Porsche reflects on Transsyberia Rally 2007

Transsyberia Rally 2007: Triple victory -- eight Porsches in the top ten

Stuttgart. Three Porsche Cayenne S Transsyberia on the first three positions, eight Porsches in the top ten: these are the results of the 2007 Transsyberia Rally, one of the world's toughest offroad marathons.

After a two-week epic drive from Moscow to Ulaanbaatar, Rod Millen, triple US rally champion, and his co-driver Richard Kelsey reached the finish in the capital of Mongolia as winners on 17 August with a Porsche Cayenne S Transsyberia. After 7,100 kilometres, just over 17 minutes separated Millen from the second-placed Italy 1 team with Antonio Tognana and Carlo Cassina. The Quatar team with Adel Abdulla and Norbert Lutteri reached the finish to claim third, 23 minutes behind the winner.

Over the course of the rally, four different teams held the lead: Establishing themselves at the front of the field on the first leg through Russia, over the Urals and into Siberia were the ex-European rally champion Armin Schwarz (Austria) and his co-driver Oliver Hilger (Germany). Up until day nine the duo retained the lead with their Cayenne S Transsyberia. However, three punctures on the first leg in Mongolia cost the Germany 1 team its top position. A British Toyota outfit took over first place for the next two days until they became bogged down in a mud hole.

Dr. Erik Brandenburg and Stefan Preuss (both Germany) promptly moved into the lead with their self-rebuilt 911 Carrera from 1975. With this ca. 1,000 kilo rear wheel driven 911 they dominated the 285 kilometres of the leg 12 special stage from Altai to Bayankhor in Mongolia, but lost positions over the course of the following day during deep water crossings to finish ninth.

Not one of the 27 Cayennes to start retired with a technical defect. Six Porsche teams had to give in -- all due to accidents where luckily no one was badly injured.

-credit: porsche.de