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The KAMAZ-master team will test the young personnel at Baja rally-raid “Zoloto Kagana - 2023”

06.04.2023

In application list of Baja “Zoloto Kagana - 2023”, new participants in T5 (T4) class have appeared and it was KAMAZ-master team’s trucks. “Blue Armade” will perform 3 crews at Astrakhan rally. We addressed the questions regarding “the young blood” to the leader of the Russian Motorsport, to the pilot of the KAMAZ-master team, the five time champion of the Dakar rally race Eduard Nikolaev.
 
Question: Little time has left to the beginning of the rally-raid “Zoloto Kagana”. From 14th to 18th of April the rally-raid will take place in Astrakhan region, how is the mood?

Eduard Nikolaev:
– We traditionally begin our year with the race in Astrakhan and we have excellent mood! The team is in its fit: we keep self-preparing technically, physically and morally, because this race is not simple in testing of people and machines.

Question: What are three important reasons for you to participate in rally-raid “Zoloto Kagana”?

Eduard Nikolaev:
– Firstly, this is love to rally-raids. Secondly, I am sure, if you want to achieve a significant result in the rally-raid – the World Cup, the World Championsip, the Dakar, the Silk Wat Rally, - you have to come to uneasy astrakhan rally, at steps. If you are able to drive this route from the beginning to the end, you can surely declare, that you are ready to any tests.

Question: So, it can be considered that rally “Zoloto Kagana” is the first serious training before the Silk Way Rally?

Eduard Nikolaev:
– This is exactly the third reason. Many sportsmen will agree with me because this is drilling of machines, people before the serious rallies as the Silk Way Rally, Zoloto Kagana . It enables to check machines, to set the suspension well, to understand the track, to feel uneasy astrakhan off-road, because the Silk Way Rally was passing near or mostly in the same terrain for a couple of years.

Question: Now you have mentioned the following question, “Zoloto Kagana” is a great opportunity to check the truck, to test it before the other serious rallies. What are new units and assemblies you will test this time?

Eduard Nikolaev:
– Now the team is preparing two new trucks to the season, their tests we have planned to May. But we also have an interesting program at “Zoloto Kagana-2023”. It is aimed to have practice by the pilots and to test the future of our team – the young generation. These are the night mechanics, crew mechanics and co-pilots. The crew will be headed by young staff who we have begun the work two years ago.
Bogdan Karimov showed good results and we keep going ahead, we don’t stop and only after this we will get young pilots. Now Danil Telepov will drive as a mechanic in the crew of Andrey Karginov and Ivan Malkov as a co-pilot, who was driving as mechanic previously in the crew of Andrey and now he will be Danil’s mentor. At the second crew of Airat Mardeev, the new people’s performance is planned. Sergey Krenev will be a co-pilot, who previously was a mechanic of race truck in the crew of Sergey Kuprianov. Ilmir Sitdikov will be a mechanic – the young sportsman and a well-established crew mechanic among those who deal with technology. I am sure that he will succeed. All team prepare to the upcoming rally. We have been training actively with Innovation Center of Russian Olympic Committee for three weeks. Our trainings are headed by a pilot, winner of the “Dakar” rally – Dmitry Sotnikov, who performs well. I think, that all guys will be in fit before the start of rally “Zoloto Kagana”.
The third crew is the crew of Sergey Kuprianov, his co-pilot is Aleksandr Kupriianov, mechanic is Ivan Tatarinov.

Question: Why didn’t Nikolaev, Sotnikov and Shibalov drive in a crew?


Eduard Nikolaev:
– We have very tough season, many competitions, we would like to thank the organizers for it. We have spread a little, because we can’t go with the whole number of personnel by some reasons. The first reason is preparing of out trucks, as I have already said, we plan to finish them in May. The new K5 trucks – of our crew and crew of Dmitry Sotnikov we make with new modifications. In May we wait for departure and prepare for it. Anton Shibalov and Bogdan Karimov will join to us in May.
So, the part of the team which will go to “Zoloto Kagana” and the second part which will be in tests in May will be equally ready to the Silk Way Rally. The decision will be taken by director of NP KAMAZ-master.

Question: What will Eduard Nikolaev do at “Zoloto Kagana-2023”?

Eduard Nikolaev:
– We planned with Dmitry Sotnikov to take part in the training process in Astrakhan. The training will begin from Volgograd region, where we have to ride two very interesting, eventful special stage. We hope that the weather conditions will help us, that it will be dry and there won’t be any mud. The Astrakhan terrain is sandy and it will allow us to hold the serious trainings.
As I have already said, there will be many young athletes at “Zoloto Kagana” who need to be observed and prompted. This, probably, will be my main task on the road - training young personnel for the team. I want to understand how they will feel in the conditions of the race, and see how they really deal with technology.

Together with Dmitry, who is focused mainly on the preparation of our equipment, namely the suspension, we will once again drive and test our previous cars. We will also see in action a new bonneted car driven by Airat Mardeev and a working K5 truck by Andrey Karginov's crew in order to evaluate all the little things and peculiarities and transfer them to new trucks of the K5 family.

Question: Excellent plan. The functionality of the experienced pilot is scheduled, no time to get bored. One more question: there is the crew of Sergey Kuprianov among the participants. How has Sergey’s level raised as a pilot for the 9 recent years?

Eduard Nikolaev:
– Sergey, in fact, is an excellent pilot. We would like to see more often at race truck, but we understand his huge assignments in his main activity. As a team, we make all possible that he could drive more and we share with him the experience, as it was before done by Vladimir Chagin.
Sergey is a good sportsman  and he has a support of an excellent co-pilot Aleksander Kuprianov. Well, the car Sergey Kuprianov is driving is a gas-diesel truck that shows its superiority in heavy sands. It is on a difficult road that we can observe that its power characteristics are more aggressive, and it goes confidently.

In general, a good truck, a good crew. We wish Sergey to join us more often both at training camps and at competitions.

Question: Do you keep in touch with the “MAZ-SPORTauto” team? Maybe you know how many trucks they will stage? And how much do you feel that there will be a sharp fight?

Eduard Nikolaev:
– Yes, we are glad when there is a strong competitor. It is very nice that there is such team as “MAZ”, which is always on our’s heels. They do their best, they drive well and have nice machines. The “MAZ” team are great professionals and we are glad that we are rivals at the track. I know, that they are going to test something new and this is very interesting to us as well. Guys keep going. We will see at the race and good luck!


Question: The last question from the organizers of “Zoloto Kagana”. “KAMAZ-master” team comes to astrakhan steps for the last 20 years. One will think, that the crews have traveled the terrain extensively in and out, but they thank for the excellent track every year. What is the secret of such attention to the Baja “Zoloto Kagana”?

Eduard Nikolaev:
– In fact, the astrakhan rally for us is a stage: a stage for testing, stage for the pilots’ personal growth. I personally have begun attending it since my early childhood and received the professional skills there. It is a very diversified and interesting off-road, which enables new pilots to get accustomed to rally-raid movement. If you have driven at “Zoloto Kagana”, so you are ready to take part and self-develop at such kind of competitions.
Absolutely, annually organizers try to change the route, find something new, interesting. And it pleases. It seems that we have traveled all the astrakhan steps, but they find such attractive stages to our surprise. Thank you very much for this!
We are looking forward to head for Astrakhan to dive into hot atmosphere of struggle. We would like to invite our fans to this nice city where a lot of done for motorsport development. We will see in Astrakhan! 
By the materials of press center of “Zoloto Kagana”.