Race truck of Eduard Nikolaev #310 came to the finish of the SWR stage on a high speed. A black colour of the test bonnet truck was hardly seen under dust and birds’ feathers. Eduard went out of the cab wet as if after a shower and immediately asked for water. He didn’t know then that that he was second to finish the longest stage just behind Martin van den Brink from Mammoet Rallysport team. He seemed exhausted but he was smiling and thanked the organizers for a real marathon.
“It would be great if there were more special stages like that, - said the pilot. – We started quite well therefore were driving the whole track together with cars. The navigator did a good job and the new truck was perfect.”
It was the longest stage of the race. It linked Astana and Balkhash. 568 km from 820km were a special stage in hot steppes. The air melted, it was more than 30 degrees outdoors and the temperature in cabs was like in sauna. It was a hot battle for victory. Very soon the steppes will be changed by sands, where only the strongest will be able to survive. So while they have such an opportunity, the crews should try to gain a time advantage.
It seems that the whole steppe is clearly visible. However, sudden ravins, stones and thorns are the main enemies on such a route. One may think that a good pilot and an experienced navigator are the only components for success. But there was one thing which the race organizers didn’t take into consideration – the steppe inhabitants. The race trucks were attacked by sparrows. There was no chance to escape. “There were so many birds when solonchaks began. Most of them managed fly aside but unfortunately not all.”
After 5 stages the crew of Eduard Nikolaev still keeps the leading position in the general classification. But the winner of the stage Astana-Balkhash van den Brink is catching up. Only 11 min separate them.
Crew #314 of Andrey Karginov finished this hard marathon the fifth. “I could even drive 10 km more. Today’s route was ours – very fast, curvy with holes and wheelspans. I felt free as if I had wings behind my back. We overdrove a couple of trucks. On the 300th kilometer we ran against a stone and punctured a tire. We changed it and continued our way. Of course, it influenced on our tempo badly. If we hadn’t had this breakdown we could have finished earlier.” Now Andrey Karginov’s crew takes the third position and intends to go higher.”
Still the team members don’t have a chance to get enough sleep. They get up early and finish late. Change of time belt (in Kazakhstan it is +3 to Moscow time), exhausting heat – all that can play a bad joke with sportsmen. But the guys are still fighting.
“A real rally-marathon began, but we are used to it. We are ready that it will be harder and harder. So we will sleep afterwards,” – said Anton Shibalov. Despite his crew #303 did not lead in that stage, they take a respectable fourth position in the general classification.
Now the team rests on the bank of the salty half of Lake Balkhash. After a hard race it was difficult to admire its beauty. But the sportsmen will still have a chance to see its splendid landscape the next day, on the 6th stage. In order to reach the starting line they will have to round the lake from the left side – 300 km in general. It will help them to set themselves up to the special, 411 km long. The Silk Way Rally caravan will gradually leave the steppes and start battle in the dunes.
Trucks. Result of the 5th stage:
1. M. Van den Brink / P. Willemsen / D.Kozlovsky (Renault) — 5h 46 min 57 sec
2. E. Nikolaev / E. Yakovlev / V. Rybakov (KAMAZ) +9:08
3. A. Shibalov / R. Amatych / A.Khisamiev (KAMAZ) +17:13
4. S.Vyazovich / P. Garanin / A. Zhigulin (MAZ) +22:58
5. A. Karginov / A. Kuprianov / I. Leonov (KAMAZ) +23:52
Trucks. General classification after 5 legs:
1. E. Nikolaev / E. Yakovlev / V. Rybakov (KAMAZ) — 10h 19:48
2. M. Van den Brink / P. Willemsen / D.Kozlovsky (Renault) +11:42
3. A. Karginov / A. Kuprianov / I. Leonov (KAMAZ) +20:18
4. A. Shibalov / R. Amatych / A.Khisamiev (KAMAZ) +20:44
5. D. Sotnikov / R.Akhmadeev / I.Romanov (KAMAZ) +25:42
