On 8th September KAMAZ-master Team arrived at Turkmenistan for participation in rally “Amul-Khazar 2018”. On the 10th September the race will start in the west of the country in Turkmenabat. The group, driving vehicles, which left Naberezhnye Chelny already on 3rd September, and the rest part of the team, travelling by air, met there.
The race guests were met with traditional east hospitality. The second biggest city in Turkmenistan, appeared on the left bank of the Amu Darya River as a center of caravan roads, connecting The Far East and Mediterranean, welcomed contestants with the 38-degree heat and the only relief was a slight wind from the Karakum Desert. The crews have to deal with the menacing desert from the 11th September. 5 days and 1614 km (1203 km of which are special sections) await contestants on the route from Amul to Khazar (ancient names are Turkmenabat and Turkmenbashi, cities of start and finish).
Heat and sands are perfectly suitable for test run and finishing works of the new KAMAZ race trucks before the Dakar Rally. Trucks of the team, built in accordance with modified technical regulations of Dakar, will pass serious tests in Turkmenistan. Into this program the following crews applied: Airat Mardeev (co-pilot Dmitry Svistunov, mechanic Akhmet Galiautdinov) and Dmitry Sotnikov (co-pilot Ruslan Akhmadeev, mechanic Ilgiz Akhmetzianov).
Apart from KAMAZ-master 3 crews of Belorussian team “MAZ-Sportauto”, 2 crews of Russia team “Gaz-raid sport” and 1 Turkmenistan crew have applied in the truck category .
Administrative checks and scruteneering finishedIn the evening of 9th September . They are obligatory before a race and contain a range of all possible control and other procedures from taking photos of contestants and mounting of navigation equipment to conformance inspection of race trucks with technical regulations of the race.
Quotes
Sergey Savostin, manager of KAMAZ-master Team on the rally “Amul-Khazar”
“It is always pleasant to be in sunny and warm welcoming Turkmenistan. Here guests are traditionally accorded a hearty welcome. I am sure that it will help contestants to overcome all challenges of this uneasy race. The route of the rally “Amul-Khazar 2018” will start from the Karakum Desert. It is a serious challenge as for people so for vehicles, a real extreme route”.
Airat Mardeev, pilot of crew No400
“One should take desert stages seriously. Sands don’t forgive mistakes. In 2009 I faced with the Karakum Desert the first time and I can imagine what it holds. Crews and specialists on the bivouac will have to work hard”.
Dmitry Sotnikov, pilot of crew No 402
“First days go by in usual pre-start activities. Technical, administrative checks…It is quite hot here. We are gradually getting used to the local climate. Ahead is a new and interesting route. In some ways, it is terra incognita. Various terrain and landscapes. Sands, that mean 'difficulties will start almost from the very start'. It is important from the very beginning to roll into the race well”.
