The third round of the Russian Rally-Raid Championship—the "Uralsky Rubezh" (Ural Frontier) Baja—will take place from September 9 to 13 across the Chelyabinsk Region and the Republic of Bashkortostan. The truck category will feature the KAMAZ-master, MAZ-SPORTauto, URAL MOTORSPORT, and GAZ Raid Sport teams.
Six special stages await participants in the first race of the autumn season. The rally starts in Chelyabinsk and finishes in Miass, covering a total distance of over 1,000 kilometers, with 660 kilometers of competitive racing.
The KAMAZ-master team will field five crews for the "Uralsky Rubezh" (Ural Frontier) Baja, led by Eduard Nikolaev, Dmitry Sotnikov, Bogdan Karimov, Almaz Akhmedov, and Dmitry Avdeev. The race vehicles will depart from Naberezhnye Chelny early on the morning of September 8, and the pilots will undergo testing near Chelyabinsk the following day.
Administrative checks and technical inspections, the race's opening ceremony at the Traktor Ice Arena, and the start of the first stage—a 10-kilometer prologue in the Sosnovsky Municipal District—are scheduled for September 10.
The second stage of the Baja will take place on Friday, September 11, with the race caravan heading to Magnitogorsk. This will be the longest day of the event: the second special stage will cover 185 kilometers, and the third will span 125 kilometers. The rally route will traverse the wooded areas of the Southern Urals, flat black-soil plains, and deep water crossings.
The third day of racing features two special stages of equal length—115 kilometers each. On September 12, the crews will traverse rocky terrain, crossing the border between the Chelyabinsk Region and the Republic of Bashkortostan before returning to Magnitogorsk.
The "Uralsky Rubezh" Baja concludes on September 13 with Special Stage 6, covering a distance of 112 kilometers. The route for this final stage runs along mountainous, rocky roads featuring water crossings and abundant loose rock. The ceremonial drive-through and the awards ceremony for the race winners and top finishers will take place in the central square of the city of Miass.
Crews of the KAMAZ-master team at the Ural Frontier Baja:
- pilot Eduard Nikolaev, co-pilot Evgeny Yakovlev, mechanic Vladislav Glukhov.
- pilot Dmitry Sotnikov, co-pilot Sergei Krenev, mechanic Ilgiz Akhmetzyanov.
- pilot Bogdan Karimov, co-pilot Dmitry Nikitin, mechanic Ilnur Davletshin.
- pilot Almaz Akhmedov, co-pilot Ivan Malkov, mechanic Tahir Islamgulov.
- pilot Dmitry Avdeev, co-pilot Yuri Korolev, mechanic Ilgam Akhmetzyanov.
Eduard Nikolaev, Head of the Team and pilot of the KAMAZ-master: "For the first time in history, the race is starting in Chelyabinsk, and I am confident it will generate great interest among spectators. Although some stages will take place in areas familiar to us, the organizers promise new locations and fresh, untrodden routes. That’s fantastic—it will make the race all the more exciting.
A thrilling battle and plenty of suspense await everyone in the truck category. The Ural-based team demonstrated their skill at their home stage last year, and this season they are proving to be serious rivals—Yuri Nayman’s crew is right on our heels. The Belarusian team is also arriving with a strong desire to win."
Our goal for the “Uralsky Rubezh” Baja is to secure a result that counts towards the Russian Championship standings. It is also important for us to test our vehicles in challenging racing conditions assess the components and assemblies used throughout the season. Vehicle upgrades are essential for gauging our technical progress and determining which solutions to implement in specific trucks for the coming year. And, of course, the race gives our team members the opportunity to showcase their skills as pilots, co-pilots, and mechanics; consequently, there will be changes to the race crews.
Takhir Islamgulov will serve as the mechanic in Almaz Akhmedov’s crew; this experience will be crucial for him, as he shows promise as a future co-pilot Another promising young competitor is Ilgam Akhmetzyanov, who will start the rally as the mechanic in Dmitry Avdeev’s crew. As for the crews led by Eduard Nikolaev, Dmitry Sotnikov, and Bogdan Karimov, they will compete with their established lineups and vie for top honors. I believe the team is ready for the third round of the Russian Championship.
