Giti-sponsored Truck Team Holten delivers four-by-four

(Photo: Giti Tire)

Giti-sponsored Truck Team Holten’s modified Mercedes 1622 800HP finished in fourth place in the Rallye Breslau while completing its fourth consecutive year on a set of Giti tyres. The Netherlands-based team entered two vehicles in the Cross Country Trucks category, with the Mercedes team recording five top three finishes in a field of 10 while the Scania 4×4 630 started well, completing the prologue and the first two legs before having to withdraw with significant engine damage. Both vehicles fit the Giti GAO897 mixed service tyre in size 14.00R20. The tyre is designed to work across a wide range of air pressures to optimise performance in different conditions and in temperatures ranging from 55˚C to a minimum of -40˚C.

The Giti GAO897 features robust blocks and wide longitudinal grooves in combination and extra deep grooves to provide excellent traction and stability to climb over any obstacle. A reinforced tread compound provides advanced anti-cut properties and high abrasion resistance.

Speaking for Truck Team Holten, Guido Vredenberg, first navigator in the Scania, said: “For the tyres it’s a really good test, it’s not like Formula One where you have a different tyre for rain or summer, you just have one tyre to go on concrete, stones, sand, in very high temperatures, in water and on mud.

(l-r) The Mercedes team included Roy Korenromp as Navigator, Martin Roeterdink as co-pilot and 2nd navigator, and driver and team leader Hans Van Geest (Photo: Giti Tire)

“They have to find the right combination, a tyre that needs to do it all and you know that’s not easy, but the tyres we have are perfect. In eight years only one puncture. The Giti tyres are like an elephant, it’s strong and it’s big and it’s good for every situation, it won’t let you down.”

Maikel Follon, technical field engineer for Giti Tire and tyre support for Rallye Breslau, added: “The Giti GAO897 was originally designed as a robust commercial truck tyre built to tackle extreme terrains, however its remarkable durability and performance make it a perfect contender for off-road truck rallies.

“The successful demonstration at Rallye Breslau highlights the exceptional engineering and craftmanship that goes into Giti tyres, ensuring they deliver peak performance in the most demanding and adrenaline-fueled environments.

“All this information is then used by our teams around the world, including our European Research and Development Centre in Hannover, Germany, as they develop the next generation of everyday tyres for commercial vehicles and cars.”

Held every year in Poland and described as the ‘Dakar of Europe’, the Rallye Breslau is recognised as one of the world’s leading extreme off-road events with teams having to battle a 1,300km, five-day cross country rally programme on a mix of exceptionally difficult terrains.

This year also saw a rerun of the Hannibal Stage, a night marathon which takes drivers and their vehicles into an unknown, pitch-black area with just a road book to guide them through the wilderness. The Mercedes team secured a fantastic podium finish by coming in second.