The first half of the 48-hour stage has taken a significant toll on participants and vehicles. In bivouac C (km 546), only three trucks have reached the finish. Martin Macik leads the field, followed by Loprais and Zala. Macik emphasized that the night without assistance will be tough but remains confident in a positive outcome.
Stand in bivouac C:
1. Martin Macik – 6:51:28
2. Ales Loprais – +3:05
3. Vaidotas Zala – +24:03
In bivouac B, where there is strong Dutch representation, teamwork is the norm. Despite the competition, teams are sharing parts and assistance. Trucks with Macik chassis dominate here, with the exception of Sugawara’s Hino.
Stand in bivouac B:
4. Mitchel van den Brink – +28:29
5. Claudio Bellina – +49:02
6. Martin van den Brink – +54:22
In bivouac A, two names stand out: Soltys, who seems to have lost his chances for victory, and Aguirregaviria, who is delivering a surprising performance with his Iveco torpedo. Dutch teams such as Van de Laar and Kees Koolen are contributing to a good atmosphere but will first need to make repairs after this challenging day.
Stand in bivouac A:
10. Martin Soltys – +45:17
11. Anja Van Loon – +1:42:09
12. Kees Koolen – +2:08:36
William de Groot is still on his way. With a delay of 4.5 hours, he has passed the last checkpoint, just before bivouac A.
