Karimov became the leader of the Great Steppe, Akhmedov and Naibich dropped out of the fight.

Fast tracks and trajectory selection

On Thursday, October 15, the participants of the Great Steppe overcame the second stage with a total length of 334 kilometers, of which 304 were on a special stage. The route was based on last year's version, which was significantly expanded and supplemented with new segments. Fast, winding steppe tracks with numerous intersections of old roads made up most of the distance. Closer to the finish line, the athletes faced a particularly difficult 15-kilometer stretch with a series of sharp rolls, which required jewelry work with the car at high speed.

On the eve of the race, Alexander Grachev, the head of the race, drew the attention of the athletes to one of the features of the Kalmyk trails: fast steppe tracks allow you to choose different trajectories, however, an attempt to "cut out" a turn more strongly does not always bring a gain in time. The route described in the road book takes into account the features of the terrain, while beyond it there may be washouts and sudden changes in terrain. In the second stage, athletes had to decide more than once where they could gain and where they could lose much more than they could win.

Trucks: a struggle for leadership and serious losses

Pavel Naibich from MAZ-SPORTauto, making his debut driving a racing truck, opened the route, but about the twentieth kilometer he was overtaken and passed by Yuri Naiman from URAL MOTORSPORT. The crew of the URAL turned out to be the "opener": there were no tracks of other trucks ahead, so the navigator had to pay special attention to the road book, and the pilot had to carefully choose the trajectory on the steppe tracks.

Up to about two hundred kilometers, the URAL was ahead, but then it damaged the steering rod, and the crew stopped for repairs. In the final stretch, problems with the front tires were added to the lost time, which began to collapse from overheating. As a result, Nyman finished the special stage eighth in the general classification, losing 31 minutes and 4 seconds to the winner.

Sergey Vyazovich from MAZ-SPORTauto, who started after Pavel Murylev, maintained a high pace and gradually reduced the gap from the multi-ton cars ahead, but about a hundred kilometers before the finish he damaged the suspension. _"We flew out of one roll into another, the road swerved sharply, and we didn't even realize that we had been hit very hard by the right side. They immediately realized that they had damaged the suspension. Literally 500 meters later, they saw a Nyman with an unbent steering rod. They must have come to the same place. We drove the last 100 kilometers for survival," said Sergey Vyazovich. Despite the damage to the truck, Vyazovich showed the third time of the special stage — 2 hours 46 minutes 24 seconds, losing to the winner Bogdan Karimov 8 minutes 5 seconds, and Eduard Nikolaev only 1 minute 31 seconds.

Bogdan Karimov from KAMAZ-master became the winner of the second special stage with a score of 2 hours, 38 minutes, and 19 seconds. The crew started the race cautiously, then gradually increased the pace, but closer to the finish line they caught up with the trucks that had started earlier and found themselves in dense dust. _"At first we drove more carefully, but closer to the middle we already felt the relief. The last 70 kilometers were covered in dust, because it was impossible to get close to the rivals. We realized that it was risky to overtake in such conditions, and we just drove the car to the finish line," Bogdan Karimov shared.

Eduard Nikolaev showed the second time, losing to Karimov 6 minutes 34 seconds. According to the results of the two stages, the pilots of the Blue Armada occupy the first two positions of the general classification: Karimov leads with a result of 2 hours 46 minutes 4 seconds, Nikolaev concedes to him 6 minutes 45 seconds. Sergey Vyazovich is third (+ 8 minutes 21 seconds).

Ivan Korolev from URAL MOTORSPORT showed the fourth time among trucks. His crew passed the special stage without stops and technical failures, taking fifth place among all classified participants. After two stages, Korolev retains the fifth position in the overall standings, losing to the leader for 20 minutes and 42 seconds.

Pavel Murylev from MAZ-SPORTauto finished the special stage seventh. During the fast stretch, the tires began to collapse under high load, so the crew stopped twice to replace the wheels. These stops cost Murylev time, but allowed him to avoid more serious damage to the truck.

Pavel Naibich's performance ended with a serious racing incident. During a series of sharp rolls, the truck bounced several times, and when passing through the next one, it hit the front of a steep rise. At that moment, the rear part of the MAZ was still unloaded after the previous bounce, and the car overturned from the impact, receiving significant damage. The crew got out of the cockpit on their own and waved their hands at the approaching participants, making it clear that no help was needed and they could continue moving. A medical team and a technical support vehicle were sent to the scene of the incident. The athletes were sent for a medical examination, according to the results of which they were recommended to rest and limit physical activity. They will not be able to continue the race due to serious damage to the truck.

