There were just a few hours of rest after the night stage, as the Breslau continued with two special stages. With no less than 160 kilometers on roadbook across the Polygon the competitors saw everything: from gravel to deep sand, from wide open moorland to tight forests from hard compass navigation to max speed through the tank tracks.
‘Today we should be able to set a fast time,’ says Ronald Schoolderman, who is racing with MArcel Blankestijn in the ORD Toyota. ‘Last night we lost a lot with a note close to the end of the stage, where we could not find a waypoint. Until then we did great, but it takes only one mistake to loose everything.’
The bikes and ATVs started with a shorter but more technical stage near the centre of the Polygon while the SSV’s, Cars and Trucks ventured towards the outer edge of the region, making a big loop on varied terrain. After the service and refuel the second stage was again different for both classes.
Moving the from buggy to the bike, Florian Meier is challenging himself on the Rallye Breslau Poland. ‘Most people go from the bike into the car, but I try it the other way around. It is a different world, with the navigation, the way it impacts your body and since you do everything yourself, there is only one person to blame when you mess up.’
Cezary Woch wins the stage today with his Can AM Maverick X3. ‘It was incredible! The sand, the forest, the speed – next year we don’t just take the Breslau 500 but the full week. It is a fantastic experience, and the first time for us to race a rallyraid.’ He is no slough, flying over the sand and moorland on the Drawsko Polygon.
Romain Porchere from France wins the stage in the Extreme Car class with a strong lead. The young Frenchmen belongs to a group of avid Extreme pilots, who are able to drive almost anything. ‘This is fantastic!’ he says.
Jaroslaw Andrzejewski moved from the extreme class to cross country and takes all his racing knowledge and speed with him. ‘Still, it was tough for us today,’ he says. ‘After the nightstage, with a short time for the service and a short sleep we cannot drive as fast as normally.’ He is fast enough to be the first at the finishline, which should give confidence for the near future.
‘We missed a CP,’ says Guido Neubert, as he arrives at the finishline. ‘It was a risky point for us, and we don’t want to put the 6×6 on the side.’ Racing in the Extreme big truck class with the legendary green Mercedes SK 6×6 ‘the Neuberts’ are fast enough to make up for some lost time in the forthcoming 6 days.
The dust of the nightstage continued well into the day, making the navigation difficult. With many small roads and a thick roadbook full of notes the day was again a challenge for the navigators. ‘We circled and circled,’ says Patrick Silvain. ‘But everyone was there searching for the right track, it was not so easy today!’
Tomorrow on the third day of the Rallye Breslau Poland there will be almost 200 kilometres of sand and forests on the Drawsko Polygon. After a fantastic mass-start there will be another day for the fast navigators, as they have to keep a close eye on the road book in order to fully understand the logic of the stage and find the right way to the finish.
Story: Niels Hatzmann RBI media. Image: Paolo Baraldi RBI