OREANDA-NEWS. On 20 August 2008 was announced, that from 29 to 31 August the successive stage of the Russian Championship – “Tikhy Don-2008” rally raid – will be held on the territory of the Rostov region.

KAMAZ-master traditionally participates in this event. According to the leader of the team Semyon Yakubov, the objective of their participation in “Tikhy Don” rally is crew training, practicing of their cooperation and also testing of automotive equipment including new components of a sport car.

This year five crews go to “Tikhy Don”. Three of them represent KAMAZ-master team: Vladimir Chaguin, Sergey Savostin, Eduard Nikolayev; Andrey Karghinov, Robert Amatych, Igor Devyatkin; Ayrat Mardeyev, Vyacheslav Mizyukayev and Evgeny Ivanov. Semyon Yalubov named another two crews “client” ones so long as vehicles individual persons bought from KAMAZ prepared for the race in the automobile service center of the team. They include inhabitants of Naberezhnye Chelny Bulat Yanborisov, Aydar Belyayev, Anatoly Tanin and Muscovites Sergey Stovbun, Aleksandr Zhukov, Andrey Chernyshov. Besides, the participants will be accompanied by three vehicles including an emergency car.

“We try diverse decisions on all five racing cars – parts and assemblies which we would like to test, – said Semyon Yakubov. – They will be used at “Dakar” rally or not depending on the results of tests in “field” conditions. In other words, the whole work of the team now is aimed at preparation exactly for “Dakar”.

“Tikhy Don” is a short race. Its total extent is 500 km. It is divided into four special areas of 150 kilometers. They will enable the team to test all those new things the racers are going to use at “Dakar”. Special attention will be given to new axles, brakes, the work of fuel equipment and also the whole suspension which has been tested several times. If they pass the tests to satisfaction at “Tikhy Don” the axles will be installed on “Dakar” vehicles that will make it possible to lower the weight of a vehicle by 500 kilograms. In its turn, this will cut by half the difference in weight between a racing KAMAZ and the vehicles of our team’s main competitors.

Vladimir Chaguin’s crew will bear the basic load in the forthcoming “Tikhy Don” rally-raid. He will go to the Rostov region not to gain a victory. As Yakubov told, Chaguin will drive exactly that vehicle which was prepared for “Dakar”. His task is to “load” the vehicle as much as possible to reveal all possible breakages.

“That’s why this race won’t be smooth for him, he will have to stop, check the work of blocks and aggregates, take the temperature, repair. If Chaguin runs safely, without break-downs and other problems we will consider that this version of a vehicle is prepared for the coming “Dakar”, – concluded Semyon Yakubov.