Published on: 2026-06-01
Source: KAMAZ – An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
The international rally “Takla-Makan-2026” has come to an end. Today, June 1, the crews started the final stage of the race to determine the winners and prize-winners of the competition, the press service of the “KAMAZ-master” team reports.
The rally organizers did not regret the sports crews, who prepared an extremely difficult route of the 13th special stage in the picturesque region of the Grand Canyon of Wenyu. The grueling 159 kilometers of the final special stage could easily overturn the podium, so the racers, upon learning the content of the stage, did not even think about an early victory. The main goal today was to reach the finish without breakdowns and accidents. It really made one nervous about the final result. Right from the start, the racetrack went into the riverbed, seriously damaged by flooding and landslides.Previously existing roads became completely unsuitable for travel, so pilots had to try to overcome this section without any losses. A deep gorge, huge boulders, and ravines with water — in the mountainous region of the Tien Shan — were a bundle of dangerous places, which were marked in advance with safety flags.
The crews of the “KAMAZ-master” Bogdan Karimov and Almaz Asmedov completed the special stage without stops or incidents. At the finish, the racers were awaited by a festive reception – with flowers and congratulations from numerous spectators. Almost 3500 high-speed kilometers at the “Takla-Makan-2026” rally were left behind. Ahead lies the celebratory ceremony on the finish podium and the awarding of well-deserved prizes.
The debut rally “Takla-Makan” became an important milestone in the history of the sports team “KAMAZ-master.” Four years later, the “Blue Armada” once again started a major international competition and demonstrated an excellent result, confirming its status as the strongest rally-raid team in the world. In China, crew No. 502 consisting of Bogdan Karimov, Dmitry Nikitin, and Ildar Azmetzyanov took the highest step of the podium, while crew No. 501 consisting of Almaz Azmedov, Ivan Malkov, and Anton Shibalov finished the race in second place. The third prize winner was the crew of Yuri Naiman from the URAL MOTORSPORT team.
Eduard Nikolaev, team leader of “KAMAZ-master”: “Congratulations to the entire team on the successful completion of the race! We accomplished all the set tasks to the maximum. The harsh climate and sands, off-road terrain – the team and the crews endured these difficult racing conditions and reached the finish line. The guys demonstrated excellent results, confirming the correctness of our decision regarding the composition of the crews. Thanks to the entire team for supporting us. In the race, we proved that we are taking the right steps.”
Our youth has coped with difficult special sections, gained experience. I am sure that the “Takla-Makan” rally will help them in their sports career. Ahead of the guys and the “KAMAZ-master” team are many international competitions, at which it is important to proudly carry the flag of our country, republic, and native KAMAZ.
Thank you to everyone: the assistance team, the mechanics who worked tirelessly throughout the rally. We have many young guys in the team, they learn from the older generation of mechanics, gaining valuable experience. We had a very heavy load, and they coped with it, doing everything to ensure our cars were at the finish line of the race.
Congratulations to everyone on finishing and thanks to all who were with us, who followed the race, cheered and worried about us. Many thanks to our partners for their support during this difficult time. We won the “Takla-Makan” rally and confirmed that KAMAZ trucks remain the most reliable and fastest in the world.
Bogdan Karimov, pilot of crew No. 502: “Congratulations to everyone on the victory! The first days of this stage were straightforward, we thought it wouldn’t be particularly interesting, but somewhere from the third or fourth special section it became more and more difficult, sands appeared. In this race we were digging in the dunes, losing time. All this helped to gain experience. I believe we completed the race well, showed our trucks at the international rally in China, where we were received very warmly.”
Rally really liked it, it was interesting. Thanks to the team management for trusting the young crews to represent “KAMAZ-master” in such a major competition. We gave our best, did not let down, won the race. During all the days, our crew had no special problems, drove the race smoothly and steadily. And most importantly, we brought the vehicle and crew intact and unharmed to the finish.
Almaz A. Medov, pilot of crew No. 501: “We are at the finish! Throughout the entire race it was very tough, we rode over sand, dunes, stones, and canyons. Over these weeks we gained colossal experience. We are very happy with these competitions. Mixed feelings after the race. On one hand, joyful that we finished, placing second; on the other, a little sad that we encountered technical difficulties on a special stage and could have shown a higher result. In any case, it’s pleasant to be at the final point of the rally.”
Please note; This information is raw content obtained directly from the information source. It represents an accurate report of what the source claims, and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.