Bogdan Karimov won the Great Steppe, some titles are determined, the fight for others continues

During four days of competition, the participants of the Great Steppe Training camp overcame a route with a total length of 1,154.40 kilometers, of which 904.33 kilometers were on high-speed sections. The route of the final day included 284.53 kilometers of the route, including a special stage with a length of 211.84 kilometers with the finish line almost in the city of Elista.

The distance of the final day turned out to be noticeably faster and less rigid than the special stage of the previous one. The long steppe straights allowed the crews to maintain a high pace, but required constant concentration: there were washouts, ditches and hidden bumps on the highway, and even a small error in navigation could lead to loss of time at individual forks. For some participants, the final day was an opportunity to regain their positions, while for others it was a task to maintain the advantage gained during the previous stages.

Trucks: Karimov's victory and the outcome of the fight for second place

Bogdan Karimov from KAMAZ-master approached the final special stage with a significant advantage in the T5 cargo standings. After winning the SU-2 and SU-3, he no longer needed to maintain the maximum pace: the main task was to save the car and bring the race to the finish line.

At the very beginning of the race, Karimov passed Sergei Vyazovich from MAZ-SPORTauto, and later Eduard Nikolaev. _"We had a good time reserve, so today we missed the crew of Vyazovich, and at the end — the crew of Nikolaev. Our task was to drive reliably, and we did it perfectly," Karimov said after the finish. Following the results of the four stages, Karimov won in the Great Steppe with a score of 8 hours 11 minutes 50 seconds.

The main sports intrigue of the final day unfolded in the fight for second place between Eduard Nikolaev and Sergey Vyazovich. Before the start of the final special stage, Nikolaev was 1 minute and 19 seconds behind the Belarusian pilot and had to win back this time on the course.

** After Karimov let him pass ahead, ** Vyazovich turned out to be the first truck on the highway and maintained a high pace. However, about ten kilometers before the finish, the crew made a navigation error. "_The road was easy, in principle, navigation was also working all the time. We kept a good pace, we saw that Bogdan was following us. But literally ten kilometers before the finish, in the fields, at the right-left interchange, we almost didn't figure it out, got on the wrong road and lost time," he said. Vyazovich.

Nikolaev showed the best time of the final special stage among trucks — 1 hour 48 minutes 49 seconds, ahead of Vyazovich by 2 minutes 46 seconds. This turned out to be enough to move up to second place at the end of the race: Nikolaev lost to the winner Bogdan Karimov in 7 minutes 44 seconds, Vyazovich — 9 minutes 11 seconds. Thus, the competitors in the final classification were separated by only 1 minute and 27 seconds.

Pavel Murylev from MAZ-SPORTauto took the fourth place in T5. At the final special stage, his crew chose not to take any risks, focusing on maintaining the achieved position. Yuri Naiman finished fifth in a URAL truck, and his URAL MOTORSPORT team—mate Ivan Korolev finished sixth.

For Korolev, the last kilometers of the race were complicated by technical problems: due to an air leak, presumably related to damage to the wheel or the pumping tube, the crew had to slow down. Despite the malfunction, the truck reached the finish line.

Dmitry Sotnikov from KAMAZ-Master, who was driving a truck with a new transmission at the Great Steppe, again encountered technical problems and was unable to complete the final special stage.

Russian T5 Championship: Sotnikov secured the title ahead of schedule

Baha "The Great Steppe" became the final, fourth stage of the Russian championship for the T5 cargo competition. However, the fate of the championship title was decided even before the start of the Kalmyk race: Dmitry Sotnikov from KAMAZ-master, who won the three previous stages, secured the first place ahead of schedule at the end of the season.

According to the regulations, the three best results from the four stages are included in the final T5 standings. Thus, even the descent to the "Great Steppe" did not affect the position of Sotnikov, who finished the season with the maximum possible amount of 75 points.

The victory at the Great Steppe brought Bogdan Karimov 25 points and allowed him to finish the season with a total of 61 points, securing second place in the championship. Thanks to the second place in the Kalmyk race, Eduard Nikolaev scored 48 points and took the third position. Sergey Vyazovich, who finished third in Kalmykia, received 15 points and finished the season with 38 points in fourth place in the overall T5 standings.

