- Even before today's special stage at the entrance to the start we felt that we have again problems with the car, so we had to stop for repairs, which took two and a half hours. The problem was in the engine fuel pump. But we passed the stage well. We had only to help the crew of Andrey Karginov which truck had broken. We lost 17 minutes. But we never leave each other in difficult situations.
Before the race, organizers promised to show to competitors the real Sahara, and they kept their word. There were a lot of sands at the second half of the stage, and the heat kept the participants up all day. In Volgograd gentle rain dropped and everyone hoped that it will become a little colder, but that did not happen. The rain came to Astrakhan only in the evening, but the heat was not over. Besides, somewhere in the middle of the stage in the Astrakhan region the sandy storm rose, and some competitors had to address to doctors to treat inflamed from sand and wind eyes. This day the temperature was really very high about 40 degrees in a shadow, respectively in cabins of "KAMAZ" temperature kept at the level of 50 degrees.
According to Ayrat Mardeev whose crew came second today, having conceded to Edward Nikolaev crew 8 minutes 48 seconds, said that the last ten kilometers to the finish seemed to them eternity:
- We drunk a lot of water today, as never before. The heat has left us completely exhausted. If the first 240 kilometers, of which almost 500 are scored, were quite high-speed, the second half of the stage took place in the desert, where we had to slow down. 120 kilometers before the finish line, the rear left wheel exploded. Let me remind that yesterday was the right one. So we lost 20 minutes to replace it. After replacing the wheel is very difficult to return to that pace, which you had before.
Ayrat Mardeev’s crew all the time was trying to see his teammates. He knew that the crews of Karginov Andrey and Anton Shibalov must be within sight. However, today yesterday's stage winner was off his luck. Andrey Karginov’s crew had problem with the engine. The guys were upset, just 500 meters separated them from the first control point and the victory of the stage of the championship of Russia, which is a part of the "Silk Way Rally". For Anton Shibalov it was also very difficult day:
- The suspension bearing of the cardan shaft broke down after that we removed cardan and continued race on the rear drive. We decided to go to Andrey Karginov which truck by that moment already had broken. He gave us the cardan shaft, and we continued to catch up the lost time. However just in ten kilometers we had the same breakage. As a result we stopped three times at that stage. With only the rear drive we reached the finish line through all sand.
According to the results of the day Anton Shibalov at the eleventh place and at the fifth position in general classification. Dmitry Sotnikov came fourth, and following the results of last stages took the third position:
- It was the real test of endurance - a marathon stage. At the last kilometers we had no water and no forces. Fortunately, we reached the finish with quite good result, and all stage passed quite well. We stopped to help at first to Anton Shibalov's crew, and then to Andrey Karginov's crew.
As for rivals of KAMAZ guys, today behind the crew of Nikolaev and Mardeev there was Sergey Vyazovich's Belarusian crew on "MAZ" truck. At the last stage he is the third, and in general classification – at the second place.
The Czech Ales Loprais has also a lot of problems with his truck. And as a result of the day - the fourteenth position and sixth place in the overall standings. Tomorrow, competitors of the "Silk Way Rally" will set a course from AstrakhanAirport, to the bivouac at Elista. Special stage will pass on the vast steppe, where there is not a soul. Riders will return to Astrakhan, but only in two days. And they say that this path will be not easy. Especially, according to Ayrat Mardeev:
- This is the most difficult track, what you can imagine. And we need to pass it without mistakes, without losing time. We see this race as a general training before the "Dakar", so we will drive at the set pace in order to test our car for 100 per cent.
