To choose a right direction – was the key to the success at the fifth stage of rally. Kalmykia steppes are the real test, first of all for navigators. Let’s remember "Silk Way Rally-2010" when Eduard Nikolaev’s crew was led to a vi1ctory by navigator Vyacheslav Mizyukayev. They were first to chose the right direction.
In the steppe it seems that all horizons and the road are clearly visible. But it is like this only at first sight. Ravines, roughnesses overgrown with prickly bushes create natural obstacles. It is impossible to express in words how fast Eduard Nikolaev’s and Ayrat Mardeev's crews were today. In spite of the fact that due to the breakage, Nikolaev’s crew lags from the leader of the race in trucks category the crew of Ayrat Mardeev for 123 hours 39 minutes 58 seconds (it is a penalty that the crew of Nikolaev was late to start), he justifies his title of the champion of "Dakar". It isn't surprising that today he wins a today's stage.
- Interesting fast stage, with the longest distance – 500 kilometers. The main part was winding, high-speed fast roads. Only the final part was more navigational where we wasted time, couldn't find the right road. Some competitors say that there was a mistake in a road-book. I can say that inaccuracies in a road-book happen even on "Dakar". In such situations that navigator is stronger who faster than others will find the right solution. So we had the same situation today.
Ayrat Mardeev's crew followed the crew of Nikolaev, and could overtake him but again they had a problem with a wheel.
- The back left wheel exploded. We can't find out the reason yet. We lost about eleven minutes because of that. Besides, we got lost a little. But we quickly find the right road.
As a result Mardeev's crew lagged behind crew of Nikolaev for 3 minutes 19 seconds. The third today is Kazakh sportsman Arthur Ardavichus who lags behind crew of Nikolaev for 27 minutes 40 seconds.
In the morning, there was no doubt that all podium will be occupied by KAMAZ guys. On the first control point about ten o'clock in the morning Dmitry Sotnikov's crew was the fastest among trucks.
In the same time the Czech Ales Loprais already made the forced stop on the 152nd kilometer. In half an hour he will tell to commissioners that he will continue to drive till Astrakhan on asphalt. Ales will continue the race as soon as will eliminate all problems with his truck, however he, as well as the crew of Nikolaev, will have a big penalty. But Ales says that the most important for him is to test the new car.
At the second control point, on the 298th kilometer from 500 declared at a stage positions of KAMAZ guys changed. The crew of Eduard Nikolaev passed the CP first, after him Anton Shibalov's crew came with time difference almost 11 minutes.
But soon Shibalov's crew got stuck. The metal wire thrown by someone in the steppe was reeled up on cardan of their car, they had stop to get rid of a trap.
- Today on one of turns we saw a wire very late. It was hooked for the car and reeled up on cardan. When we understood that it is already impossible to move, we stopped and found out that with a hacksaw we would saw this wire all night long. Therefore it was necessary to wait for Dmitry Sotnikov's crew which has a role of fast assistance car at this race. With cutting device we cut out the long wire, about 50 centimeters.
As a result both crews lost in time and were today only on the seventh and eighth position.
It should be noted that on present "Silk Way Rally" the Belarusian team is lucky. Alexander Vasilevsky and Sergey Vyazovich took at the fifth stage the fourth and fifth places. And in the general classification Vyazovich is the second after Ayrat Mardeev's crew and he is ahead of Dmitry Sotnikov's crew.
Many competitors think that today it was very hard day, but tomorrow's one will be even more difficult. The stage looped around Astrakhan promises new difficulties for navigators and difficult sand for pilots.
