It was actually another of the German firm's four Race Touareg prototypes which topped the standings until 24km before the finish! Having edged ahead after the Silk Way Rally's first real stage – between Kazan (Tatarstan) and Ashgabat (Turkmenistan) - Nasser Al-Attiyah seemed to be well in control and heading for his first win since joining Volkswagen.

 

On the final stage, however, just kilometres before the finish line, the Qatar-based driver rolled after hitting a rut, handing victory to Carlos Sainz who completed the distance clear of the USA's Mark Miller and South African driver Giniel de Villiers.

 

The four Volkswagen prototypes were all competing with the latest All-Terrain+ tyre developed this year by BFGoodrich. While it is just as robust and competitive over sandy terrain as the All-Terrain tyre which won January's Dakar, the newcomer delivers even better braking performance thanks to its more 'open' tread pattern.

Dominique Bravy (BFGoodrich Cross-Country Rally Technician): "Our partners covered several thousand kilometres in testing with the new All-Terrain+, but nothing can ever replace actual competition. The Silk Way Rally's long and varied stages provided us with an ideal opportunity to evaluate this new product in competitive conditions ahead of the 2010 Dakar. The Volkswagen drivers reported improved handling over the former version. This event's stages were predominantly sandy, so we didn't have any problems with wear, either. Some 90 per cent of the car field was competing on BFGoodrich tyres."

 

1, Sainz/Cruz (VW/BFGoodrich). 2, Miller/Pitchford (VW/BFGoodrich). 3, De Villiers/Von Ziztewitz (VW/BFGoodrich). Etc.