NEW CAR AND DAKAR
— You prepared a brand new car for the race. What’s the difference between this gas-diesel truck and last year?
The heart of the car is the engine. The 2022 model has a six-cylinder in-line engine, although it is smaller in volume, it is tuned for a very dynamic mode, it works almost like a gasoline engine – KAMAZ accelerates very quickly, the dynamics are completely different. In addition, a different arrangement of all units led to the fact that the machine allows the pilot much more. You have to get used to this. I don’t ride as much as the rest of the guys, probably only at the end of the race will I be able to master 80% of what the car can do.
— According to which technical regulations is your KAMAZ built? He still can’t be admitted to the Dakar?
– Everything about the gas-diesel machine, in terms of technical requirements, is in the gray area. There are no clear regulations. The car is very good. Perhaps everyone else would also have stocked up on gas cylinders, if this time had been clearly spelled out in the regulations.
Here on the “silk road” there is a normal democratic situation in the good sense of the word. Nobody tries to find faults in the opponent’s car, at least mine. Guys, when they are fighting for the top positions with a large number of foreign teams on the Dakar, you have to expect some protests about the use of this material. And I think that’s why they don’t implement this technology. Although, I repeat, the car is very good.
– If one of the team’s combat pilots rides the gasoline-diesel KAMAZ for you, what will be the result?
– He will win. This car is significantly faster than other cars from KAMAZ-master. We did tests on the previous truck, it starts from the start, breaks on the hull. I think now the result will be even better.
– On Friday, you achieved your best feat on the Silk Road – second place in the stage. Are you satisfied with this result or are you capable of fighting for victory?
– Rather surprised. It seemed like we were going slow. Apparently the 2018 experiment had an effect – then we ripped off the water cooling pipe while crossing the ford, and this time we picked the right pace to force the “water barrier” – it worked, and many lost time there. As for winning, “able” and “ready” are two different things. Probably capable, otherwise (team leader KAMAZ-master) Vladimir Chagin would have kicked me out of the team a long time ago. But to be ready to win, you have to train a lot more than I can afford in time.
– In your opinion, how will the Col du Dakar seriously affect the team?
“In terms of being able to compare myself to other teams and riders, maintaining skills and riding, of course it’s going to hit. But to a greater extent the difficulty is not there, but in the fact that the Dakar has always been a great goal for the guys, which they have been preparing for all year.Without taking anything away from the importance of the Silk Road, the history of the Dakar is longer.
It will be difficult for the team because there will be no clear objective to achieve. In such a situation, it remains to work on the cars, to use other training opportunities, in order to be fully ready to race when they face strangers again.
CONTRACT WITH KAMAZ-MASTER
– I noticed that on the sides of the cars and on the equipment of the riders, the Gazprom logo now occupies central places. Has the company become the general partner of the KAMAZ-master team?
– Yes. Gazprom does not leave its people, we have been friends for a long time. KAMAZ-master coped alone for a long time, but this year foreign sponsors stopped cooperation, and the team’s request for help in such a situation was correctly perceived by us.
– What is the duration of the agreement?
– Although it is a three-year contract, we will see.
– Was the financial aspect of the problem suitable for both Gazprom and KAMAZ-master?
– Yes. There was no discussion about it.
— Gazprom and the Silk Way Rally have a long-standing friendly relationship. Has the new contract already been signed?
– Right. Until the end of 2024. For a long time, the Silk Road project needed support, and since it is important for us to build relations with China and Mongolia, and the rally is a Russian-Chinese project, we continue our close cooperation.
— Last year, before the start of the race, you said that it was important for Gazprom to be in Mongolia, to show the Silk Road to the local population and to the company’s partners. However, due to the epidemiological situation, the gathering could not cross the border.
“It was a surprise for everyone. But the difficulties cannot force us to abandon the goals we have set ourselves.
— Do the Chinese colleagues want to come back to the 2023 course?
