Russian racer Vladimir Vasiliev, who won the Baja World Cup in rally-raids on Saturday, December 19, spoke about his victory.
According to him, he is very pleased with the work done, since he won this tournament for the second time in his career.
“It’s nice, it’s a lot of work. In 2014 I won, and then I was second for two years. Sometimes the glasses were not enough. I am not only engaged in car racing, but also work, ”REN TV quotes him.
The athlete noted that the competition learned a little crumpled due to the coronavirus pandemic. So, one of the stages was skipped altogether, and the last races in Saudi Arabia were held almost simultaneously, which is why it was almost impossible to rest during the breaks between them.
The racer said that the victory in the World Cup was credited to him only after the results were revised, since the organizers of the competition did not immediately take into account the violators, since there was a Dakar winner in them.
“But at the end of the race these violations had to be raised, and the violations were very gross. In the end, a committee met. It was decided to punish those who had violations. We have got enough points to become World Cup winners, ”he said.
Initially, Qatar’s representative Nasser Al-Attiyah finished first. However, he was registered to exceed the speed limit at the special stage.
Vasiliev noted that during the coronavirus pandemic, the riders faced many difficulties, including passing infection tests, changing the preparation plan for the races and arriving early to the tournament. In addition, he stressed that the award ceremony for the winners of the competition can also take place not as usual, but in an online format.
“The season is now over. This year our stage was the last. Now a decision will be made on where the award will be. Most likely, the award will be sent by mail, ”he said.
The fact that the Russian won the Baja World Cup in rally-raids became known earlier on the same day. After the judges added Al-Attiye at the end of the tournament two penalty minutes for speeding on the special stage, Vasiliev’s time was compensated.
In addition, the College of Sports Commissioners (KSK), having considered the appeals of athletes and representatives of the company that supplies navigation equipment to athletes, fined other riders. As a result, the Russian was compensated for 1 minute and 19 seconds, which allowed him to win.
In total, six stages of the World Cup were held this season. The final race took place on December 14-16.