The path of Novitsky Leonid began in the Chelyabinsk region, in the small town of Korkino. Born July 1, 1968. In addition to racing, he is engaged in business. Initially engaged in resale, and after and in production. In his autobiography he tells how difficult it was for him to accumulate capital. The accumulation of capital occurred in the 90s.
At the dawn of a sports career
In 2002, Leonid decided to try himself as a navigator at races in Belarus. Immediately after the race, he became obsessed with speed. A year later, Leonid Borisovich raised the cup of the winner of the Republic of Belarus in a jeep trial over his head. In fact, this is a jeep race in a closed and rough terrain. Obstacles can be either artificial or natural. In 2005 Oleg Tyupenkin joined the team. He became his navigator. They spent many years with him side by side. In the same year, the crew was waiting for a triumph - they became the owners of the Russian Cup. This meant that it was time to prepare for foreign tournaments.
The beginning of an international career
At the end of 2005 Novitsky Leonid Borisovich spoke on rally-raids in the UAE. Novitsky spoke about this race, about gaining experience through serious torment. Yuri and Oleg were stuck in sand traps located between the dunes, they got out from there for hours in terrible heat in a place where there is no hint of shadow. They did not know how to ride between the dunes, what obstacles awaited them. They simply rode “through pain”, while receiving a mountain of experience. In the end, they came to the finish line, and could not believe their happiness. Plus, they achieved a good result, came in eighth. From this story, the strength of the characters of Oleg and Yuri is visible.
Leonid Borisovich’s career was just beginning. A year later, he, in the Italian Tecnosport team at Dakar 2006, finished in 25th place. It was a success, since no one spoke better than him in the team.
In 2007, the rider again participated in the Dakar rally. He improved last year’s result and took 20th place. 2007 was an overwhelming year for Leonid Borisovich, later he became a rally-raid champion.
A year later, the Russian crew received an offer to speak for the German BMW X –raid team. They do not refuse such offers. Leonid showed the eighth result at the 2009 Dakar rally.
Terrible accident
05/01/2009, the celebrated crew had an accident. It happened in Tunisia. Leonid and Oleg played the role of "openers." That is, the first to go on the highway. This meant some difficulties. There were no signs to follow.
After about 10 minutes, the car flew off the track at great speed. He turned over several times, because of which both crew members received serious injuries. According to Leonid, the responsibility for the accident lies entirely with him. In the process of the accident, Leonid Novitsky was crushed by a brush, and Tyupenkin’s arm was torn off. They were immediately taken to the Tunisian hospital.
Medicine in an African country is not at the highest level, so three days later a medical crew flew after them and took them to Germany, despite the fact that the crew did not have a visa. They say that this issue was decided directly with Angela Merkel. In Germany, the crew was provided with expert assistance. Tyupenkin Oleg had a hand sewn and restored blood circulation in her. But, unfortunately, because of the dead nerve endings, the arm could no longer function.
Leonid was treated in Moscow. After the restoration, the question arose: will Leonid continue his career? In addition to physical injuries, Leonid received a severe psychological trauma. Initially, he could not even ride in the passenger seat. But gradually Leonid Novitsky was able to overcome himself and continue his career in the rally.
Obviously, Oleg Tyupenkin could no longer be the navigator of Yuri. He was replaced by Andres Schulz.
The crown of a career
The debut of this crew took place in 2009. And immediately the partners won prizes, which, of course, was a huge success. After that, Leonid said: "Twice he who conquers himself conquers."
A year later, Leonid and Andres showed the 11th result. But also became the first in the world in rally raids. Leonid is the first Russian pilot to achieve this result.
In 2011, the crew achieved many sporting successes. They kept the World Cup at home. It would seem that nowhere is better, but the most successful year in his career was still 2012.
And in the 2012 Dakar rally, Leonid Novitsky showed great time at the first stage of the race and single-handedly took the first place in the marathon. This is the highest achievement among Russian riders.
Wonderful return
It is worth noting another fascinating fact. In 2012, at the Dakar rally stage in Morocco, Leonard Novitsky and Oleg Tyupenkin again teamed up. The duo again pleased the rally fans with their performance. According to the results of a grueling race, they took 2nd place. The most excellent result, given the level of opposition.
Here is such a career turned out to be the racer of Novitsky Leonid. Among the fans, Leonid has a nickname that you can be proud of - the Emperor of the Desert, received for his love of the African countryside. Leonid had very difficult moments in his career, with which he coped thanks to a powerful core. Thanks to him, Novitsky Leonid continued to perform in the rally after a terrible accident.