The KAMAZ-master team finished 1st and 2nd respectively after 12 challenging stages to win the DAKAR Rally for the 17th straight time. Another win that ensured the continuation of their winning streak and a great accomplishment for Goodyear as their official tire partner.
The Dakar Rally is known for being the toughest rally in the world. This year, the rally was held in Saudi Arabia with the teams required to cover 7500 kms, including 5,000 km of specials of hi-speed and close racing.
The race kicked off in Jeddah on January 5th, with this year’s edition having some of the hardest obstacles ever witnessed in Dakar. A variety of challenges greeted the drivers, from tricky desert tracks with hidden stones to rocky canyons and river beds with sharp objects. The conditions required close monitoring of the tires. The cabin crews made smart choices to keep up the speed and keep the tire in one piece in order to finish the race. The race required the drivers to be flawless with their driving skills and carefully manage the tire pressure to get a good balance between grip/traction, speed and durability.
Speaking about the victory, Andrey Karginov, driver of the winning crew 511 of KAMAZ-master said:
“On the outside the scenery was magnificent, however inside the truck we had to stay focused every second and work hard. This year’s race included hazardous sandy dune stages and misleading labyrinths covered with sharp stones. We encountered many risky situations, but the Goodyear tires kept on going offering supreme traction driving up the dunes and were extremely robust.”
A New World Record At 17 Wins
With 17 wins the KAMAZ-master holds the greatest number of wins in Dakar, and its safe to say they truly deserve it. The team has built up an incredible amount of technical know-how with their years of experience. Their experience allowed them to conquer an environment that was completely new to them simply because they mastered the performance of the KAMAZ trucks in each of the stages. The team finished the 7500 km race in just 46h 33' 36''. The tyres never disappointed during this 12 day journey with the team finding a true companion in the Goodyear OFFORAD ORD.
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The Goodyear OFFROAD ORD
The team competed on the Goodyear OFFROAD ORD tyres. For ASO-organizer of the Dakar Rally- it’s mandatory that all truck teams compete on standard tires. The tyres must be developed for normal daily operations and should be available for purchase for any fleet manager in the market. Extreme races like Dakar are a perfect test bed for companies like Goodyear to test their products to the limit. The tires used by the winning KAMAZ-master team, are normally used to maximize uptime in tough off-road operations such as mines and quarries. Massive blocks on the tread along with the optimized compound gives the tyre heavy protection against tearing or cutting.
Jumps like those in the Dakar put immense pressure and force on the tyre carcass, providing a perfect opportunity for Goodyear to study and develop technologies capable of handling such forces. The result was the development of the advanced Goodyear carcass technology that fights back offering enhanced durability and robustness.
The KAMAZ-master team will next be seen in action on the Silkway Rally in China from July 3 to 16.
