The international “Takla Makan 2026” rally is drawing to a close. On Monday, June 1, the crews hit the starting line of the final stage of the race to determine the winners and runners -up of the competition. The rally organizers spared no mercy for the sports crew, preparing an extremely challenging route for the 13th special stage in the picturesque area of the Wensu Grand Canyon. It is hard to believe, but the local yarding landscapes were formed 26 million years ago – a unique location for the rally finish with a view of Jengish Chokusu (Pobeda Peak).
The grueling 159-kilometer final special stage could easily have reshuffled the podium, so the pilots, being fully aware of what the route entailed, did not even entertain thoughts of an early victory. Simply reaching the finish line without breakdowns or accidents was the primary goal for the day. There was indeed cause for anxiety regarding the final outcome; right from the start, the race track led into a riverbed that had been severely damaged by flooding and landslides.
The existing roads had become completely impassable, so the pilots had to work hard to navigate this section without incident. Deep gorges, massive boulders, and water-filled ravines—the mountainous regions of the Tian Shan were full of hazards, all of which had been marked in advance with safety flags.
Fortunately, the special stage concluded without any stops or incidents for the KAMAZ-master crews of Bogdan Karimov and Almaz Akhmedov. At the finish line, a festive reception awaited the pilots, complete with flowers and congratulations from the many spectators. Nearly 3,500 kilometers of high-speed racing at the Taklamakan Rally 2026 were now behind them. Ahead lay the celebratory ceremony on the finish podium and the presentation of well-deserved awards.
The debut Taklamakan Rally marked a significant milestone in the history of the KAMAZ-Master racing team. After a four-year hiatus, the "Blue Armada" returned to a major international competition and delivered an outstanding performance, reaffirming its status as the world's premier rally-raid team. In China, Crew No. 502—comprising Bogdan Karimov, Dmitry Nikitin, and Ilgiz Akhmetzyanov—took the top spot on the podium, while Crew No. 501—consisting of Almaz Akhmedov, Ivan Malkov, and Anton Shibalov—finished the race in second place. The third-place spot went to the crew led by Yury Nayman from the URAL MOTORSPORT team.
Eduard Nikolaev, Head of the KAMAZ-master team: "I congratulate the entire team on successfully completing the race! We achieved the best possible results across all our objectives. Harsh climates, sand, and off-road terrain—both the vehicles and the crews withstood these grueling race conditions and made it to the finish line. The guys delivered an excellent performance and validated our decisions regarding the crew lineups. Thank you to the whole team for your support. Through this race, we have proven that we are moving in the right direction.
Our youth generation successfully tackled the challenging special stages and gained valuable experience. I am confident that the Taklamakan Rally will benefit their sporting careers. Many international competitions lie ahead for them and the KAMAZ-master team where it is important proudly fly the flags of our country, our republic, and KAMAZ itself.
My many thanks go to everyone: assistance team and mechanics, who worked practically without sleep throughout the entire rally. We have many young guys in the team; they learn from older generation of mechanics, gaining valuable experience. They faced a tremendous workload, yet they rosed to the challenge and did everything possible to ensure our trucks reached the finish line.
Congratulations to everyone on reaching the finish line, and thank you to everyone who was with us—following the race, cheering us on, and rooting for us. A huge thank you to our partners for their support during these challenging times. We won the Taklamakan Rally and confirmed that KAMAZ trucks remain the most reliable and fastest in the world.
Bogdan Karimov, pilot of crew No. 502: "Congratulations to everyone on the victory! The early stages featured long straight sections, and we thought it wouldn't be particularly interesting, but from the third or fourth special stage onwards, things got increasingly challenging as we encountered sand. During the race, we had to dig ourselves out of the dunes and lost time, but all of this helped us gain valuable experience. I believe we drove a good race and showcased our trucks at this international rally in China, where we received a very warm welcome."
We really enjoyed the rally; it was an interesting experience. We are grateful to the team management for trusting young crews to represent KAMAZ-master at such a major competition. We gave it our all, didn't let the team down, and won the race. Our crew didn't encounter any major technical issues throughout the event; we drove a consistent and steady race. And most importantly, we brought both the truck and the crew to the finish line safe and sound.
Almaz Akhmedov, pilot of crew No. 501: "We’ve reached the finish line! It was a very tough race; we drove across sand, dunes, rocky terrain, and canyons. We gained a tremendous amount of experience over these past few weeks. We are very pleased with the event. I have mixed feelings now that it’s over: on one hand, I’m happy we finished and took second place; on the other, I’m a bit sad about the technical issues we encountered on the special stages—we could have achieved an even better result. In any case, it’s great to reach the rally’s finish line."
Dmitry Nikitin, co-pilot of crew No. 502: "We drove well along the riverbed and tried to maintain the right course. There was a moment on one of the climbs where we didn't quite make the turn on the first attempt; we had to reverse and try again. Today was the most emotionally challenging stage. You could tell that Bogdan was driving with a margin of safety to avoid damaging the truck and to preserve our standing. We even managed to take in the beautiful scenery—the landscape was fascinating. Near the finish line, there were lots of spectators cheering us on."
Just yesterday, it felt like the race would never end, yet now, after crossing the finish line, there is a sense of emptiness. It was important for us to return to such a major race and tackle serious off-road terrain and dunes. The rally proved extremely challenging for the crews—early starts, long liaison sections, late finishes, and intense heat. It speaks volumes that only two-thirds of the starters actually made it to the finish. We are happy with how it all turned out and want to thank everyone for their support. We’ll be at home soon.
Anton Shibalov, mechanic for crew No. 501: "Today’s special stage was the most beautiful of the entire race: canyons, mountains, and snow-capped peaks. There was plenty to admire. We drove well; the only downside was that we got stuck in the dust almost right from the start—a buggy crew wouldn't let us pass all the way to the finish. The stage turned out to be like a tram track: you couldn't pull out to the left or the right—it was either very dangerous or completely impossible."
Overall, the race went well, though not without a few adventures. The guys grew stronger by overcoming these challenges; this valuable experience will serve them well, and things will be easier next time. Our main goal was to reach the finish line and post a good result, and we succeeded. We only had to change tires once during the entire race—and that was likely due to overheating caused by an error on our part. We had prepared our cars well back home, and here they are at the rally finish. Yes, there are some aspects related to local temperatures and terrain, but we’ll work on addressing them so we can come back stronger and more experienced next time.
