Easy does it means Ilya and Anton can do it

Dakar 2020 | Stage 10 | Haradh > Shubaytah
January 15 ^th 2020 - 08:57 [GMT + 3]

For their first Dakar, Ilya Rouss and Anton Yarashuk decided to not put the cart before the horse and up until now, it has been a relatively successful formula.

Among those who arrive late in the evening at the bivouac, there are those who have suffered, competitors who have struggled just to get to the finish. However, there are fewer competitors who emerge from the night in a good mood having encountered no problems. Yesterday evening, in Haradh, Ilya Rouss and Anton Yarashuk were firmly in the latter group. The crew of Can-Am SSV number 44 completed the 400-km long special to finish the day in 22nd position, a place which the Russian driver does not give a hoot about. “We never look at the standings,” states the businessman who lives in Andorra and who is taking part in his first Dakar, just like his Byelorussian co-pilot. “Our goal is to reach the finish without damaging the car and being careful enough to avoid putting ourselves in danger”. This has allowed the two men to enjoy themselves since the start of the rally, even if it does mean arriving very late at the bivouac. “We have fun and enjoy ourselves,” says Ilya. “Stage nine was magnificent. There were a lot of rocks on the first few kilometres and the vehicle was shaking a lot. So, we took the time to adjust our suspension to avoid maltreating the car too much. The rest of the stage was fast, but with all the dust it wasn’t always easy to follow the tracks. We saw quite a lot of T1 vehicles that had come a cropper, which encouraged us to ease off the accelerator. In the end, we’ve finished without any damage, so that’s great”. Ilya and Anton are unlikely to forget their first Dakar. “The route is absolutely magnificent,” says Ilya. “Every day, the terrain changes and it’s a real pleasure to drive. All we’re lacking is a bit of experience”. That will not be the case next year.