Dakar-2019: Tacna – Arequipa Stage – Report from leaders Kamaz
Karginov’s crew was disqualified from the race
The next morning after the marathon bivouac in Tacna (where, according to the regulations, team mechanics were not allowed for providing technical assistance to the race crews), the sportsmen awaited their return journey to Arequipa and the 452-kilometer special section divided by a 66-kilometer neutralization zone.
A mixed start of cars and trucks was organized, and for spectacularity the organizers also arranged mass start, when the vehicles started the special in pairs: a jeep with a jeep, a truck with a truck.
The stage mostly passed along the channels of dry rivers, and even if it got onto the local unobtrusive paths, it confused the navigators rather than helped.
Bad luck continues to pursue Airat Mardeev’s crew. At 160 km his truck stopped due to problems in the engine air intake system. It took them about an hour to fix the breakdown.
Already after the start, due to heavy fog, the part of today’s stage, that followed the neutralization zone, was canceled. These final 136 kilometers were passed by our crews of E.Nikolaev, D.Sotnikov and A.Karginov. The crew of A. Mardeev and most of the contestants in the truck and car categories did not go to the final part of the stage. The results of the day were determined by the time defined at CP3. According to the results after 5 stages of the race, crews of KAMAZ-master Team occupy the first three lines in the general classification.
About the incident on the 5th stage of the rally “Dakar-2019”
11 January, Arequipa
On the 5th stage of the rally, Andrey Karginov’s truck touched one of spectators standing on the race track. After starting the speed section, the front axle gear on his truck broke down, the crew was going on a rear wheel drive, overcoming dunes with great difficulty.
A large number of groups of spectators were standing randomly on one of the difficult climbs in the sands. The driver tried to overcome the climb and go around the group of people on the dune.
Spectators began to run away from the trajectory of the moving truck. But one of them stumbled in the soft sand and got his foot under the rear wheel of the truck. The driver did not see this moment and found out about the incident only after arriving at the bivouac.
KAMAZ-master Team regrets the incident and is ready to provide all possible assistance to the injured person in treating, if it is necessary.
Unfortunately, the decision of the rally officials on this occasion turned out to be extremely tough – A. Karginov’s crew was disqualified from the race.
