DMITRY SOTNIKOV WINS STAGE 8 AT THE 2018 DAKAR

KAMAZ-master's Press Attaché Eric Khayrullin is reporting from Tupiza (Bolivia),

"It's just some kind of Groundhog Day at Dakar. No, it's rather déjà vu, a la francaise. The news feed is almost the same like last year. Due to rains, the next, ninth stage Tupiza – Salta was cancelled. A bridge was washed away on the track of assistance on the way to Salta (last year there was a landslide there). It became clear already yesterday that something was going wrong when the assistance crews arriving at the bivouac in Tupiza weren't allowed to enter it. The heavy rain made the fenced ground into a sheer swamp. By the morning the ground had been dry enough, by it could rain any minute, and in this case the vehicles would have got in a trap, unable to ran out. In the end, the teams' assistance crews lined up in a huge queue along the roadside, or began to unfold their service platforms near the racing headquarters. The assistance teams couldn't ran from here directly to Salta, because of border formalities at the bivouac (tomorrow the racers will run to Argentina), and, of course, the main thing is that in Tupiza it was necessary to meet the sports crews after the marathon stage La Paz – Uyuni – Tupiza.

"I consider the organizers' decision to cancel the next stage the only possible in this situation. The weather was really awful, even a bridge was washed away on the "assistance" route, and, whatever happens, the racers' safety comes first. Plus, after the marathon stage everybody will need their vehicles to be repaired, and also they will have to deal with formalities of crossing the border with Argentina. From our experience of the Silk Way Rally, we know that in such situations it's better to meet the needs of the participants, so that the sport doesn't become a torture," Vladimir Chagin, Head of KAMAZ-master, commented on the situation.

Yesterday's 369 and today's 381 kilometers of marathon specials were, indeed, ruthless both to the racers and the vehicles. Height sickness (altitude is up to 4,500 meters), slippery tracks, a cold environment and even mountainous dunes are only a small portion of these two days' sports menu. Despite the fact that the organizers managed to find sands in the Bolivian altiplano at the height of about 3,500 meters, it influenced barely the density of the top ten trucks' results. The results were gained mainly on fast-speed and rough tracks of the plateau. However, the organizers tried to shake them up with riverbeds and winding paths.

As if in revenge for yesterday's failure (a broken turbocharger), today's stage has been masterfully won by Dmitry Sotnikov's crew. Eduard Nikolaev's crew fulfilled their task to run steadily ahead of the rivals, having lost a bit more than three minutes to the closest competitor in the general table – Fedrico Villagra. Ayrat Mardeev's and Anton Shibalov's crews drove fast and brilliantly solved navigation problems too.

Today the Dakar is leaving Bolivia. Paying a visit to the KAMAZ-master team at the bivouac in La Paz, Russia's ambassador to Bolivia Vladimir Sprichan said that the Dakar rally for Bolivia was a sort of a window to the world, the local people loved Russia very much, and the two countries had great potential for cooperation.  The team also welcomed guests from Gazprom and KAMAZ. A big group of local mass media was invited by the partners from RED BULL. South American dealers of the team's another partner – TOTAL – personally wished the team good luck in the race. Thank you, Bolivia, and, see you next time!

Dmitry Sotnikov, Pilot of Crew 502, "We took a good pace from the very start, and eventually managed to win the stage. Today is a good day unlike yesterday when the turbocharger went wrong. We lost more than an hour to replace it. Then we ran fast, but in front of us a bike fell, we had to drastically change the trajectory, and caught a sharp hillock with the wheel. We had to replace the wheel in an uncomfortable place, and we lost time at that."

Eduard Nikolaev, Pilot of Crew 500, "The race was at high altitudes yesterday and today.  Everything is so beautiful, but not very good for engines. They work slower than needed. Nevertheless, we tried our best not to lose much to our rivals, realizing that we are losing today. In the first part of today's rally course (before a neutral zone) I knew a result, that our guys had run well, and they said that it had been a good ride to follow our and Villagra's tire marks. We are satisfied with the stage. The most important is that our truck is in good condition and the crew is OK. It is apparent that both Federico Villagra and Ton van Genugten from the IVECO team kicked into high gear and, for example, Grenugten often drives, as the saying goes, on the edge.  It is clear that a lot of fight is ahead."

Ayrat Mardeev, Pilot of Crew 507, “What a shame that on yesterday’s speed section about 14 km were to be covered to the finish, when a wheel blew out. We almost finished. There was a lot of soft ground. We often drove on a low pressure and in such a mode speeded up, therefore the wheels could not bear a bit. Today’s special was longer, the temperature was higher due to the brakes, but fortunately the wheels are undamaged, moreover, the front wheels drove yesterday and today."

Today, on Monday, the racers were supposed to pass a 242 km stage from Tupiza to Salta. But, as mentioned above, it's cancelled: the rains in the region ruined the track and flooded the bivouac. In such a situation, the organizers preferred not to risk and decided that the peloton should go to Salta on public roads. So, the racers will get if not a full day of rest, a half of it at least. This is a good news for KAMAZ-master: each cancelled stage tilts the odds in their favour.

The struggle will resume on Tuesday: the special from Salta to Belén will make 372 kilometers, and they promise both new dunes, and challenges for navigators in crossed creekbeds before the finish. Good luck to our racers!"

Dakar-2018. Truck Category. Results of Stage 8

 Dakar-2018. Truck Category.  General Classification after Stage 8