Africa Eco Race 2017. a Longwaited Finish on Lake Rose

A big rally-marathon Africa Eco Race 2017 came to an end. Today sportsmen passed last kilometers of African impassibility and took part in the finish ceremony at Lake Rose in Dakar.

The crew of Andrey Karginov, KAMAZ-master Team, took the first place in the truck category. “They may be high-sounding words but we are very happy that we could not only save our truck but also show an excellent result. We have an excellent team, excellent managers, our sponsors are the best and our result corresponds with all that,” told the pilot Andrey Karginov.

Another crew of the team, that took part on Africa Eco Race (the pilot is Sergey Kuprianov), took the fourth position in its category. The crew of Kuprianov is not a novice, the current rally-marathon was third for the sportsmen. 

According to Sergey Kuprianov, every year the competition gives them a new, unique experience. “Last year we had a feeling that we did something by halves, we said that we needed to come back and gain revenge. This time the emotions are absolutely different, as these two weeks were equal to the whole year of ordinary life in terms of experience. And I’m not speaking only of pilotage, but of a life experience itself.  Of course, it is a unique combination of overcoming your own limits, new experience, emotions, that you can’t feel in a usual life. Any second anything can happen, and you should react to this. This time “Africa” again reminded us a well-known rule: you should estimate the situation very accurately, despite your own subjective perceptions about the situation,” explained the pilot Sergey Kuprianov.   

Notwithstanding the fact that the rally-marathon goes only two weeks, preparations for it last almost a year. “Preparation to the next rally-marathon will start immediately after the finish, we come home with new ideas, thinking how to avoid the problems we faced with during the competition. As for Africa Eco Race 2017, it is too early to speak about any resume, these thoughts are being grown now. We will think everything over when we come home,” noticed the manager of the team Sergey Savostin.

During the whole competition, KAMAZ-master contestants always tracked the results of their colleagues on Dakar in the South America. The news from the other continent was always announced on every meeting of the team. “We are like one body, and we don’t divide ourselves for those who perform in Africa and for those who perform in America. We live for a common result, work for it. Therefore we certainly worry and support each other. If we have questions to the specialists that go with them, we call and find a decision, as we really are one big team,” added the team manager Sergey Savostin. “By the way, we come to Naberezhnye Chelny on one plane with the crews participated in the South America. We will discuss results, draw conclusions and take decisions,” he summarized.

By the way, a lot of Russian fans came to Lake Rose to support our team. They congratulated the sportsmen and wished them good luck on next competitions.

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