The second stage of the international Silk Way Rally 2019 went on the route Baikalsk-Ulan-Ude on Monday, 8 July.
Situated on the picturesque Baikal shore, the road from bivouac to the start point of the second competition day stretched to 71 km along the deepest lake in the world. Fascinating distant views of the blue water to leftward of drivers and a verdured ridge mountain on the other side – thus members of KAMAZ-master Team will remember the local landscapes.
As yesterday, KAMAZ-master trucks caused a commotion among the fans. Coming from the whole vicinity, spectators wished good luck on the route to the crews of Naberezhnye Chelny team. Taking into consideration the track, laid on the route, good fortune won’t go amiss. 208 km of the fight special section were the toughest challenge: narrow roads, posing danger trees, stones and water, and also a big amount of holes.
Started second in the truck category Anton Shibalov took a good pace and caught up Belorusian Siarhei Viazovich, who started 2 minutes earlier. On WP1 Shibalov showed the best result, being ahead of his rival for 1 minute 45 seconds. Unfortunately, an unpleasant incident didn’t allow to fight for the leadership: for almost half an hour the Russian crew signaled to give a way, but Viazovich didn’t hear him.
“We asked the race officials to sort out the situation and check the device on the truck of Viazovich. If it doesn’t work, it needs change or repair, and if it works and signals were received, then it is necessary to find out why he (Viazoich) behaved this way. I pay attention, that it is not a protest but a request to clear up the situation. KAMAZ-master doesn’t pretend for any sanctions, it is regulations which shows it all, - said the manager of KAMAZ-master Team Sergei Savostin. – The device data of the truck of Viazovich needs to be taken. On our device all signals are fixed”.
Siarhei Viazovich explained the reason, why he couldn’t let KAMAZ ahead: “In some places it was so narrow for trucks, that we had to slow down to get through. In one place gathered a lot of cars of T3 category, it was impossible to pass them by. We lost a bit of time, Anton Shibalov gave one signal, but it was impossible to let him go ahead. When we reached a wide part, they started to give us a way”.
Members of KAMAZ crews had to pay maximum attention in the forest area: dust, rising from the wheels of cars ahead, interfered high speed, and in some places even made us stop. Safety first!
Aleksandr Kuprianov, navigator of KAMAZ-master Team, No 305: “Today it was hard to get problems with navigation, there were more difficulties with driving and feeling very sorry for the truck. As first 140 kilometers went along the tunnel almost in the forest, and branches hit mirrors, sides and the windscreen”.
In the second half of the special Shibalov’s crew had to stop. The effort to overrun a car, that held the speed of the Russian racers, turned into a wheel puncture, leading to the time loss and chances to fight for victory on the second stage. Other KAMAZ-master trucks passed the special section without adventures.
One more beautiful view for the sportsmen was a part along the mountain chain Khamar-Daban. The rally caravan finished in Selenginsky District of Buryatia – motherland of nine Pandito Khambo lamas (title of Buddhist traditional sanghas of Russia).
The best among the “Blue Armada” became the current winner of Silk Way Rally Andrey Karginov (No300), showing the time of 2 hours 33 minutes 12 seconds. Shibalov (No303) and Airat Mardeeev (No302) got the fourth and fifth positions with the same time 2 hours 36 minutes 24 seconds, and Sergei Kuprianov (No305) crossed the finish line with the seventh best time of the day (2 hours 44 minutes 39 seconds).
Dmitry Nikitin, co-pilot of KAMAZ-master Team, No303: “The most difficult was the first part of the stage: the weakest category of cars started in the end and the interval was only 15 minutes. We started to catch up with them very fast, and due to heavy vegetation on the track and taiga, it was hard to overrun the cars. The roads were heavily washed out, and because of it there was a risk to puncture wheels, which, unfortunately, happened to us. Closer to 40th kilometer we caught up with the crew of Viazovich, we signaled a lot to the safety devices, asked for the way. I don’t know the reason why he didn’t let us ahead. From 70th kilometer it became a bit wider and drier, but a heavy dust rose up. Visibility is almost zero, mud holes on the edge of the roads, sharp stones. Due to it we had to slow down, as a consequence Viazovich went ahead and then we didn’t see him”.
In the general classification Karginov’s crew climbed the second position, Shibalov descended to the third line, Mardeev goes the fifth and Kuprianov iss the seventh.
On Tuesday the third stage Ulan-Ude – Ulan-Bator awaits the race contestants. For the first time in the history of Silk Way Rally crews will come to Mongolia. The total length of the stage will be 691 kilometer, 243 km of which go in “a fight mode”.
TRUCK CATEGORY. RANKING OF STAGE 2
Pos. Name Make Time Gap
1 S. VIAZOVICH MAZ 02:29:42 00:00:00
2 A. KARGINOV Kamaz 02:33:12 00:03:30
3 M. VAN DEN BRINK Renault 02:36:07 00:06:25
4 A. SHIBALOV Kamaz 02:36:24 00:06:42
5 A. MARDEEV Kamaz 02:36:24 00:06:42
6 P. GARROUSTE Iveco 02:42:36 00:12:54
7 S. KUPRIANOV Kamaz 02:44:39 00:14:57
8 I. HANAWA Hino 02:51:31 00:21:49
9 T. SUGAWARA Hino 02:53:35 00:23:53
10 A. VASILEVSKI MAZ 02:56:46 00:27:04
GENERAL CLASSIFICATION
Pos. Name Make Time Gap
1 S. VIAZOVICH MAZ 03:04:14 00:00:00
2 A. KARGINOV Kamaz 03:11:11 00:06:57
3 A. SHIBALOV Kamaz 03:11:52 00:07:38
4 M. VAN DEN BRINK Renault 03:14:22 00:10:08
5 A. MARDEEV Kamaz 03:19:27 00:15:13
6 P. GARROUSTE Iveco 03:21:06 00:16:52
7 S. KUPRIANOV Kamaz 03:23:46 00:19:23
8 I. HANAWA Hino 03:30:13 00:25:59
9 A. VASILEVSKI MAZ 03:35:56 00:31:42
10 T. SUGAWARA Hino 03:37:09 00:32:55