Almaz Akhmedov from KAMAZ-master was also unable to complete the special stage. At about the 50th kilometer, the crew of the winner of the prologue deviated to the left of the main track and fell into a hole hidden behind a hill. _"Relative to the track, they took it a little to the left, and there was a serious pit behind the hill. We hit hard, bent the cabin rods, and smashed the windshield. I got injured and couldn't keep moving anymore," Almaz said.** Akhmedov. The pilot was sent for a medical examination. Akhmedov will not be able to continue performing on the Great Steppe.

Dmitry Sotnikov, who performs on the Great Steppe under the test program, lost a lot of time, testing a truck with a new suspension design. The KAMAZ-master crew started the special stage at a good pace and reduced the gap from Eduard Nikolaev, who started ahead, but stopped at about the 75th kilometer due to a transmission failure. _"We got off to a good start, we've already seen Eduard Nikolaev, and we've been closing the distance. But at about the 75th kilometer, they stopped due to a transmission failure. I had to change the drive. We came here to test the car, to see how much it allows you to complete the full distance without stopping. We will figure it out," said Dmitry Sotnikov.

After replacing the drive, the crew headed directly to the finish line, without passing the rest of the special stage. This decision allowed Sotnikov to remain in the classification, although the crew received a significant penalty time for missing part of the route. For trucks, the Great Steppe is the final stage of the Russian championship. Dmitry Sotnikov secured an unattainable advantage over the results of the previous three stages even before the start of Bach, but the fight for the remaining positions in the championship continues.

Car standings: Vasiliev, Mityaev and Semenov retain the lead

Among the SUVs of the absolute standings, Vladimir Vasiliev again showed the best time, having overcome the special stage in 2 hours 53 minutes 38 seconds. He took the fourth place in the general classification. Andrey Novikov lost 4 minutes and 56 seconds to him on G-Force TIGRIS. After two stages, Vasiliev's advantage over his opponent is 5 minutes and 22 seconds.

Mikhail Mityaev from LADA Sport ROSNEFT won the second victory in a row in the Raid Sport - 3 hours 22 minutes 23 seconds. Anton Melnikov from S&A Racing conceded exactly eight minutes to him. According to preliminary information, Melnikov's crew lost time, stuck in a swampy area near the dam, but managed to continue moving and finish second in their standings. Maxim Kirpilev from GAZ Raid Sport showed the third time, and Alexey Khlebov, who also plays for this team, finished the special stage fifth.

After two stages, Mityaev is ahead of Melnikov by 8 minutes and 22 seconds. At the same time, Melnikov retains an advantage over Khlebov in 17 minutes and 10 seconds. For the S&A Racing crew, who continue to fight for the championship title, it is important to maintain an advantage over their immediate rival, and so far Melnikov has been able to solve this task, despite the time lost in the second stage.

In the T2 production SUV category, Alexander Semenov from GAZ Raid Sport retained the lead, showing a time of 3 hours, 24 minutes, and 11 seconds. Andrey Sushentsov became the second (+ 46 seconds), Leonid Petrov became the third (+ 4 minutes 50 seconds). After two stages, Semenov is ahead of Sushentsov by 1 minute 26 seconds, and Petrova by 5 minutes 54 seconds.

The Sintec Race for crews on production vehicles will be held as part of the Great Steppe Exhibition. The official partner of Baha is Sintec Lubricants, one of the leading Russian manufacturers of motor oils and lubricants. A special format is provided for Sintec Race participants, allowing them to try their hand at the tracks of the Russian Rally Raid Championship. At the same time, the organizers carefully select special stages for production vehicles, taking into account their design features and the capabilities of standard equipment. This approach makes it possible to reduce the risk of damage to cars and ensure the safety of crews, while maintaining the sporting interest and atmosphere of a real rally raid.

The longest stage is ahead

On Friday, October 16, the participants of the baha "The Great Steppe" will have the longest stage — 505.55 kilometers of the total distance, including a special stage of 373.62 kilometers. The organizers have provided a service on the route at the expense of sports time: crews will be able to carry out the necessary work with equipment, but the minutes spent on it will be included in their result.

After the second stage, the mechanics of many teams will have to do serious night work in the bivouac. In one day, two cargo crews dropped out of the fight, several participants lost significant time on repairs, and the leader of the general classification was replaced. There are two more competitive days ahead, and Friday's special stage may significantly change the situation of the crews who managed to avoid major losses on Thursday.