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Dmitry Sotnikov wins stage Uyuni – Tupiza

15.01.2018

It is a groundhog day on Dakar. No, it is more likely French déjà vu. The pack of news is almost the same as last year. Due to the rain tomorrow’s special Tupiza-Salta is cancelled. On the assistance route to Salta a bridge was washed out (last year there happened a landslide). About the fact that everything was going according to the plan, was already known yesterday, when arriving at Tupiza bivouac, assistance teams were not allowed to drive into its territory. Heavy rain turned the enclosed area into a swamp. By morning the area was quite dry, but rain could start any minute, and then entered vehicles would have been in a trap without a possibility to get out. As a result assistance vehicles stood into a huge line along the road border or set their service place near race staff. Assistance teams could not go straight from here to Salta , as on the boviuac were organized border procedures (tomorrow the rally enteres Argentina), and the most important – today in Tupiza they had to meet race crews after the marathon stage La Paz – Uyuni – Tupiza.

“I think that decision to cancel the upcoming stage made by organisers is the only correct decision that could be made in this situation. Weather conditions are really not simple, even bridge was washed out on the assistance route, and you can never risk safety of the rally participants. Moreover after the marathon stage everyone will need a vehicle service, also adds the necessity to go through procedures of crossing the border with Argentina. From the experience of Silk Way Rally organization we know that in such conditions you need to aid to participants, so that sport would not become a torment”, commented the situation the leader of KAMAZ-master Team Vladimir Chagin.

Yesterday’s 369 and today’s 381 kilometers of marathon specials indeed respected neither people nor vehicles. Height sickness (heights up to 4500 meters), slippery tracks, cold and even high-mountaneous dunes – only a small part of the two days’ race menu. Notwithstanding the fact that organisers could find sands on the Bolivian Altiplano on the height of 3500 meters, did not impact on the tightness of results in top-10 of the truck caterory. The result was still formed on fast and firm tracks of highland. Even though the route developers tried to mix them with river beds and curvy roads.

As if in revenge for yesterday’s bad luck (breakdown of a turbocharger), Dmitry Sotnikov’s crew confidently won today’s stage. The aim – to drive in a stable way and not give time to rivals – was achieved by Eduard Nikolaev’s crew (he lost a bit more than three minutes to closest to him in the general classification Federico Villagra). Crews of Airat Mardeev and Anton Shibalov also showed a fast ride and confident solution of navigation tasks.

Tomorrow Dakar leaves Bolivia. The Russian embassador in Bolivia Vladimir Sprichan, visited KAMAZ-master Team on the bivouac in La Paz, said that Dakar rally for this country was a kind of a mirror to the world where everyone loved Russia and two countries had a huge potential for relationship development. Gasprom and KAMAZ delegations visited the team. Partners from Red Bull organized a huge group of local Mass Media. Southamerican dealers of one more partner of the team – TOTAL Company – personally wished good luck to the team. Thank you, Bolivia, see you next time!

Quotations

Dmitry Sotnikov, pilot of crew #502

“From the start we took quite a good tempo, and eventually, could even win on the stage. Today we had a good day comparing with yesterday, when a turbocharger went out of order. We spent more than an hour for its repair. Then we drove fast but a biker fell in front of us, we had to change rapidly the trajectory and at that time our wheel caught a sharp hillock. We had to change the wheel in uncomfortable place, and lost more time on that”.

Eduard Nikolaev, pilot of crew #500

“Yesterday and today the race went on high altitude. Everything was very beautiful, but not very good for engines. They do not work in the dynamics, that we would like to have. Nevertheless we tried hard not to give much to our rivals, understanding that we were losing to them. On the first part of today’s special (before neutralization zone) I knew the result that our guys ran well, and they said that it was good to drive on your and Vllagra’s tracks.We are satisfied with the stage. The most important is that our truck is in good condition and the crew is ok. It is seen that Federico Villagra and Ton Van Genugten from IVECO team put on speed greatly and, for example, Grenugten often drives, as the saying goes, on the edge. It is clear that a lot of fight is ahead”.

Airat Mardeev, pilot of crew #507

“It upsets that on yesterday’s speed section about 14 km left to the finish, when a wheel blew out. We had almost finished. There was a lot of soft ground. We often drove on a low pressure and in such mode speeded up, therefore wheels could not bear a bit. Today’s special was longer, the temperature was higher due to the brakes, but fortunately the wheels are undamaged, moreover, the front wheels drove yesterday and today”.