The KAMAZ-master team successfully passed the pre-start checks for the second round of the Russian Rally-Raid Championship; following the ceremonial start, four race crews competed in the prologue of “The Hills of Russia” Baja.
Having completed administrative and technical inspections, the KAMAZ-master team members met with fans on Ulyanovsk’s Sobornaya Square before the race began. Immediately after the ceremonial start, all Baja participants headed to the prologue—the race's short opening special stage.
Eduard Nikolaev, once again driving on the bonnet truck KAMAZ, clocked the fastest time on this stage – a “warm-up” run that was nonetheless crucial for determining starting positions. Dmitry Sotnikov finished second. Trailing his teammate by 23 seconds. Five pilots finished within a one-minute span-a typical level of competitiveness for the opening day of racing.
Almaz Akhmedov and Dmitry Avdeev posted the sixth and fastest times, respectively: Almaz finished less than two minutes behind Nikolaev, while Dmitry lost just over three minutes due to a minor navigation error.
Eduard Nikolaev, the Head of the team, pilot of crew N303: “Today it was interesting special stage, mud bath! Looks like trophy-raids. It was quite long time ago that we have not been driving at that kind of routes, but in fact it brought an interest to the rally. There are many deep puddles in pits – the whole truck was covered. From technical point of view, it was useful, we test different elements, that are connected with fords. We started the third, the crew of Dmitry Sotnikov was the first, the second was Sergey Vyazovich. The handicap was two minutes between the competitors, we did not see Sergey, but tried to keep pace, to adjust the track. There were long stretches of slippery road, so we tried to find grip along the edges whenever possible. That was the key advantage today: whoever found the best traction would post the best time. We had a slight navigation hiccup at one particular turn. Many crews made a mistake there, but Dmitry Sotnikov’s crew didn’t—very well, they drove it perfectly. I’m happy for Sergey Krenev, given that he’s a novice co-pilot. We drove about two hundred meters past the turn, had to double back, and lost roughly 25–30 seconds. I’m pleased with the truck: it ran smoothly and consistently, with no technical issues—I really enjoyed the day. Also glad for the guys: for Almaz and Dima because they drove stable that kind of special stage without stops. Thanks to Organizers that contribute something new and interesting annually, it is cool”.
Dmitry Sotnikov, pilot of crew N 301: “Today prologue was more than 10 kilometers. One of the difficulties was that the navigational equipment was working bad, there was no signal at all. It was difficult for co-pilot to navigate; we were driving by mechanical odometer. There was much of wheelspin, which racked up extra mileage, making it very difficult to get a real feel for the course. However, there were not many complex reference points; the hazards mostly consisted of just two or three key markers. The track was a mess of soupy mud, bumps, potholes, and puddles; it was impossible to stop or turn the truck, so you just tried to keep it pointed straight. The only saving grace was the grass along the edges, which allowed us to pick up speed. But when you accelerate, you have to keep in mind that you still need to be able to stop if a hazard appears ahead. So, today was all about a striking a balance between speed and safety. We drove the route in the opposite direction to yesterday’s practice run, plus there was a new section. Plus, we opened the track for the trucks. In fact, it rolled well, just one confusing place, but we turned right. At another difficult place there was an abrupt turn to the right and we hardly ever managed to get it though many participants had problems there. We minimized losses, generally the situation is favorable for all of us”.
Almaz Akhmedov, pilot of crew N 304: “The track of prologue was at 50 percent from yesterday’s testing day. It was very slippery – puddles, pits, two-tree signs constantly. The weather has stabled, it has not been raining today. I expect that tomorrow the weather will be dry and we will drive much faster. It is been a bit tough to get into a rhythm so far due to the rain and the slippery track, but we will do our best to settle in and put in a good run once it dries out.”
Dmitry Avdeev, pilot of crew N 308: “The end of a test circle coincided with the beginning of today’s prologue. It was rather muddy and peculiar. There were many puddles and pits. Generally, everything went well. The only thing was minor navigation error that caused us to make a loop on the course. We will try to fix everything and analyze our mistakes so it does not happen again.”
On Sunday, July 19, participants of “The Hills of Russia” rally face their first-long day of competition: the Ulyanovsk off-road terrain will host the racers across two special stages totaling 298 km. Crews will encounter the region’s characteristic winding field tracks, featuring ravines, elevation changes, and challenging navigation. The final section of the stage promises to be a high-speed run along tree lines, giving pilots the chance to push their trucks to the absolute limit.