Thus, according to the sports results, all three prizes of the Russian championship in the T5 cargo competition went to the pilots of the KAMAZ-master team. The official approval of the season results will take place at the Sports Council of the Russian Automobile Federation.

Absolute standings: Vasiliev's rally changes the winner

In the overall SUV standings, the winner changed on the final day. After three stages, Vladimir Vasiliev confidently led the BMW X5 classification ahead of Andrey Novikov in the G-Force TIGRIS by 7 minutes 43 seconds.

However, due to a steering malfunction, Vasiliev was unable to complete the race and dropped out of the fight for victory. Novikov, despite the time penalty, kept the result and became the winner of the absolute bach "Great Steppe" competition with a final time of 9 hours 24 minutes 23 seconds. Alexey Khlebov from GAZ Raid Sport took the second place, losing 1 hour 10 minutes 50 seconds to the winner. Andrey Sushentsov became the third with a lag of 1 hour 32 minutes 45 seconds.

Raid-Sport: Khlebov's victory and equality before the championship final

Alexey Khlebov became the winner of the baha "The Great Steppe" in the scoring category "Raid-sport". Having taken the lead at the end of the third special stage, he retained the advantage on the final day and completed the competition with a score of 10 hours, 35 minutes, and 13 seconds.

The second place was taken by Maxim Kirpilev, who lost 42 minutes and 47 seconds to the winner. Vladimir Tyupenkin finished third, 56 minutes and 26 seconds behind. Mikhail Mityaev from LADA Sport ROSNEFT showed the best time on the final special stage, but remained fourth in the total of four days.

The results of the Great Steppe are of particular importance for the fight for the championship title. Anton Melnikov from S&A Racing, who lost a tire on the third special stage and received a 25-hour penalty for incomplete distance, finished the race in sixth place.

Before the Kalmyk stage, Melnikov was ahead of Khlebov in the championship by 13 points. However, according to the regulations, when determining the final result, the two best performances from the first four stages and the mandatory result of the final race are taken into account.

After Khlebov's victory on the Great Steppe, both athletes approach the fifth stage of the championship with the same score of 50 points each. The fight for third place in the championship also remains open: Maxim Kirpilev is ahead of Mikhail Mityaev by six points — 33 against 27. Thus, the final stage in November in Grozny will determine not only the champion in "Raid Sports", but also the final balance of power among the contenders for prizes.

T2: Sushentsov wins the third race of the season

In the T2 production SUV category, Andrey Sushentsov won the Great Steppe with a Toyota Land Cruiser 200. He took the lead after the third stage and managed to keep first place until the finish of the competition, finishing the race with a score of 10 hours, 57 minutes, and 8 seconds.

The second position was taken by Leonid Petrov, who lost 15 minutes and 34 seconds to the winner. Alexander Semenov from GAZ Raid Sport became the third, 20 minutes and 11 seconds behind. At the same time, Semenov showed the best time among the T2 participants on the final special stage, but he could not regain the backlog accumulated earlier.

For Sushentsov, the victory in Kalmykia was the third in the current season of the Russian championship. However, taking into account the two discarded results, his advantage over Alexander Semenov in the scoring total is seven points — 50 against 43.

At the same time, the fight for prizes remains open: Semenov approaches the finals with 43 points, Leonid Petrov — with 33. Thus, despite Sushentsov's three victories, the final balance of power in T2 will be determined only at the final stage.

Finish of the "Great Steppe" and awarding ceremony in Elista

In total, 25 crews participated in sports competitions at the start of the Great Steppe Training camp. Following the results of four days of competition, 21 crews entered the final classification. The Kalmyk trails once again demanded from athletes not only the ability to maintain a high pace in changing conditions, but also accurate navigation, reliable equipment and the ability to choose tactics throughout the entire course.

On the final day of the competition, a special Sintec Race competition was held with the support of Sintec Lubricants, a partner of the stage, a manufacturer of high–quality lubricants and technical fluids. This off-road series format allows owners of production cars to try themselves in rally raids and get on the same track with professional athletes. Two crews from Kalmykia took part in the "Weekend" category, covering the distance of one competitive day. Both finishers were awarded with memorable prizes.

On October 17, the winners and prize-winners of the baha "The Great Steppe", as well as participants of the digital racing tournament using the game "Off-road Commanders", were awarded at the motorcycle track in Elista.