Only at 6 a.m. mechanics could finish their work on July, 14. The ”Blue Armada” could leave for the start of the 6th SWR stage right on time. They passed 300 km on usual roads to the special. They went round Lake Balkhash then drove deeper to the steppe. A strong wind raised swirls of dust and roughed up the lake. You could even feel salt on your lips.
The caravan is leaving steppes. The sixth stage was the last during which drivers risked to puncture their tires on thorny saksaul, ‘catch’ stones, get stuck in the sand or lose their way. Steppe is a real challenge for a navigator. You should learn the legend (road book) really well to be able to choose the right way.
The crew of Eduard Nikolaev #310 was the second to finish the fifth stage and today he decided to catch up his rival Martin van den Brink from Mammoet Rallysport, their time difference is 9 min.
“We started really well, at a very good speed, - said Eduard Nikolaev. – Our aim was to catch up our main rival, therefore we started to move across, drove on a road shoulder and punctured our wheel on a bush. We tried to drive inflating the tire but we could do it only for 20 km. We had to change it and lost 11 min. When you try to catch up somebody it’s a lot. Not long before the finish I punctured another wheel. I think it was a metal directing mark that showed the turning because just after it the wheel started to blow. We could finish without changing the second wheel. When you try to catch up, you risk. You can’t do without a risk. But you are not always lucky.”
However, the crew of Eduard Nikolaev manages to lead in the general classification.
Andrey Karginov #314 also had problems. He caught saksaul, too. Dry branches pierced into the tire. “We tried to drive inflating the tire but we couldn’t. We had to stop and change it. We lost 6 min. We tried to catch up on the second part of the special but it was deleted.”
Notwithstanding the results of the day, the team manager Sergey Savostin is pleased with the general classification. “After six legs four KAMAZ-master crews are in top-five. The crew of Eduard Nikolaev leads the race. The time difference is very short, we have only time advantage of one day. Therefore we need to drive stable without stops and risk in order to save our time, our result. The first part of the race was cut. Because of the weather, the specials were deleted or cut. It sometimes happens…”
On 15 July there is a rest day for the sportsmen in Almaty. But the team has to wake up at seven o’clock. At eight a hard work is going to start, where mechanics and pilots will take part. That is a rule. The Celestial Empire and seven stages are ahead of the sportsmen.
Trucks. Classification of the 6th leg:
1. A.Mardeev / A. Belyaev / D. Svistunov (KAMAZ) – 1h 16:18
2. A.Shibalov / R.Amatych / A.Khisamiev (KAMAZ) +0:33
3. D.Sotnikov / R. Akhamdeev / I. Romanov (KAMAZ) +2:18
4. S.Vyazovich / P. Garanin / A.Zhigulin (MAZ) +2:34
5. H.Hongning / Sh.Xin / A. Mokeev (KAMAZ) +3:20
Trucks. General Classification after 6 legs:
1. E.Nikolaev / E.Yakovlev / V. Rybakov (KAMAZ) – 11h 47:18
2. M.van den Brink / P. Willemsen / D.Kozlovsky (Renault) +8:37
3. A.Shibalov / R.Amatych / A.Khisamiev (KAMAZ) +10:05
4. D.Sotnikov / R.Akhmadeev / I.Romanov (KAMAZ) +16:48
5. A.Karginov / A.Kuprianov / I.Leonov (KAMAZ) +18:44
