News

24.01.2008 12:27:00

7 thousand kilometers behind us but the most beautiful stage of the expedition ahead of us – said, at a moment before the start on Wednesday, 23rd January, from Gdańsk, Romuald Koperski, the initiator and the boss of the car Expedition of the Century 1908 – 2008 through the wilderness of Siberia, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Great Car Race New York - Paris. Honourary start from Gdańsk planned for 12 o’clock was delayed because so many people – apart from journalists and sponsors there were numerous citizens of Trójmiasto - came to bid farewell the dare-devils and wish them good luck. Among the guests there was also Jurij Aleksiejew, consul of Russia in Gdańsk, who valuated Romuald Koperski’s expedition.

Romuald Koperski, a traveller from Gdańsk, together with Marian Pilorz, with whom he already went for two Siberian expeditions, and the Russian Victor Makarowski, who has been on survival courses that Russian astronauts had to undergo, is a specialist in the field of survival in arctic conditions, by car MAN Cat. 1 want to challenge the route which one hundred years ago was marked out by the participants of the Great Race but which was not completed at that time. Through the wilderness of northern Siberia (about
4.6 thousand kilometers) no mechanical vehicle ever has driven.
Romuald Koperski’s team, which started its race on 12th Janury in Paris want to do this. From there the travellers went to Portugal, the westmost Cape Roca, to challenge the longest route of Europe and Asia – from Cape Roca to Dezhnev Cape over Bering Strait. The whole route is 41.5 thousand kilometers long.
- We are full of optimism, although we know that this will be very difficult – said the travellers before the honourary start in Gdańsk. They enjoyed the presents brought by the guests who came to bid farewell to them. From sweets (housing barrack was loaded with chocolates and candies for Siberian children) to saws, aggregates, hangover relief medicines and other things necessary in travel. A large part of gifts will be given away to people met on the road, on the kindness and help of whom they count during the expedition.
There is the locality of Wierszyna, where about 500 compatriots speaking Polish, live till these days, on the route of the expedition. These are the descendents of exiles to Siberia from 100 years ago. Koperski together with the team will also visit Kołymskoje and local school which looks after the grave of Jan Czerski, the Polish explorer of Siberia. The team has a computer and the projector, funded by our company Troton from Ząbrowo, as a gift for the school.
Troton is one of the sponsors of the expedition – car MAN Cat. 1 and the barrack LAK II in which the travellers will live, were prepared by and painted with Troton products. The company logo is placed on the windscreen and on the upper skirting board of the barrack. The barrack interior, very crude – just boards, beds of boards, cooker, toilet and small radiator - but as the travellers say, adjusted to Siberian conditions, is to serve as a shelter for them even in most severe freeze, up to 55 degrees.
Romuald Koperski and his team plan to return to Poland in April/May. The company Troton is having a meeting with the traveller in May.