MOTOR SPORTS NEWS

Latest News

  • Josh Moffett lifts another Clonakilty Park Hotel West Cork Rally winner’s trophy
  • Big win for Nasser & Toyota GR DKR Hilux in the Qatar International Baja
  • Alfa Romeo F1 Driver Valtteri Bottas picks up his new Alfa Giulia GTAm
  • All go at Mondello Park – Events during 2023
  • Alpine A110 San Remo 73 limited edition pays tribute to the brand’s glorious rallying past
  • Home
  • News
  • Dakar
    • DAKAR 2016
    • Dakar 2015
  • Cross-Country Rally
  • Notice Board
  • Rally
  • Motorbike
  • Touring Cars
  • Circuit Racing
  • Events
  • follow
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Google+
    • Pinterest
    • RSS Feed
    • Linked
    • Youtube

DAKAR 2020 – Kamaz is the team to beat

Dec 28, 2019


  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
Tweet

Key points:

  • ➢  Four-time Dakar winner and Kamaz team leader, Eduard Nikolaev is setting his sights on

    a fifth title in ten participations as a driver.

  • ➢  The Russian team’s rivals are not only found at Team De Rooy but also in the Czech clan

    with Aleš Loprais, Martin Macik and Martin Soltys. Belarusian driver Siarhei Viazovich is also among the favourites for the win in the first Saudi Arabian edition of the Dakar.

    Kamaz is the team to beat and you do not have to look further than the truck category record books, with 16 titles for 23 editions with 143 special stage wins along the way. The string of three successive victories also confirms that Eduard Nikolaev, spotted upon his arrival in the rally-raid world as the ‘little tsar’, is doing a tremendous job in following the tracks of mentor Vladimir Chagin, as the perspective of going after a fifth crown at the age of 35 in Saudi Arabia would put him a little bit ahead of his boss. In fact, the team now run by the seven-time Dakar champion arrives with its usual status as the odds- on favourite, both confident in its leader and in its team, since Dmitry Sotnikov (2nd in 2017 and 2019) and Andrey Karginov (winner in 2014) are capable of taking over in the event of a failure or major problem for the number 500 truck.

    However, the Russian trucks will be in for a serious battle between Jeddah and Qiddiya to prolong their domination. The situation has changed significantly with their rivals at Iveco. Gerard De Rooy has decided not to race due to back problems that will require an operation in the near future. But the only driver to defeat Kamaz in South America (2012 and 2016) will still be the team boss for this first go in Saudi Arabia. He will have the promising Janus van Kasteren in his lead truck. At the beginning of the Kamaz saga, the Russian drivers used to scrap with Tatra trucks, and in particular with Karel Loprais. This new situation could be put to good use by his nephew, Aleš Loprais, who is most often observed as an outsider (3rd in 2007, 4th in 2015, 5th in 2019) but capable of doing something special when a new chapter is opened. Spread out over several teams, the Czech clan could also be represented at the sharp end of the order by Martin Soltys at Buggyra Racing or by 30-year-old Martin Macik (5th in 2018) who will take part in his eighth Dakar. The biggest threat will come from the Belarusian “cousins” of Kamaz, the Maz-Sportauto team led by Siarhei Viazovich, who finished runner-up to Nikolaev in 2018. And finally, special attention will be paid to the Gert Huzink’s crew, who are facing a challenge of the future as they will be lining up at the start with the first hybrid vehicle in the truck category.


  • tweet
Related articles
  • Josh Moffett lifts another Clonakilty Park Hotel West Cork Rally winner’s trophy
    Josh Moffett lifts another Clonakilty...

    Mar 20, 2023 Comments Off on Josh Moffett lifts another Clonakilty Park Hotel West Cork Rally winner’s trophy

  • Big win for Nasser & Toyota GR DKR Hilux in the Qatar International Baja
    Big win for Nasser & Toyota GR DKR...

    Mar 20, 2023 Comments Off on Big win for Nasser & Toyota GR DKR Hilux in the Qatar International Baja

  • Alfa Romeo F1 Driver Valtteri Bottas picks up his new Alfa Giulia GTAm
    Alfa Romeo F1 Driver Valtteri Bottas...

    Mar 18, 2023 Comments Off on Alfa Romeo F1 Driver Valtteri Bottas picks up his new Alfa Giulia GTAm

  • All go at Mondello Park – Events during 2023
    All go at Mondello Park – Events...

