705 km (of which 328km Special Section)
The Eagle guards the entrance to Kazakstan - the image of foreboding proved horribly accurate.....Today, one of the racing trucks hit French motorcyclist (Tonin No. 42) and he was killed, despite medical services being on-site within minutes. This accident is under investigation. The bikes are always being chased by the cars and then the trucks. The sentinel system should automatically alert bikes, when a car or truck is approaching from behind, so they can pull over. Something obviously went wrong with the system or the interpretation of it by one of the drivers. The trucks are monstrous - the wheels are taller than a motorbike.
A somewhat subdued atmosphere covers the Rally at present, as we can imagine.
Today, information has been sparse, but a text from Patricia reports she has finished for the day. She had an electrical problem on the bike which meant she had to turn her road book manually (slowed her down) and no GPS, so navigation was challenging. She says number 42 did not get out of the way quick enough as the truck came from behind, but the investigation continues. Today is marathon day, so the van and mechanics will not meet the riders tonight - hopefully one of the other riders will help fix the electrical problem. No results yet posted for today's stage....
Reminders if you are glued to progress and want up to the minute news:
Motors TV is a good watch each night (21.00 GMT and 23.30 GMT) , repeated the next morning (10.00 GMT) , if you have access to it...
Online progress of each stage is alegedly going to be available on the www.transorientale.com website, although it is still not working from what I can see. It does work from USA though
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