Participants unanimously called the third day of the rally "Velikaya step -2015" as a day of navigator. Search the right direction in the intricacies of the steppe roads overgrown after heavy rains with tall grass turned for the riders to a real brainteaser. After the finish line the pilot of "KAMAZ-master" team Anton Shibalov told that they had even to stop and all members of the crew were searching the road under dense growth.
SS3 of 457 kilometers long became the most extended stage of the race. The first 365 km passed across the territory of Kalmykia, on fast roads, and final 90 km were laid in the Astrakhan region. The day before organizers of a rally raid warned that danger of a special stage in its length and change of a rhythm and coverings on final hundred kilometers when sportsmen are already tired and their concentration is lost. Andrey Karginov and Ayrat Mardeev who became today the first (04:32:43) and the second (04:42:59) respectively in overall classification managed in the best way to distribute correctly a resource of forces and potential of equipment. Sergey Kupriyanov on "KAMAZ" which engine works at mix of methane and diesel fuel passed reliably this stage. JSC Gazprom and VTB bank - partners of the gas-diesel "KAMAZ-master" project - have an excellent occasion to be glad for progress of this crew.
But the other two KAMAZ crews - Anton Shibalov and Dmitry Sotnikov were not very lucky today: besides some problems on the route with navigation they had damage of equipment. At the beginning of SS at the 10th kilometer the crew of Anton Shibalov stopped for repair- the power steering radiator failed. Dmitry Sotnikov’s crew spent forty minutes trying to weld punched exhaust manifold. Unfortunately he was only the 18th today.
|
|
Citations
Anton Shibalov, pilot: "This day can be described in one word - the steppe. Two-thirds of the route was fast steppe rally road, and the rest part can be also designated in one word - "Astrakhan". Participants of rally-raids immediately understand what I mean: grassy hills, ruts and hummocky. And they begin rather abruptly - steppe ends and terrible area immediately begins. As soon as we drove in this zone our navigator Robert Amatych told: "This is Astrakhan!"
Sergey Kupriyanov, the pilot: "This second day was the best day that we spent. There were a good result and satisfaction from driving. Today, for us, it was much more difficult because it was very hot. I was very tired, and on the last part of the distance I was counting how many kilometers were left to the finish line. Now it is important that regardless of the situation on the stage to go smoothly, at the same pace. We have some difficulties with this. When the rhythm gets off because of fatigue or mistakes in navigation as today, then it is very difficult to restore it."
Stanislav Pogozhikh, the chief of production department, on race - the head of mechanics group: "We normally entered into a rhythm of competitions, we succeeded to fulfill cooperation of different experts, the young mechanics who recently joined the team are actively involved in work. Some moments on replacement of large units of the car are rehearsed. So, Eduard Nikolaev’s car which left race became actually the donor for others. Some components parts tested on its car were displaced on other cars to continue endurance tests ".