    Mar 18, 2023 Comments Off on All go at Mondello Park – Events during 2023

More in this category
  • Big win for Nasser & Toyota GR DKR Hilux in the Qatar International Baja
    Big win for Nasser & Toyota GR DKR...

    Comments Off on Big win for Nasser & Toyota GR DKR Hilux in the Qatar International Baja

  • Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah wins the 2023 Qatar Baja in the Toyota GR DKR Hilux
    Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah wins the 2023...

    Comments Off on Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah wins the 2023 Qatar Baja in the Toyota GR DKR Hilux

  • 2 new winners at Season 3 opener hints at closest Extreme E Championship yet
    2 new winners at Season 3 opener hints...

    Comments Off on 2 new winners at Season 3 opener hints at closest Extreme E Championship yet

  • RECORD QUALITY ENTRY FOR 2023 QATAR INTERNATIONAL BAJA
    RECORD QUALITY ENTRY FOR 2023 QATAR...

    Comments Off on RECORD QUALITY ENTRY FOR 2023 QATAR INTERNATIONAL BAJA


Fleet Car Magazine

Notice Board

  • For Sale! 1991 Jordan-Ford driven by Mick Schumacher at Bonhams Grandes Marques du Monde à Paris auction
    For Sale! 1991 Jordan-Ford driven by Mick Schumacher at...

    Jan 18, 2023

    Tweet1991 Jordan-Ford driven by Mick Schumacher in 2021 to...
  • Opel Ireland partners with Mondello Park to launch 2022 EARLY-DRIVE road safety programme
    Opel Ireland partners with Mondello Park to launch 2022...

    Aug 21, 2022

    TweetA unique young driver education programme, developed...
  • Goodyear FIA ETRC pays tribute to Anthony Janiec
    Goodyear FIA ETRC pays tribute to Anthony Janiec

    Aug 07, 2022

    Tweet The Goodyear FIA ETRC, ETRA Promotion and the entire...
  • Killarney Forestry Rally to raise funds for Air Ambulance
    Killarney Forestry Rally to raise funds for Air Ambulance

    Feb 03, 2022

    TweetRally drivers from across Ireland will help fund...
  • McHugh’s Service Station, Ballindine Mayo Stages Rally, 6 March 2022
    McHugh’s Service Station, Ballindine Mayo Stages Rally, 6...

    Jan 27, 2022

    TweetMayo & District Motorsport Club, organisers of the...

Categories

  • Africa Eco-Race
  • Baja
  • BRC
  • Circuit Racing
  • Cross-Country Rally
  • Dakar
  • Dakar 2015
  • DAKAR 2016
  • DAKAR 2017
  • DAKAR 2019 PERU
  • DAKAR RALLY 2018
  • EV Motorsport
  • Events
  • EverGreeens: Irish Abroad
  • Extreme E
  • Forestry Rally
  • Formula 1
  • Hillclimb
  • IndyCar Series
  • Interview
  • Middle East Rally Championship
  • Morocco Rally
  • Motorbike
  • News
  • Notice Board
  • Rally
  • RallyX
  • Related products
  • Review
  • Sportscars
  • Touring Cars
  • Tribute
  • Truck Racing
  • Uncategorized
  • Video
  • WRC
Tweets by @IrMotSportNews

Recent Posts

Big win for Nasser & Toyota GR DKR Hilux in the Qatar International Baja

Big win for Nasser & Toyota GR DKR Hilux in the Qatar...

Mar 20, 2023

TweetQatar’s Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah and co-driver Mathieu Baumel clinched victory in the car category in their Toyota GR DKR Hilux, while Polish KTM rider Konrad Dabrowski stayed clear of late...
Read More
Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah wins the 2023 Qatar Baja in the Toyota GR DKR Hilux

Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah wins the 2023 Qatar Baja...

Mar 18, 2023

2 new winners at Season 3 opener hints at closest Extreme E Championship yet

2 new winners at Season 3 opener hints at closest...

Mar 18, 2023

RECORD QUALITY ENTRY FOR 2023 QATAR INTERNATIONAL BAJA

RECORD QUALITY ENTRY FOR 2023 QATAR INTERNATIONAL...

Mar 15, 2023

Excitement builds for closest Extreme E season yet

Excitement builds for closest Extreme E season

Mar 10, 2023

Copyright 2016 / All rights reserved