The current winner of the Silk Way Rally cargo classification, the driver of the KAMAZ‑master team Dmitry Sotnikov told that past achievements are not considered until the race begins.
Sotnikov is a four-time Silk Road winner. The 2023 rally will take place from July 5 to 15 on the Kazan-Moscow route. The total distance will be 5,248 kilometers, including 2,277 kilometers of high-speed special stages.
– There is excitement before the start, but with each kilometer it will disappear. All the main rivals came to the race, you can see from the cars that they have improved this year in technical terms. Now I was considering a new Ural car, it is clear that they have a thorough technical study, everything is well arranged. I think there may be surprises, so you shouldn’t relax. The tracks will be mostly hard, in the first half there will be dust, difficult navigation.
Is your truck brand new?
– Yes. The rear has been largely redesigned. We worked on weight transfer, on the center of gravity. The cabin remains the same, but has undergone some changes in the direction of improvement.
— Are you ready for the third consecutive victory?
– I do not think about it. These victories are a thing of the past and we are starting from scratch. We are preparing, we will try to drive the race smoothly, to choose the right pace and to work exactly at the level at which we can do it.
— This year, Chinese riders are part of the team. Did you find a common language with them?
– An experienced mechanic, Sergey Krenev, accompanies them, I’m sure he can handle it. The guys speak a little English, learned a few Russian words. The task is to tell them about the race before the start of each day. It is unusual for them to drive a truck, as they performed in jeeps. Our colleagues have questions, we solicit them, we ensure reliable piloting,” Sotnikov told .
covers the Silk Way Rally on a daily basis in press releases, the Vse na Match program, on the matchtv.ru website and on social media.
Source : MatchTV
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