Declarations
truck
Hans Stacey (HOL – Man - 1st)
"I took the start this morning to win the stage and gain ground on Chagin. But he was also very fast today and I couldn’t make the big difference I wished. Anyway, the battle is exciting in the truck race. After more than 300 kilometres, there is less than 2 minutes between us. Yesterday, there was less than 50 seconds. I am a competitor, and I really enjoy myself. It was good for us and for the rally as well. Today, we only had one problem: The road book mentioned a passage the truck could not negotiate. We lost a bit of time, but it was nothing. Actually, the organisation offered a wonderful stage today."
truck
Vladimir Chagin (RUS - Kamaz - 3rd)
"The stage was very difficult today because of narrow and woody tracks. Trucks in competition are basically too large for this. We had to be especially careful. Since I’m three hours ahead of Stacey, I can afford losing time. Therefore I have the same strategy as Peterhansel, I don’t take any risk and let my opponents try to catch up with me. For instance, I let Stacey gain 20 minutes today but he’s still quite far from me. I only worry about the last big stage between Labe and Tambacounda. That’s where Kamaz lost the rally in 1996. We will be more careful than ever. Anyway, I’m really proud of my truck because we never had technical issues since the start".