The leader of KAMAZ-master team, seven-time winner of the Dakar Vladimir Chagin in the interview with the correspondent of RIA NEWS Sergei Astakhov told about difficulties with which the team had to face with during preparation to the rally-marathon, new role at the race of the five-time champion Eduard Nikolaev, budget of the “Blue Armada” and probable return behind the wheel.
New role of Nikolaev
_Vladimir Gannadyevich, the trucks have already taken the road to the Dakar. Is there any certainty that the race won’t be cancelled at the last moment?
- Everyone believes that the race will take place. Nobody knows what will be there with the COVID in December, and I hope to God, that the statistics will not rise dramatically and the government of the Saudi Arabia will not place new restrictions. Currently I am happy that the Dakar organizers and authorities of the country decided to keep the marathon.
-How many team members will go to Saudi Arabia?
-More than fifty people, but we haven’t decided exact number yet. I can definitely say that comparing with last year the delegation is reduced.
- As usually four crews of the team will perform there. Why did you decide not to change anything, after all you tried various combinations on the tests?
-The guys made a good team and an absolute communication, cohesion in work is absolutely important in the crew. We compose crews during the season, combine the youth, move co-drivers to other trucks. And an optimal and well balanced composition goes to the big race. This time we decided not to change anything.
-The five-time Dakar champion Eduard Nikolaev stayed out of the race contestants. Was it a difficult decision for you?
-One of the most difficult, as always, when you have to decide who among the guys doesn’t go to the Dakar as a “combat” driver. If to look at the history of recent years, Airat Mardeev, Andrey Karginov, Anton Shibalov missed the race. We have five crews and only four take part in the Dakar. I consider that it is an ideal scheme for the team. And someone should stay on the sidelines. This time Eduard Nikolaev misses the race.
My main colleague at the rally Sergei Savostin can’t go to the Saudi Arabia due to health reasons. He endured coronavirus in July and rehabilitates gradually. On such a competition as Dakar there should be a person who knows all inside out, who understands all process and a mechanism. And Nikolaev was an ideal candidate. I consider that he will cope with this work. I will be together with him, I will help him, herewith Eduard will lead all technical work at the race. He will also assist in the strategy and tactics construction at the Dakar. He is an active driver and will be effective in the new role.
- Did technical problems, due to which Nikolaev abandoned the race in 2020, impact on the decision?
- There were a lot of circumstances which we had to assess and analyze. And all at once, including the absence of Savostin, made me to take this decision. It was certainly agreed with the general director of KAMAZ – Sergey Anatolyevich Kogogin.
- How did Eduard react?
- Of course he was sad because he is an active driver and wants to toe the starting line. But he has a unique opportunity to try himself in the new role, watch the race from the side, that, I think will also be useful for a driver. Being a racer, I myself turned out in the same situation. It allows to have a look at the situation from the outside, comes a better understanding how it should be correct inside. As a rule, in the future it helps the driver to achieve better results. It is honorable and responsible to be on the Dakar in the role of a manager for a life and professional growth.
Budget, contracts, limits
-You said that there was probability to send a less number of battle crews to the Dakar. How did you manage to save four crews?
- A very difficult financial situation has arisen in the team. As for many this year. We had to cancel, postpone for future plenty of works connected with the truck modifications. And still, cutting down many expenses, we found an opportunity and means to keep all four trucks.
Reviewing the statistics of five recent years we understand that the race implies various non-standard situations – breakdowns, sticking and etc., etc. In such conditions usually only two crews carry a normal result to the finish. Reducing the team, we would have reduced the chances to be on the podium. We have discussed it with Sergey Anatolyevich (Kogogin) and decided to do all possible to hold four crews.
-The budget of KAMAZ-master was 11 million Euro. Did the amount drop?
-It is early to say, as not all contracts have been signed for 2021. We understand difficulties of our partners – there were delays in payment, requests to cut the contracts. And we ourselves tightened the belts, put aside not only modernization of the racing trucks, but also re-equipment of the production shop, that we had done annually, though in small steps. It is necessary in order not to fall behind the area development. Modern technologies and equipment change literally every quarter, every month and for creating competitive trucks there should be not only desire but technical capabilities.
-KAMAZ-master is one of a few sports teams in Russia, that can boast of such an impressive list of world-class partners. What does it mean for you?
-A big responsibility that eminent Russian and foreign brands rely on our team. It means that we are trusted and understood that the team is important, that the advertising for them is efficient. Motorsport and rally-raids personally is a ground for testing vehicles, aggregates and units, any design solutions. And everything that withstood the route can be safely put in mass production. We work with technical partners every day, discuss, how their parts and units behaved during the competitions that needs to change and improve. Therefore, KAMAZ-master is not only an advert for partners but a technological progress as well.
- Do you feel the race of 2021 to be the most difficult, considering all conditions in which you had to prepare?
-I agree. Organizers sent a big list of requirements, that need to be followed. They are similar with the ones from Rospotrebnadzor. It will be difficult to keep the result bar, but all competitors will find themselves in such conditions. And the ones, who adapt better to new conditions, will be on the podium.
-Where the sports trucks became better, comparing with the last Dakar?
- We couldn’t implement global changes in trucks as last year. We worked more on their reliability. We accurately analyzed, what breakdowns were there last year and focused on them. We have amended insignificant changes to the truck design, hope that it will increase their reliability.
-Will you manage to avoid engine problems, like the ones Nikolaev faced with on the last race?
-We studied this case very accurately, did metallography of all parts that went wrong. And we assumed all necessary measures to avoid recurring. It was very challenging as the engine has twice bigger power than the serial bar. The engines are overloaded, work in other thermal regimes and were heavily proned to fast breakdowns, including failures. The time will show how successful our work was.