— We drew attention to the fact that at SPIEF one of the representatives of China said that they expect the Silk Road next year. And that’s a good signal.
Mongolia too?
– Yes.
— Does the absence of world leaders in rally raid on the Silk Road affect the level of the race?
– Of course, the race is more brilliant with them, but even without them it remains itself, because from the point of view of the organization, nothing has gone wrong.
MAZEPIN, FAMILY CREW AT THE RALLY
– How do you judge the debut of Nikita Mazepin in your discipline, who has already won the stage of the Russian Championship and is the leader of the general classification of all-terrain vehicles?
– Few people manage to post a high result in a big marathon on the first try, even eminent runners from other disciplines. Nikita is already doing well, and if he manages to win, he will be able to show everyone that he was able to quickly calculate his strength – his own and his car.
— Do you see yourself driving a T3 car?
– Barely. These are good cars, it’s not just that this category is gaining momentum, it has grown in popularity. Relatively cheap car, quite fast. But my soul does not lie, because it has no “face”. Everything is fine with them, but you need to find a design that would allow you to see this car.
– Your son is taking part in the Grand Tour “Les Chemins de Pierre”. Do you have time to discuss the race with him, to give advice?
– Sure. At almost every step I try to suggest what to pay attention to in terms of technique and other points.
You are traveling in a carriage with your brother. In the future, will we be able to see a completely family structure in the cabin of KAMAZ?
– Let’s see. I see that he likes cars, but if he wants to participate in rally raids, I don’t know. It should be his decision, and my task is to show him different options and possibilities.
ZENIT, UEFA, SKA
— Gazprom actively participates in the development of sport in Russia. Are there plans to expand sponsorship?
– Probably, we can announce that another Zenit will appear in the near future. It will be a men’s handball club, which will start playing from the new season. Zenit will be created on the basis of the Neva, and it will have high goals, such as in football, basketball and volleyball.
– Football “Zenith” monopolized the Russian Premier League, winning it four times in a row. How will he be in the new season?
— It kind of reminds me of the situation with KAMAZ-master in Dakar, where the team does not give rivals a chance. Of course, it is impossible to always win, once this series is interrupted, but our task is to make it last as long as possible.
– The story of selling beer in stadiums is still on hiatus. For the clubs, this is an opportunity to bail out their budget, but the State Duma is in no hurry to pass a law. Your opinion?
– It is difficult for me to comment on this question in detail, because I am not immersed in it. I will give the following as an example. We also had a sponsorship deal with German club Schalke 04. When the match ended, the stadium scoreboard was still showing double digits. The first is the number of fans who came, the second is the number of liters of beer drunk per game. As a rule, they matched.
– The Germans unilaterally terminated the contract with Gazprom. Just like UEFA. How does Russian society plan to react to such measures?
Everyone behaved differently in this situation. For example, the Serbian “Crvena Zvezda” retained the contract, the logo on the form. With UEFA, we are currently in the process of signing an agreement which will settle mutual claims.
Will it be a pre-trial decision?
– Sure.
– Will UEFA be obliged to pay a penalty?
I cannot comment on commercially sensitive information.
– When do you plan to sign the papers?
— I think we’ll sign him during the summer.
— Do you think that when the situation in the world stabilizes, Gazprom will again become a partner of UEFA?
– Let’s see. Now the whole world, not just sport, is in a state of turbulence. In order to be able to talk about what new partnerships can be, it is necessary to understand what stable steady state the world will be in. At some point, everything has to find a certain structure, a certain form, and we will look at the new situation.
– Hockey SKA could change its name to Zenit in the future?
– So the question is not worth it. It is an independent brand with a long history. As for SKA, we are actively working on the youth program, which they are actively developing, and this is an important area to which Gazprom will continue to pay close attention.
– How often do you manage to get to the stadium?
– Rarely. I usually watch the shows.
– Did you watch the Super Cup between Zenit and Spartak?
– The race has its own regime, and it was not possible to find two hours to watch a football match.
Source : MatchTV
