Muddy start of the Silk Way Rally, Sonik’s problems with the muffler

Deep ruts, muddy puddles, and soggy ground. It is the best way to describe the first, barely 50-kilometer-long, special stage of the Silk Way Rally. “One of the reasons I got into cross-country racing is because I don’t like mud. Well, today, we had a taiga-style mud bath,” laughed Rafał Sonik, who finished third, right after Aleksander Maksimow and Arkadiusz Lindner.

Before the participants set on the road, the official opening ceremony in Irkutsk gathered thousands of fans and spectators. The local Polish community along with the Polish consul, Agnieszka Kacaba, could not miss that event either. “I’ve experienced many packed openings of the Dakar Rally in South America but I think today, the whole city of Irkutsk has come to cheer for us. All fans have been amazing, and what’s the most important for our team, the Polish community is here too. This brings us a lot of joy, after all, we are also patriotic in what we do here,” commented Sonik at the starting line.

The first stage from Irkutsk to Baykalsk turned out to be a longer version of the prologue stage. It served as a warm-up that made the drivers and their machines take a serious pressure wash to rinse off the mud. The best vehicle for the muddy challenge was Arkadiusz Lindner’s quad which tackled deep puddles with ease, pushing the water away with its wide fenders. Except for scoring the win, Lindner was also able to claim the title of the cleanest driver of the first stage. Aleksander Maksimow checked in second and Rafał Sonik arrived third.

“I’d expected the first stage to be like that so I didn’t play hard. I went around deeper puddles and got even more careful after my muffler started making weird sounds 19 kilometers in. I was worried that it had broken off by the collector and might suck water into the engine, so I decided to slow down rather than risk it. Eventually, it turned out to be an easy fix. The screw by the lambda probe became loose due to vibrations.” reported the FIM World Cup runner-up.

“We still have 99% of the route to go but, following our motto, dreams are for those who stay at home, challenges are for those who dare to venture. So we ventured for the dream of getting that tiger head trophy after we got a Bedouin statuette at the Dakar Rally. I am remaining calm and I’m glad that tomorrow’s mountain stage is supposed to be much drier. Besides, I will be the one chasing instead of running,” smiled „SuperSonik”.

The second stage stretches from Irkutsk to Ulan-Ude, the capital of Buryatia, and the third-largest city in eastern Siberia. The participants will face 410 km of road, including 208 km of the special stage.

Stage I results:
1. Arkadiusz Lindner (POL) 35.26
2. Aleksander Maksimow (RUS) +4.37
3. Rafał Sonik (POL) +5.41