The Manager of the team KAMAZ-master Eduard Nikolaev gave the interview to the portal Чемпионат.com
— Eduard, how unexpected was this appointment to you?
— Honestly, it was really unexpecting to me. Though, knowing that we are the one team and no one leaves anyone behind in a difficult situation, I'm sure that the team will help me master my new role.
— What instructions did Vladimir Chagin give last?
— Why at last? Vladimir Chagin does not get off the team. He said: “Eduard, don’t worry! I am always behind, I will always help.” It is important to understand that his support will be behind of me.
— What is the most unusual and difficult at the moment?
— As the Manager of the team I am for the first time. It is always difficult to get used to the new responsibilities! And here, on top of that, you have a role where you have to manage a large team and solve global issues. It will be important to get assistance from the team, from the Heads of departments, from Vladimir Chagin, and I hope that everyone will always help.
The most difficult is to take the right decisions and then to be responsible for them. I think, that it will be challenging. It is a good thing of my being in the team for 20 years and I saw how the other leaders worked. I think that everything will be well, when there are such examples. We as marathon-athletes used to face with different difficult situations. When it is difficult, it is nice. It is interesting to find a quick and a right decision, to overcome difficulties, to solve the problem.
How unusual is it to discuss with pilots not being as one of them but as a boss?
— All our pilots always used to work in one office, each of the member was guiding one project, and we always dealt with each other, because everybody is responsible for some activity in the team and as a result all work for a one result. Now I have become the Manager of the team, but everything is as usual. There is the atmosphere of collaboration, there is no difficulty into interaction with each other. We continue working. One more time I can be proud that we are the team and we support each other.
— Is your career as a race pilot is over or not? In the end of October, you took part at Baja “Sands of Archeda”…
— Career of a pilot is not finished. I plan to participate in a new season. This was agreed by General Director of PTC KAMAZ Sergey Kogogin. I will analyze the situation and take the decision how to react…Certainly, the main role for me now is a role of the Manager, first priority is to solve the tasks of the team. Nowadays there are no thoughts about the end of a career of a pilot.
— Who will be in charge of bonnet truck design?
— I will continue working on this project as well as K5 project development. As an example, Vladimir Chagin was a Manager of the team and fully got involved in the design of new models of race trucks, he used to give interesting engineering ideas and worked under design of new trucks. He is the excellent example in this field.
— What tasks are set for yourself and what are by “big” KAMAZ?
— The team is the part of our plant “KAMAZ”, that is why the goals fully coincide. The main is our results in the next season. The Russian Championship stages wait for us, the big and interesting rally-marathon Silk Way Rally will take place next year at the territory of Russia, Mongolia and China. It is amazing.
Definitely, we will prepare thoroughly to the season in order to demonstrate our trucks, their reliability, possibility of our crews and to perform well at all these competitions.
— What are the plans of the team to the nearest future and to 2024?
— As well as this year, we plan to take part in the Russian Championship stages in the truck standings and by opportunity in H2, buggy category. The sports program is under approval by the General Director KAMAZ PTC Sergey Kogogin. Preliminary in the truck standings four stages of the Russian Championship wait for us. It is traditionally “Zoloto Kagana” (Astrakhan), the next is in Volgograd – “Sands of Archeda”, the third will be in the first part of the Silk Way rally-marathon – the big international rally race. “Simbirsky Tract” in Ulianovsk will complete the season.
As far as about buggy concerns…It is a very interesting automobile, which allows to prepare young co-pilots and pilots during a season between the competitions. Sometimes we can’t participate in rallies by all crews. However, buggy helps us to receive additional time of driving and experience for freshmen pilots and co-pilots.
