The participants of the 2008 running of the Transsyberia Rallye who will be driving specially prepared Porsche Cayennes have descended upon Leipzig, Germany to prepare for the rally that runs from Moscow to Ulaanbaatar in July. Included in the teams are friend of The Garage, Laurance Yap who is posing above with the machine he will share with fellow Canadian Kees Nierop.

During this session, teams will learn the ins and outs of their Cayenne S Transsyberia and the navigation equipment. Basic maintenance and repairs are performed en-route by the driving team, while more major repairs are looked after by a team of Porsche technicians that follow the event. Teams are instructed by last year’s winner Rod Millen and pro co-driver Andi Schulz, not only in use of equipment but also with tips regarding things such as reading the terrain, vehicle extraction and how to control the vehicle at high speeds on loose surfaces. Teams with prior experience work with new teams to ease the path.
Continue reading →

Popularity: 4%

There are few details coming from the Mongolian capital of Ulaanbaatar, other than the news of the winner. A scraggly looking Rod Millen and co-driver Richard Kelsey have taken the top spot in their Porsche Cayenne Transsyberia.

We will have more stories as they become available

Popularity: 6%

News out of Mongolia today is that Canadians Kees Nierop and Lawrence Yap are out of the rally following a high speed roll. Fortunately the rally prepped Porsche Cayenne kept them safe, other than the usual bumps and bangs that come from an over. Unfortunately their truck sustained more damage and is not able to continue in the event.

The overall leader is now Dr. Erik Brandenburg in his Porsche 911, Safari Rally Clone! Following Brandenburg by just over 9 minutes is the Cayenne of Rod Millen. The previous leader, the Garnham Land Cruiser fell to 12th overall when they spent over and hour and a half trying to get free from a mud hole.

Popularity: 5%

Following a day of rest and some easy transit sections, the competitors in the 2007 Transsyberia Rally took on Stage 9 yesterday and it wasn’t quite so easy. Looking back though, the easy transit on Friday showed a weakness for the Porsche camp that foreshadowed the outcome of Sunday’s Special. Tires.

“With these tires you can go for a ride in an English park, but not compete in a rally in Mongolia” complained Overall Leader Armin Schwarz.
Continue reading →

Popularity: 4%

Following a ten hour wait at the Russian border on Friday, teams finally made their way in to Mongolia. During the 43.5 mile transit section to the camp at Oelgy, several teams had to stop to change tires. Even though it was a transit, the road was so rocky that tire punctures were commonplace. Yesterday was a well needed day of rest and the competitive stages continue today.
Continue reading →

Popularity: 5%

The field of 33 vehicles continues it’s race across Syberia, having dodged animals and crossed rivers on their way to today’s check point in Omsk. The rally leader continues to be Armin Schwarz and Hilger Oliver in a Porsche Cayenne.

The above photo shows Canadians Kees Neirop and Lawrence Yap navigating the river on day 2. Fortunately, they seem to have made it across, which not all teams can say. There were several vehicle failures in the river, ranging from electrical problems to a blown engine.
Continue reading →

Popularity: 4%

Team Press 1 driver Carles Selma of Spain and co-driver Jörn Pugmeister from Germany took the win on stage one of the Transsyberia Rally today in a Porsche Cayenne S Transsyberia, beating out 34 other competitors to the finish.

As more details become available, The Garage will try to keep readers informed. We will try to pay close attention to Team North America 1, the Canadian team of Kees Nierop and Lawrence Yap.

Popularity: 2%

The Porsche Cayenne has had more than a few detractors since it’s inception, with many feeling that there is no reason for an SUV with 911 lineage. Porsche is determined to show the world that the Cayenne is a winner in it’s own arena. But what exactly is that arena?

This is no shopping mall autocross, this is the Transsyberia Rally. Beginning this morning, 25 rally prepped Porsche Cayenne S Transsyberias will begin the 7000 km trek from Moscow’s Red Square to the Mongolian capital of Ulaanbataar. There are no over privileged soccer moms on board these Cayenne’s, with names like Rod Millen and Armin Schwarz at the wheel. There will be some serious stage action.

To cope with that action, the Cayenne’s have received more than a bit of beefing up from the big guys at Weissach. Mods include full roll cage, upgraded air intake and body sealing (for water crossings), additional lights and rally tires. As would be expected, each truck carries a full complement of navigational electronics to make sure the crews find their way.

The event runs until August 17 and will be covered live through the Porsche web site. You can also check back to The Garage, as we’ll keep readers up to date as we receive details.

Porsche press release and more photos after the break
Continue reading →

Popularity: 5%