KAMAZ-master crews have never been so close to win on the Silk Way Rally. Today, on the 13th leg between Chinese cities Alashan and Wuhai they consolidated their leading positions finishing one by one and showing the best time.
Eduard Nikolaev #310 showed the best result of the day. Airat Mardeev #306 was second and Dmitry Sotnikov #300 took the third position.
The stage was 724 km long, including 367 km of the special-stage. The racers have already passed 9 500 km. So, only one more leg and the awarding ceremony in the center of Beijing are ahead. Now the Blue Armada have to fix the result, go at a good speed without dust after their rivals and breakdowns.
“We make a time cushion, to drive without haste and breakdowns, - says the team manager Sergey Savostin. – We are confident in our crews. This race we test units and aggregates - our ups and downs were connected exactly with it. Six trucks take part in the rally. We can afford it here, but in Dakar it will be impossible. If the tests are successful, the next race we will install the very units and aggregates.”
Now particular attention is given to the bonnet truck of Eduard Nikolaev. The pilot is learning to drive in dunes because there are some problems with the view.
“Today there were sharp dunes and it is hard to see them on the bonnet truck. We have to risk, - says Nikolaev. – During today’s special dunes were different – at first the dunes were wet, we drove as on a concrete road and in the end they were loose and you could get into. I think that race authorities prepared a serious challenge for us for the final. They included difficult dunes, however, the weather made the task easier. But for the rain the stage could have ended in a different way.”
According to Airat Mardeev the rally authorities prepared such a big variety of stages, that drivers had a chance to try themselves in all kinds of specials. “There were a lot of impassibility, sand, sharp stones, river beds. I only wish there were more curvy roads. We probably could have tried all types of roads, but there were some special’s delay. Comparing with last Dakar everything was more difficult here.”
Dmitry Sotnikov (he finished third) told that it was a difficult stage for him. “There were a lot of endless sands - we drove around 150 km. We hoped that we would pass dunes successfully and it would be easier on impassibility. But all was in a different way. We drove on hillocks all the time. The wheel knocked out all the time and I couldn’t understand what the problem was. We found the breakdown only at the finish. Authorities promise one more difficult stage tomorrow. But we are planning to drive without risk. 70 km of dunes were prepared for the finale. It has never ever been on a race. Usually dunes are mixed with impassibility, but here the race authorities decided to make it more challenging. Moreover, the dunes will start in the second part, when you are already tired. The only thing makes me happy – it is going to be the final special.”
Silk Way Rally. Results of the 12th stage. Trucks:
1. E.Nikolaev / E.Yakovlev/ V.Rybakov (KAMAZ) – 5h 13:20
2. А. Mardeev / А. Belyaev / D. Svistunov (КАМАZ) +1:23
3. D. Sotnikov / R. Akhmadeev / I. Romanov (КАМАZ) +5:27
4. А. Karginov / А. Kuprianov / I. Leonov (КАМАZ) +10:56
5. А. Shibalov / R. Amatych / А. Khisamiev (КАМАZ) +14:47
General Classification after 12 Legs. Trucks:
1. А. Mardeev / А. Belyaev /D. Svistunov (КАМАZ) – 35h 23:52
2. D. Sotnikov / R. Akhmadeev / I. Romanov (КАМАZ) +11:56
3. Мartin van den Brink / P. Willemsen / D. Kozlovsky (Renault) +28:24
4. E. Nikolaev / Е. Yakovlev / V. Rybakov (КАМАZ) +52:20
5. А. Shibalov / R. Amatych / А. Khisamiev (КАМАZ) +2h 04:04
