‘Already on the first page, I missed a turn!’ says Oliver Schwanke, codriver of Hartmut Moebus. ‘The roadbook is really good, but we have to adjust to it, and you cannot afford to miss a point.’ This is Breslau, a true off-road challenge with a strong emphasis on navigation. No prologue, but a first stage of 175 km, divided in two specials for the bikes and quads and one long special of 134 km for the side-by-sides, cars and trucks.
Around Miastko the forests and fields are dry and the sandy tracks form a myriad in which anyone can get lost. The first stage near Dretyn started close to the bivouac, allowing the teams to dive into the competition. Beautiful as they are, the forests are tight and dense, so the organiser has chosen to allow a lot of time between each vehicle to reduce the need for overtaking.
Exclusively for the bikes and quads was the second stage of the day, a very fast and sinuous 75 km special around Dobrociechy. A complete change of scenery and terrain, much more spacious tracks allowing for high speeds and fantastic riding. Winner of the bike and quad category is Alexsander Piorczynski on his Renegade, racing in his backyard. ‘I am from Miastko, tonight I will eat with my family and tomorrow I will race again!’
‘I haven’t had so much fun on the bike in a long time!’ says Sascha Christoph (30), He races his AJP PR7, a 650cc adventure bike. ‘The roadbook today was fantastic, every image perfectly drawn and at the correct distance. And the route.. it just had everything from gnarly technical sections to long straights and high speed riding. Wow!’
A surprise comes from the Car Cross Country category, where Michael Weimer and Christof Trausch are able to secure their first stage win this year and the first place in the starting order for tomorrow. With 15 seconds ahead of Frank Stensky the hunt is open. Gregorz Brochocky finishes third today with his Dacia Duster ‘proto’, with less than 1 minute behind Michael Weimer.
‘I think we will sell the MAN KAT,’ says Robert Striebe at the finish line, after his first stage in the fast Dakar MAN. His smile shows the pleasure of racing a big truck on a tight and small stage such as the one today. Known to be technical and fast driver, his ability to reach these speeds in such a dense and tight forests gives an insight into what might come from this enthusiastic team.
Today a rookie wins the stage in the Extreme Class. André Kuijt and Niels Vaandrager are able to secure their first stage-win on the first racing day of their new car. ‘I cannot believe it!’ says André with a big smile. ‘We managed to beat Jim Marsden and Franck Daurelle! We really pushed the car and were able to cross the swamps and special sections for our class. Wow!’
‘Our goal is to improve the rally every year,’ says Alexander Kovatchev. ‘And with the help of the local government we have been able to open new territories, create new routes and add quality to our facilities. As for the race, the navigation has always been part of the typical ‘Breslau’ competition. If you cannot find the way, go slower until you can. When you’ve learned this trick, your speed will increase again!’
Tomorrow is the big day for the Breslau 500 and the start of the Rallye Breslau Poland. With three special stages including one night stage and a new bivouac, the teams will be busy all day long – racing, moving camp, and racing again!
Track description
Can you imagine a three day rally in the Pomeranian landscape of forests and lakes? The first day of the Breslau 500 offers a beautiful insight into Northern Polands’ fantastic landscapes. Sand and forest tracks, the smell of pine trees and the incredible alternation of open and closed spaces. Here the tracks follow open roads, along small villages and logging tracks. For Cross Country and Extreme separate road books have been written, and within Cross Country the bikes and ATV’s have a different route from SSV, Cars and Trucks.
Cross Country:
ENDURO / ATV:
Two stages open the Breslau 500 today, a loop from Dretyn to Kawcze, a refueling and a second loop from Dobrociechy to Bobolice. Riding ‘alone’ means no SSV’s, Cars or Trucks on the same track, a unique feature created for the motorbike and ATV riders on the Breslau 500!
SS 1 – Dretyn – Kawcze 101,92km
Starting with dense forests the track opens up after the first 20 km for beautiful views and smaller tracks along the fields. Passing lake Kwisno, the track loops around Trzcinno and finishes on the banks of the Studnica river near Kawcze. Navigation will at times be difficult, as the competitors ride loops inside loops – you cannot follow the one in front of you, you have to make your own choices!
SS 2 – Dobrociechy – Bobolice 73,27km
After refuelling on the liaison, the second stage loops around Bobolice, west of Dretyn. Starting in open fields the stage runs through a different landscape, with better visibility and long straight until Drzewiany. After passing this small village the competitors disappear into the forests, until they cross the fields towards the finish at Bobolice.
CAR / TRUCK / SSV
SS 1 – Dretyn – Trzcinno 134,14km
Lakes and forest… the side by sides cars, trucks and make a big loop from Dretyn to Trzcinno, with alternating forests, fields and open spaces. A beautiful view of the northern region of Poland, a landscape with such a small scale that navigation can be difficult and rewarding at the same time. Passing Obrowo to the most western point near Szydlice, the route passes along the lake Zielonka, before heading northwest to lake Kwisno Duze. Completing the loop along Broczyna and Okunino, the track heads east to hook up near the start and finish close to Trzcinno.
Extreme:
SS 1 – Dretyn – Trzcinno 112,88km
Breslau 500 Extreme is one of the few ‘weekend’ trophy style categories, with adventurous driving at its core. Two laps with several challenging sections provide enough to keep the teams busy for a day. Directly after the start the first difficult section starts with a wet forest providing a nice playground for the teams. As the forest opens, field and tight sections alternate with a highlight along the power line hills, offering magnificent views of the region. Driving the riverbanks of the Wieprza close to Bozanka is one of those special experiences, before the track loops around Tursko and passes along the camp before reaching the finish line at Trzcinno.
Text: RBI Media – Niels Hatzmann Photo credit: RBI Media