Start for the 39th edition of the Dakar Rally will be given on 2 January in the capital of Paraguay, Asuncion. KAMAZ-master Team, that was flying to the rally in two groups, safely reached the capital of Paraguay. The first half of the team had to start to the South America on 25 December in order to overpass almost 1000 km from the port near Buenos-Aires (after the vehicles were unloaded from the organization boat) to Asuncion. Two days were spent for preparatory technical and regulatory works; there also were meetings with lots of journalists, partners, fans of the team. For example, stand of Total company (a technical partner of the Russian team) gathered a lot of people who wanted to get autographs of KAMAZ pilots. On 29 December evening at the Residence of the President the KAMAZ-master leader presented Horacio Cartes the model of the race truck KAMAZ. On 31 December morning our sportsmen had to pass administrative checks and scruteneering. They are obligatory before the race, and consist of various technical and other procedures, from photographing the participants and installation of navigation equipment to checks of the vehicle conformability with the race regulations.
The route of Dakar-2017 is laid on the territories of three countries – Paraguay, Bolivia and Argentina. Paraguay will become the 29th country through which the rally route has ever been laid in the history of Dakar.
4 KAMAZ-master crews on Dakar-2017:
The sportsmen have to overrun 9000 km, half of which consist of untraveled tracks, - says the official Dakar website. After the start in Asuncion the contestants will enter the territory of Argentina for a short time, there they will go to Bolivia, where they will pass 5 marathon stages. The sportsmen will drive on the shore of Titicaca Lake and spend a rest day in La Pas on the height of 4000 meters above the sea level.
The second week of the rally marathon will go in Argentina and finish in Buenos Aires. It is the fifth time when the rally finishes in the Argentinean capital.
All in all 316 vehicles from 59 countries will toe the starting line, among which 50 are in the truck category. Not less than 10 top-crews apart from KAMAZ pretend for the Dakar podium. The main rivals of KAMAZ-master team are IVECO, MAN, RENAULT, TATRA, and they don’t hide their ambitions.
According to the KAMAZ-master team leader Vladimir Chagin, 2 weeks of intense battle are ahead. The KAMAZ crews will have to work hard in order to return the Dakar champion’s title. The reports from the South America during the whole race are available for the Russian citizens in the news of the Federal Russian channels – Chanel One, Russia-1, Russia-24, NTV, 5th Channel, Ren TV and etc. Everyday TV-diaries of Dakar-2017 will be broadcasted by MATCH TV. The Russians will also follow the performance of Anastasiya Nifontova (MOTO No59), Aleksandr Ivaniutin (MOTO No 60), Sergey Karyakin (QUAD No254), Ravil Maganov and Kirill Shubin(AVTO No 378), Sergey Shikhotarov and Oleg Uperenko (AVTO No380).
So, on 31 December by 14:00 local time the race trucks after successful scruteneering were put into the Parc Ferme. The access to the vehicles are forbidden till the start of the rally. Administrative checks for the team were also finished. The start podium will be held on 1st January, and the next day the rally caravan will leave Asuncion to Argentinean Resistencia for 39th prologue special.
