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The budget of Russia’s Kamaz-Master team that participates in annual Dakar rallies has increased to about $10 million in 2017, Kamaz truck producer CEO Sergei Kogogin told TASS on Jan. 4.
“We have sorted out things with the team’s budget. Kamaz has increased financing for 2017 and additional sponsors have come,” Kogogin said.
“The budget has increased compared with 2016 and become sufficient for the team’s maintenance and its development. This is about $10 million,” the Kamaz CEO said.
“Sponsors have not remained indifferent. All have come to show understanding for the current economic situation. The figures have grown a little and our sponsors are not only advertising themselves but are also showing respect for the team, its leadership, history and what has been done,” he said.
After two stages of the Dakar 2017 Rally, the Kamaz-Master crews are holding the second, ninth, 15th and 18th places.
Nikolaev, whose first title came in 2013, spent the entire 2017 edition of the rally bar the first two stages in the top three overall.
After leading Stage 3, Nikolaev dropped behind first Sotnikov then defending champion Gerard de Rooy (Iveco).
The Dutchman led as the first week ended, but quickly dropped behind the aforementioned Kamaz duo with a puncture on the eighth stage, before losing further time to navigational difficulties on Stage 10.
Sotnikov led again for two days but Nikolaev set the pace on Stages 10 and 11, giving him a 17-minute lead before the final sprint stage in Rio Cuarto.
He collected his fourth stage win of the weekend in the final run, and scored Kamaz’s 14th title in the process, beating Sotnikov by just under 19 minutes.
Sotnikov recorded his best Dakar result in second place, followed by Iveco duo de Rooy and Federico Villagra, who were 41 minutes and an hour down on Nikolaev respectively.
Ayrat Mardeev brought a third Kamaz into the top five, recording the lowest-placed finish of his Dakar career.
