“Someone even said that after Chagin left the sport, the end of the KAMAZ-Master era had come” – Karginov

Double winner of the Dakar marathon rally Andrei Karginov in an interview with , he recalled how foreign drivers predicted the decline of the KAMAZ-master team after his departure Vladimir Chagin Sport.

Chagin, a seven-time Dakar winner, retired from motor racing in 2011. From July 2012 to November 2023, he led the KAMAZ-master team, and in December he became chairman of the board of directors of the NP KAMAZ-Avtosport.

— The 3 best races of your entire career?

— I remember the first Dakar, which I spent behind the wheel, and two victories. It is clear that in 2012 there was no talk of victory, the task was to quickly and reliably reach the finish line and gain experience. Then a generational change occurred at KAMAZ-master, and our leaders predicted that it would take young riders about three years to win the Dakar. We accomplished the task in one year: in 2012 we skated, and a year later we stood on the entire podium.

— It so happened that several talented young drivers appeared in the team at the same time…

— The team factor came to the fore: a strong team with winning traditions. Throughout the year we created competition for each other, tried to win and moved forward. Little by little, in a short time, we were able to rise to the rank of leaders in world rally raids. Well, our mentors, before whom we could never lose face.

I am sure that if Vladimir Gennadievich Chagin had not spent an enormous amount of time on the right side of the cockpit during our training, we would not have succeeded. He controlled everyone, taught us not from books and archival images, but by personal example. This is why we reached the triple podium in Dakar in one year. I’m sure our rivals didn’t expect such agility from us; someone even said that after Chagin left, the end of the KAMAZ-Master era had come. But that was not the case (smile), Karginov told .

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