Published on: 2026-06-04
Source: KAMAZ – An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
Today, June 4, at the Begishevo International Airport, there was a ceremonial meeting of the legendary KAMAZ-master team. The racers returned to Naberezhnye Chelny from China, where they won the main awards of the most difficult international rally “Takla-Makan 2026”.
At the solemn event “Blue Armada,” greetings were extended by the Deputy General Director of PJSC “KAMAZ” for Security Siren Galiakberov, Deputy General Director of the company for Personnel Management, Organizational Development, and Corporate Governance Zhanna Khaliullina, Deputy Chairman of the “KAMAZ” Trade Union Vladislav Gavrilov, Head of the Executive Committee of Naberezhnye Chelny Farid Salakhov, colleagues, friends and relatives, as well as devoted fans of the team. The leaders of the automotive giant and the city thanked the pilots, navigators and mechanics for another bright victory.
“The name of the Taklamakan Desert translates as ‘the place from which there is no return.’ Will you be able to conquer this largest and most mysterious desert of the world and return with a convincing victory? This is a testament to the highest professionalism!”– emphasizedDeputy General Director of PJSC “KAMAZ” for Security Siren Galiakberov, congratulating the team «KAMAZ-master».
In his response, the head of the Kamaz sports team, Eduard Nikolaev, thanked the management of “KAMAZ”, the republic, the country, and all the devoted fans for the long-term support of the team, emphasizing that this time the focus was on young pilots, and the new generation lived up to expectations.
The history of the Takla-Makan rally spans two decades; this desert race is distinguished by the highest level of difficulty. This year, the competition took place from May 16 to June 1 along the route Urumqi – Aksu and consisted of 14 stages. During this rally, the racers covered 8,000 kilometers of complete off-road terrain, of which 4,200 kilometers were high-speed special stages. According to Eduard Nikolaev, the head of KAMAZ-master, the team spent three years preparing and gathering information about the Takla-Makan rally.In 2025, members of the “Blue Armada” attended the race as spectators and familiarized themselves with the route, and afterwards, the sports crews conducted a training camp in China, increasing the experience of young athletes by testing trucks in extreme conditions, practicing overcoming sand dunes, studying the sand density, topography, and key features of the rally. As a result of this meticulous work, the decision was made to participate in the 2026 race, where the team competed in the updated KAMAZ newest generation truck K5.
As a result, the young pilots of “KAMAZ-master” shared gold and silver medals of the “Takla-Makan” rally in China. The top step of the podium was taken by crew No. 502 under the command of Bogdan Karimov (navigator Dmitry Nikitin, mechanic Ilgiz Ametzyanov). In second place was crew No. 501 led by Almaz Amedov (navigator Ivan Malkov, mechanic Anton Shibalov).
Please note; this information is raw content, obtained directly from the information source. It represents an exact report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.