Stage 8. Exhausting and dangerous.

The bivouac where assistance spent this day waiting for crews, settled down in one of the most fertile places in Mauritania: in this area there are 27 oases that area constitutes 22% of the country's oases. Besides, there is Bin Amir's monolith, the third largest in the world and the local scenery looks really monumental and severe. Sand, stones, pebble and camelthorn. Today competitors had a very difficult stage.

Already yesterday the considerable quantity of crews returned very late from the route, today in the middle of the day the helicopter brought on a bivouac victims – the motorcyclist and the crew, holding the fourth place in classification yesterday, jumped from a dune; then there was news that Tomecek’s assistance car moved forward the track, our crews also told that the special stage was very hard.

 Anton Shibalov, pilot of the crew 401: "From last days this stage seemed to me the most exhausting. At first there were sands quite difficult, then at some point we managed to size up the situation and to go round a dangerous site, there was a serious funnel, I left the car specially to look where it is possible to go further, rose on one dune, on the second and having seen greens, decided that there are no such puffed dunes. We moved to a detour, some jeeps joined us. So, by column, we returned to dunes, but they were not such difficult any more. It was not so easy, but it is normal. It was possible, probably, to choose shorter and quicker way but we preferred reliability. Then off road terrain began, about 40 km. At first we were together with jeeps, but they looped much, it was simpler to us to straighten hummocks with a camelthorn . Average speed was about 30 km/h, we passed this area about one and a half hours, there was no speed, time hanged heavy. It seemed there was no danger, but very rigid place. Then it was already easier, rigid roads, soft, stony, we damaged a wheel, replaced but soon we damaged the second one, but didn't change it, reached the finish line like this."

 Anton Grigorov, the pilot of the crew 212 who broke all high-speed records today and lost on the way a wing of the car: "We saw KAMAZ almost all the way. In one place we joined ours, then moved by the whole caravan, the helicopter was filming this show! There were a lot of hummocks of very big size; we shook out all our brains. And when we drove on the areas of wide steps where there was flood, we didn't see traces of KAMAZ up to 10 meters – it means that they flew by 10 meters after each step! When straight road began we decided that if we keep more than 150 km/h, we will show excellent time. There were fantastic speeds - 150, 179, 186!"

 Anastasia Nifontova alone conquering very long sections about whom Elisabete Jasinto told that she is the unique racer: "It seems that motorcyclists can pass between hummocks, but everyone received his dose of difficulties. Today I passed all roads on feet, it is very bad for my back. Today I was not caught up by KAMAZ till the finish. I felt even lonely. Moreover yesterday something happened to me, I forgot to take with me a route from the finish to a bivouac, I drive to the settlement, and I understand that I don't know where to go!"

 Maris Saukans, the navigator of the crew 212, the kindest and responsible person on the race who will not leave anybody without help: "Hummocks were during an hour and a half! We jump, jump, jump, jump, think, for KAMAZ trucks it will be not so easy, they drove directly. It is pleasant to look at KAMAZ crews; they go intelligently, this is their main difference."

 Alexander Kupriyanov, navigator of the crew 404: "Today we felt surprisingly calm. To the 52nd kilometer we already caught up with Tomecek, just before entering to the dunes. At first about 10 kilometers there were not really difficult dunes, then heavy sand began. Dunes were directed in different directions, they were asymmetric today, absolutely sudden cliff could arise from any side, funnels were very steep and narrow if to get in such funnel, it will be impossible to get out. The exit from dunes was in the "Astrakhan" hummocky. These 38 kilometers "on the moon" seems not dangerous, but they are very exhausting. The islands, overgrown with grass, located very closely to each other and they are high, it is very difficult to KAMAZ there. There were constantly these bumps under wheels! We passed these 38 km about one and a half hours. In general the special stage today is interesting, various, there are high speed sections, dunes, both more difficult, and easier, and long distances alternate with short references and it is important to miss nothing. Pilots got their fill of it today. This is not only physically, but emotionally it is also very exhausting."

 Tomecek wasn't lucky today, in dunes he beaded two right wheels and couldn't lift the car, as a result lost 3,5 hours. In overall standings buggies lead, they have a distinct advantage over jeeps in Mauritian sand: they are lighter and the suspension travel is almost twice bigger. Tomorrow the special stage will be shorter by nearly seventy kilometers (366 km), but the knowing people promise again difficult day.

stage results

overall standings