Published on: 2026-09-14
Source: KAMAZ – An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
The Baja “Ural Frontier,” the third stage of the Russian rally-raid championship, ended with a convincing victory for the KAMAZ-master team drivers: two crews – Dmitry Sotnikov and Bogdan Karimov – leading the final general classification list of the race.
The “Ural Frontier-2026” rally-raid took place from September 9 to 13 across the territory of the Chelyabinsk region and the Republic of Bashkortostan. In the truck category, teams “KAMAZ-master”, “MAZ-SPORTauto”, URAL MOTORSPORT, and “GAZ Raid Sport” participated, completing six special stages. The rally started in Chelyabinsk and finished in Miass, covering a total distance of over 1000 kilometers, of which 660 kilometers were competitive.
The KAMAZ-master team fielded five crews led by Eduard Nikolaev, Dmitry Sotnikov, Bogdan Karimov, Almaz Akhmedov, and Dmitry Avdeev. Unfortunately, due to technical reasons, two KAMAZ crews led by the young pilots Dmitry Avdeev and Almaz Akhmedov withdrew from the race and did not participate in the distribution of prize places.
Before the final stage of the “Ural Frontier” rally, fierce competition unfolded for the prize podium. Four crews, representing three teams and two countries, had to decide who would become the race winner and who would be left without medals for their performance in the third stage of the Russian rally-raid championship.
The Sunday 112-kilometer special stage No. 6 did not promise an easy ride. The race route from Magnitogorsk to Miass passed through forest clearings, mountainous and rocky roads with fords and a large number of stones, and the slightest mistake could lead to serious changes in the standings. Leader Dmitry Sotnikov from “KAMAZ-master” was ahead of his teammate Bogdan Karimov by only 4 minutes, Pavel Murylyov (“MAZ-SPORTauto”) was less than 16 minutes behind, Yuri Naiman (URAL MOTORSPORT) – by 16 and a half minutes. And this situation meant only one thing – the pilots would take risks and attack.
At the 30-kilometer mark, Bogdan Karimov took the lead, managing to make up more than a minute of the four minutes lost to Dmitry Sotnikov over a quarter of the distance! Yuri Naiman, who chose an aggressive riding style and ignored serious potholes, reduced the gap to third place to 10 seconds. By halfway through SS-6, the crews of Dmitry Sotnikov and Bogdan Karimov in the overall classification were separated by less than two minutes, while Pavel Murylev allowed Yuri Naiman to move ahead by a minute. Thus, two pairs emerged in the race, competing against each other. The young Kamaz driver increased his pace and, by the 90-kilometer mark, was 50 seconds behind the rally leader – will Bogdan Karimov’s crew be able to overtake their more experienced teammate?
At the finish, Dmitry Sotnikov finished first, who had to ride almost from the start as the “opener,” since Belarusian Sergey Vyazovich stopped in the first few kilometers to lead and protect Pavel Murylyov. And the agonizing wait for the results pleased the Kamaz crew – the leader of the overall standings of the Russian Championship outpaced Bogdan Karimov by only 14 seconds! And this was after more than 600 kilometers of off-road and muddy tracks in the Chelyabinsk region and Bashkiria. The second place in the stage and third in the truck category of the “Ural Frontier” rally was taken by Yuri Naiman.
The time of 7 hours 20 minutes 33 seconds by the “KAMAZ-master” crew with start number 301 was the best not only in the truck category but also in the overall classification. For Dmitry Sotnikov, this victory was his third in the current season. The final stage of the Russian championship – the “Great Steppe” Baja – will take place from October 14 to 18.
Dmitry Sotnikov, pilot of crew No. 301: “We started right after Sergey Vyazovich. We understood that Pavel Murylyov in their team was fighting for a prize place and assumed that Sergey would cover him. That’s how it happened, Vyazovich moved away from the start by several kilometers and stopped to wait for Murylyov. Thus, we were opening the whole road. Almost the entire route was new, the first part was tough, slippery, with ruts in places where the truck couldn’t fit on the road, and heaps of stones piled on the edges, on which it was dangerous to puncture a tire. Further on were faster roads, large puddles, and fords. We understood the approximate situation along the distance and tried to drive more carefully to finish reliably.”
Bogdan Karimov, pilot of crew No. 303: “The terrain changed in the final stage, with more off-road conditions, many gullies and ditches – like a worksite special stage. We passed a dam lined with trees along the edges, and our truck barely squeezed into that space. There were also plenty of potholes, and the windshield was constantly splattered with water. Overall, we drove the stage steadily and smoothly; it was important to deliver the result, which we managed. The race turned out to be interesting, muddy.”
Eduard Nikolaev, driver of crew No. 302 and team leader of “KAMAZ-master”: “Congratulations to the KAMAZ-master team on their victory at the Ural Frontier rally raid and in the third stage of the Russian Championship. Bogdan Karimov and Dmitry Sotnikov delivered a strong performance in the final special stage and throughout the entire race. They navigated the entire route well, and I am pleased with their performance. The race was challenging, but the team accomplished its goals – achieved a sporting result and conducted technical tests. The drivers, co-drivers, and mechanics all demonstrated that they are in good form.”
It is upsetting that our young drivers Dmitry Avdeev and Almaz Akhmedov were unable to finish the race due to technical difficulties on the track. But that’s motor racing; such things happen sometimes. The guys will prepare for other races; they will still prove themselves. The most important thing is that they performed well in this race and are managing to meet the objectives set.
As for our crew, today we made a technical stop, lost about an hour. But we are at the finish, albeit not with the result we hoped for. I want to thank my crew for their coordinated work throughout the race. Navigator Evgeny Yakovlev did a great job with navigation and instruments, and thanks to this we maintained a good pace. Ahead of us is the return home. We will analyze and do everything to ensure that in future races everything is reliable on the technical side. As after any race, there is always room for improvement. Ahead of us is the final stage of the Russian championship.
Thank you to the organizers for preparing this stage, the race turned out to be muddy, interesting, and full of twists. Thanks to the mechanics of our team, who went through all these days almost without sleep, and managed their tasks. Thanks also to the entire team of “KAMAZ-master,” who are waiting for us in Naberezhnye Chelny, for their support.
Please note; This information is raw content obtained directly from the information source. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.