Information on the competitors

(1) Central Europe Rally (Budapest, Hungary - Romanian border area) *

Timeline: 20-26 April, 2008
Competing vehicles: Man, Ginaf, Tatra, Liaz, Iveco, Mercedes, Scania ... (34 in all)
Results: Stacy (Man), winner of the 2007 Dakar Rally, took 1st place, local driver Van Ginkel (Ginaf) took second place, and veteran driver Loprais (Tatra), six-time Dakar Rally champion, took 3rd.

* Some publications have erroneously reported this rally as being a substitute for the Dakar Rally. Officially, this is called the Dakar Series, an event that the same organizers put together to train Dakar Rally participants and as a testing ground.

(2) Trans Oriental Rally (St. Petersburg - Beijing)

Timeline: 12-28 June, 2008
Competing vehicles: Man, Ginaf, Kamaz, Tatra, Liaz, Iveco, Mercedes, Renault ... (32 in all)
Results: The top time in the 8th stage (19 June) was recorded by a truck, defeating all two- and four-wheelers. Conditions differed from those of the Dakar Rally and there were most likely no speed restrictions. Moreover, despite the absence of four-wheelers from Mitsubishi and VW in the competition, this was still nothing short of extraordinary in a race featuring the participation of the top 5 riders in the Dakar Rally.

In the truck division, Stacy (Man), Chagin/Kabirov (Kamaz), De Rooy (Ginaf), and Bekx (Daf) - all Dakar Rally regulars - competed for the top spots.