New year in Saudi Arabia
-Vehicle transportation to the port in Marseille became a serious challenge for many European contestants. What way will KAMAZ-master go?
-It is definitely a serious question nowadays. First you need to get to France. The route was layed through Belarussia, Poland and Germany. We worked a lot on the travel confirmation with border services, embassies of these countries to follow the travel schedule. Hope we will get to Marseille on time and load to the ship. The team will fly to Saudi Arabia on December, 28.
-This time scrutineering will be held in Jeddah. Does it make things difficult?
-It would certainly be better if the vehicles were reviewed in France as it had always been. And if there were any concerns, there would be time to react. Now all checks will be held before the start of the race. Our team always complies with the regulations from A to Z and we count that there will be no claims. The team is ready for the start.
-Does New Year in Saudi Arabia arose interest?
-It is always interesting to try something new. But the fact that we will celebrate the holiday in other country far from home is not new. For me and other team veterans it has become normal. Families accept this absence understandingly.
-How do you plan to observe epidemiologic limitations far from the native land?
-Requirements of France and Saudi Arabia regarding this question are aligned, everything is very strict. Hope that the race contestants will be able to secure themselves against coronavirus and everyone will come home healthy.
-One of the innovations at the Dakar is that money penalty will be replaced with time penalty at specific conditions.
- The main thing is that all penalties must be effective. And to have a certain control without interference from the side.
Rivals
-Last year rivalry at the Dakar in the truck category was very high. Do you expect that Siarhei Viazovich, Martin Macik, Alec Loprais, Gert Huzink, Martin van den Brink and others will continue to perform in the same mode?
-We want to see beautiful and honest battle. Spectators should take pleasure from following the race.
-But you as the head of the team, having won 17 times at the Dakar, most probably want more reliable positions of KAMAZs before the last stage?
-As a sportsman I love strong competitors and fight. And I want a real sport intrigue with an interesting finish at the Dakar.
-When Martin van den Brink said that his son Mitchel will sit at the wheel of the truck it seemed as utopia. As a result, we see that the 18-year-old guy will compete at the Dakar as a driver. Is there way for the young?
-Martin took an unusual decision, what is there to say? Nobody has started at the Dakar at that age yet, particularly in the trucks. The more interesting to see what debut Mitchel will have. I want to wish him good luck. He faces a big challenge. The younger van den Brink is a good guy, I saw him many times, spoke to him. Dakar makes a person stronger, gives a big experience. The point is not to chase the result but pass the whole race and get to the finish. If he sets such task, he will do it.
There is an unspoken rule of the Dakar – rookies who immediately want to get high in the table, withdraw and don’t get to the finish. The task number one for a novelty – to find himself in the parc ferme after the last marathon stage. And only at future starts to think how to climb in the classification.
-One of the crews, that applied for the Dakar, consists of two people. How is it possible in the truck category?
-Technically it is difficult. Imagine that a wheel, which you need to change in the hot desert, weighs 150 kilograms. But if a truck is equipped with all necessary lifting tackles, this process won’t be a trouble, if only takes longer time. It’s all right to compete two together, it only increases the time for repair. Also you need to control attentively all processes in the cab.
Taking into account that the crew is left without a mechanic and the current truck contains a big number of electronics – from temperature sensors to tire pressure control system, he is like a cab engineer. And in his absence the role of a “controller” is taken by the driver, to whom it is difficult during the race even without it.
Returning to the wheel, Dakar Classic
-On November, 25 there will be a detailed Dakar route. What do you expect?
-We have an approximate understanding of the route – start and finish in Jeddah. First there will be stones, then – dunes. We took into account situation of the last year, when we faced with a big number of tire cuts. We haven’t seen the same stones anywhere as in Saudi Arabia. Yes, separate stony parts were in Morocco at the African Dakar, but I can’t remember such number of sharp stones in any desert of the planet as on the Arabian Peninsula.
All Dakar contestants faced with it in all categories. Everyone were lack of tires. We ourselves hardly came to the finish. According to the race conditions you can’t take tires from the side, so it will not work to go to the shop and buy tires. And when Nikolaev’s crew abandoned the battle for the podium, we installed only old tires on his truck, and for all other crews – new ones. It can be said that we finished on last tires. This year we are carrying a bigger number of tires, for which we are grateful for our partner.
- The race organizers add a new category - Dakar Classic. This autumn KAMAZ-master started to produce videos, where the current drivers together with the press-attaché Erik Khayrullin go to the testing area in old vehicles and get a huge pleasure from the process. Is there a correlation and a hitch for future participation of retro-vehicles in the rally-marathon?
- Just a coincidence (laughing). Frankly speaking, I haven’t even thought about the team’s possibility to compete at this Dakar. Collection of sports KAMAZ trucks is a pearl of our team. And it should stay in the museum and make guests and tourists happy, not to get stuck in the sands of the Arabian desert. In order to pass the marathon on such vehicles, you need parts, which has already been out of production and stock for long.
It is not simple to take the truck, charge the battery, fill in the fuel and drive. Preparation takes the whole year, specialists must know their trucks thoroughly. And many of those who worked with the team in recent years are already not working and have retired. Therefore, all that is not so simple as it seems. I appreciate the challenge of those who decided to drive such vehicles in 2021. It is a great job and they deserve only good words.
-Would you risk to drive your truck of 1999 year of production?
-If to drive a few kilometers on the route of the training field and relive youth and past years – that is interesting. But to go the whole race, even in such an exhibition category as Dakar Classic, I think it’s not a very good idea (laughing).
S.Astakhov
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