Translated material
In St. Petersburg, the Master-Rales 2002 race started
In St. Petersburg on the Blue Bridge between the Isaacievsky Cathedral and the Mariinsky Palace on Friday, the Master-2002 work, RIA Novosti reported.
Motorcyclists first came to the start. After a half -hour break - the handicap that is supposed to be motorcyclists for the advantage over SUVs - car crews started. The participants went to the first special section of the race.
39 motorcycle racers from 10 European countries, 47 crews of cars and 6 trucks and 6 trucks participate in the Master-Rales 2002. Russia is represented by eight crews: seven teams participate in the race of cars and one crew on the "heavyweight of Russian roads" - "Kamaz" - participates in the class of trucks.
Among the participants are several winners of past races.
The French racer Patrick Sireizhol won the Master-RALLILIS 1997 motorcycle. Another French athlete Tiery Manialdi, who won raids on motorcycles in 1996 and 1997, moved to the Mercedes car in this rally. Francis Borstoto became a partner of Manialdi.
The female crew is also involved in the race - the Portuguese team in the pilot Elizabeth Zhasinta, which, like Manialdi, changed the motorcycle for a passenger car, and the navigator Sonya Katarin. The track record of Elizabeth is the victory in the Paris -Dakkar rally among women, and her immediate plans include a sample of strength in the race on sports trucks.
"Master RALLIS" has existed since 1995. Now this race has received the status of one of the stages of the World Cups for off-road rally-raids of the International Motorsport Federation and the International Motorcycle Federation.
The Master-Route 2002 route for the first time in the history of competitions will completely pass through the territory of Russia: from St. Petersburg through Astrakhan to Novorossiysk.