On Monday, July 20, two more special stages of the second round of the Russian Rally-Raid Championship, the “Hills of Russia” Baja, took place. KAMAZ-master team pilot Eduard Nikolaev took the sole lead in the overall standings, with the odds looming high heading into the final day.
The competition day began with a 170-kilometer special stage through fords and ravines, with impressive elevation changes. The rains of the previous days left their mark on the racing crews: in places, the conditions were extremely slippery and wet, requiring the riders to carefully balance risk with safe handling.
Dmitry Sotnikov, the opening pilot, had the toughest time, but the KAMAZ pilot successfully cleared and reconnoitered the road, losing 27 seconds to Sergey Vyazovich. Eduard Nikolaev lost two minutes on the first special stage of the day, suffering from a lack of engine power and a loose left side. Almaz Akhmedov lost two and a half minutes, and Dmitry Avdeev lost ten.
The second 90-kilometer special stage of the day again brought Sotnikov second place, but this time Nikolaev pulled ahead. A superb performance allowed Eduard's crew to edge out their KAMAZ-master teammate by 1 minute 45 minutes, while Sergei Vyazovich, slowing down before the finish, lost two and a half minutes. Akhmedov completed the course slightly faster than the MAZ pilot, while Avdeev was just over four minutes behind Nikolaev.
In the overall standings, Nikolaev leads Vyazovich by 32 seconds, and Sotnikov by 1 minute 3 seconds. Considering that Eduard will be leading the final special stage on Tuesday, as the overall leader, three crews have a realistic chance of winning. Vyazovich will naturally be looking to catch Nikolaev, while Sotnikov will similarly aim to make up the half-minute lead he has over the Belarusian pilot.
Eduard Nikolaev, team manager, pilot of crew N 303: "Our crew started third today. Dmitry Sotnikov was first, then Sergey Vyazovich. Our goal was to get as close as possible to our competitors, but unfortunately, that didn't work out. In the first section, we actually lost two minutes, which was a bit surprising. I tried to maintain a good pace on the slippery forest roads, but unfortunately, the truck didn't allow me to go faster than our competitors. Otherwise, I would have had to take significant risks—I could have simply lost the vehicle. Unfortunately, in places, there wasn't enough traction: it was obvious the engine was struggling to accelerate in certain sections. But we still tried to drive quickly and not miscalculate the navigation. There were some very serious fords at top speed, and the torrent of water tore off the special rubber fastenings on the left side of the side of the truck. The side of the vehicle was dangling, which was very distracting, and on turns, it even flipped upside down! I tried to make it close, wasting time, but I understood that if I stopped and started somehow securing it, I would lose more time. But I didn’t want to tear it off either. During the service, we secured everything, and the sides did not let us down again. But this moment showed what else we need to work on. We left for the second part five minutes from Vyazovich and here we once again made an attempt to try to “roll” on him. After the finish, we saw that at the 55th kilometer we were first and began to win back a little. There were 20 kilometers left before the finish, we tried to keep up the pace, finished and saw that we had won the second part. If we analyze all the extras, I am very pleased with the crew of Dmitry Sotnikov, his co-pilot Sergey Krenev and mechanic Ilgiz Akhmetzyanov. Throughout the entire stage, they were the opener, but they were on an equal footing with Vyazovich - Sergey rode “on his ears” to try to catch up with Dima and control the situation, but it didn’t work. The crew of Almaz Akhmedov also drove well, and the crew of Dmitry Avdeev brought up the rear. The team did not encounter any technical problems. Tomorrow we will start first, before Vyazovich, which gives Sergei an advantage. But we don’t give up, we will go very fast and try to do everything possible so as not to give away the result. We will fight to the last."
Dmitry Sotnikov, pilot of crew N 301: "We were the first to start today. It was dry at first, so we were trying to drive fast, but then we started to notice that it had rained in some places, so the road, although dry in places, was actually very slippery. You cut through the top dry crust, and the car would suddenly slide off. So it was very difficult to control the situation. The terrain of the route varied: we drove along fields, there were bumpy, hilly roads, and occasionally we entered narrow forests, where it was very slippery, with unpleasant ruts and puddles. The car was thrown around, it was very dangerous, and since we were driving first, we hit trees and damaged the top of the truck. Apparently, those driving behind us had it easier. Overall, the first part was unpleasant, but we tried our best and did a good job. "We missed the mark in one spot on the first special stage, and on the second stage, we missed it a bit twice, losing some time, but we tried to finish. The overall standings are tight; everything on the track changes very quickly, seconds swinging back and forth."
Almaz Akhmedov, pilot of crew N 304: "Today we had two very interesting circuits. Lots of forest roads, narrow spots in the forests, and, of course, fast, high-speed roads along the fields. We thought it would be drier today, but no, the fields hadn't dried yet, and the forests were still wet, with puddles. Already on the first special stage, we saw one of the Cherkesov brothers get caught in a gully while cutting a path. We pulled him out and continued on. Towards the end of the first special stage, we were closing in on Yuri Naiman, but we just missed him by a hair. The second special stage was very interesting: rocks, forest paths, and a descent through the mountains into the forest."
Dmitry Avdeev, pilot of crew N 308: "The first 170-kilometer special stage turned out to be quite productive for us. Since we started far behind, we overtook a lot of people today. "An interesting special stage, especially its forest roads. The fifth special stage, 80 km long, had many more forest roads. The sandy riverbed was very interesting; we navigated it without any problems. Overall, everything went well."
On Tuesday, July 21, the race caravan will begin the final 220-kilometer stage. Racers will experience a dramatic change in road surfaces: black soil and chalk roads, which remain slippery even in dry weather. Organizers promise picturesque spectator areas, allowing motorsports enthusiasts to experience the full beauty of rally raids.
The race will finish in the Samara Region. The headquarters will be located at the Garage Hotel Complex, where the awards ceremony will take place.
