rally-raids are not less important than a good car. In a certain degree racers have to grow heated, however this character fails the beginning racers of “ Dakar ”. It is difficult not to grow heated when tearing along the cross-country, jumping and at full speed driving on a narrow road along steeps and still another car outruns!



There is a golden rule in the rally-raid - not to drive hard! Following the rule, even inexperienced racers can have success. Certainly, one shouldn’t take the rule literally, it just means that on races along off roads besides the speed, tactic plays the main key. The veterans of “ Dakar ” can foresee dangerous places on the route and drop the speed and pass the difficult area and traps more carefully, after all in the rally-raid the main thing is not just to drive fast but also to manage to reach the finish. Beginners, as the rule, dashingly drive on the route in some places overtaking experienced drivers. But at such driving even the fastest response isn’t enough to evade the traps: cars crash against the rocks and fly in gullies. By the result of one stage such racers can take the lead over the veterans for some time, but these momentary victories are very hard for a car: it gradually accumulate damages, losses speed and won minutes later on overwhelmed in penal hours. Sooner or later the broken car will simply fail - as a result the end of the race! The veterans always set the rate of the race, they drive quickly enough, but do not ask for trouble and take care of the car. It is enough for amateurs to follow them and keep the golden mean between the speed and the care, not to make mistakes and it will be possible to come nearer the leaders owing to quitting participants.