Once again followed by an enthusiastic and juvenile public, the fourth leg of this
8th Master Rallye finally caused more navigational problems than its trace led to believe, notably on approaching passage control n°6, located at km 316 of the special, slightly before the finish. This famous PC6 caught numerous competitors and all of them, or nearly, laboured between the fields and the tracks to clear a path towards this control located right at the end of the special.
In the motorbike category, the Swede Per-Gunnar Lundmark managed his navigation better than the day before and this time turned about to be the most rapid, signing the scratch, consolidating therefore his first place in the overall ranking. He caught up with Harry Oosting after 120 km (who left before him this morning and remains second in the overall, but who was handicapped during the special by the breakdown of his road-book reader) before leaving him quite easily, accelerating progressively and exulting in the accuracy of the road-book. “I congratulate the organization, it is remarkably well written and true to the reality of the terrain.”
Second in the special, the Portuguese Nuno Santos (KTM) passed through all the PCs with no trouble. “Today, I didn’t have any big problems, except around km 300 where I wasted a little time. Before that I did the first portion of the special very quickly until refuelling. Then I was fairly tired and I therefore decided to adopt a calmer pace, more sure as well. This was only the fourth leg, the rally has a long way to go.” François Flick however had many troubles in reaching the famous PC 6. “A real lunacy, yes! I passed through the zone several times, I wasted at least twenty minutes. Beforehand everything was going well, I was even just behind Schlesser’s wheel from time to time.”
Pilot fish of numerous motorbikes, when they manage to follow his tempo, the Renault buggy of the leader in the overall imposed himself again in this fifth special event, not without “gardening” as well for a few minutes when searching for PC6. Jean-Louis Schlesser even admitted that he had never run such a hard special. In deep conversation with Lundmark at the bivouac, installed in a magnificent site on the banks of the Volga, he is however now 19’24” ahead of Christophe Tinseau (Protruck) in the overall. Tinseau, third in the special, in fact lost almost a quarter of an hour in the beginning of the special stage due to a puncture. But this incident did not in any way temper his enthusiasm for the Master Rallye. “It was excessively hard, but I am ready to set off at once for an identical trace. Physically I am not suffering too much, except for my back, but we drove very well again.
We overtook a bunch of motorcyclists who set off in front of us and particularly we confronted a difficult terrain: there are traces of it on the car! he explained, removing a sheet from his cockpit which has no windscreen.
Behind this duel for the final victory, the very good performance signed by Thierry Magnaldi (T1) must not be overlooked; he succeeded in making second time in the scratch, at 14’15” from Schlesser. He therefore recovers the first place in the category T1 ranking, in front of Strugo (Mercedes), and is
4th in the overall. To explain this display of strength, the former motorcycle officer glanced at his diary. “Today is Monday, therefore there were a lot less people on the edge of the road, less spectators and policemen to indicate the right direction. Your capacity to navigate on your own was therefore a determining factor. Moreover this type of terrain, much less rough than in Africa, is rather more favourable to our Mercedes T1.”
Tomorrow’s programme
For this
5th leg Saratov – Volgograd (590 km including 423 km special) the aim of the game is simple: to go fast, you have to go slowly! During this special, visibility will be very reduced, with successions of small trails in meadows, then a very rapid and very wide trail, a very beautiful ford in sand in an extraordinary forest, apparently still inhabited by wolves! Big undulations in sand on a very clear sinuous trail contrasting with the grass and the fir trees will then be on the menu. The Don will again be the companion of the competitors who will have to brake in time to avoid diving into its waters!
This special, the longest in the Master 2002, will give the competitors who are still in the race, a wonderful moment of driving in very lovely landscapes.
