VW Race Touareg 2

Central Europe Rally - Introduction

Following the cancellation of the 2008 Dakar for safety reasons, the organisers, A.S.O., had to cope with the challenge represented by organising a replacement event in just a few weeks. A replacement event that had what it takes to represent a true alternative. Still, organiser Szalay Balázs successfully overcame numerous handicaps, in this short period of time and hence, drivers, teams and spectators may now look forward for the 2008 Central Europe Rally, held from 20th to 26th April, 2008.

As the event starting in Budapest also will be contested by five VW Race Touareg II, our web presence will feature short reports of every leg.

The entrants will face a tough programme: day by day, they will have to contest one or two special stages with distances between 60 and 170 kilometres and representing tough tests for the motorbike, car and truck drivers. Romania features particularly demanding circuits with many tight corners and in Hungary, the entrants will have to cope with dense woods and wide plains.

With a total mileage of some 3,000 kilometres and 1,500 special-stage kilometres contested, the field will arrive - hopefully as complete as possible - at Lake Balaton. The event will be contested by some 110 motorbikes, 70 cars and 37 trucks that will be raced by the planet's best adventure drivers. Quite obviously, the Volkswagen drivers have executed an extensive preparation programme and the cars will prove what they could have achieved in the Dakar. Therefore, Dieter Depping/Timo Gottschalk, Mark Miller/Ralph Pitchford, Giniel de Villiers/Dirk von Zitzewitz, Carlos Sousa/Andreas Schulz and Carlos Sainz/Michel Périn are among the favourites.
The competition will be thrilling.

Should you be interested in getting an impression of the action we recommend to visit the organiser's website that also will bring daily video round-ups with English commentary.

Leg 1 »

More Dakar Messages [2008]

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