Samara Region, Syzran, July 21, 2026. Four days, nearly 1000 kilometers, six special stages, and an incredible battle – the "Hills of Russia" Baja concluded today in the Samara Region. What began as just another championship stage turned into a true epic, full of drama, breakdowns, mass penalties, and, of course, triumph.
The main hero of the race was the "GAZ Raid Sport" team. The crew of Alexey Khlebov and Evgeny Pavlov in a "GAZelle NEXT" not only won the "R" class – they also managed to climb onto the Absolute standings podium and take the bronze! The team also secured silver in the T2 class (Alexander Semyonov/Dmitry Okhotnikov in a "Sobol NN") and second place in the team standings of the Russian Championship.
The final day started at 7:00 AM with the Service Exit at the bivouac in the Samara Region. The crews had to tackle SS6, which was nearly 200 kilometers long. The route turned out to be completely new for most participants and was radically different from the previous days: instead of mud and forests, there were high-speed chalk roads where the maximum speed reached 170 km/h.
The crew of Khlebov/Pavlov completed the final SS6 with a time of 2:20:30. Their total time for the entire race was 9:40:48, which allowed them to take first place in the "R" class (with a lead of 9 minutes 36 seconds over the nearest pursuer) and third place in the absolute standings, losing only to prototypes on G-Force and BRP Can-Am.
The new "Sobol NN" finished the race on a high note: the crew of Semyonov/Okhotnikov won the final SS6 in the T2 class with a time of 2:46:36! Despite severe breakdowns on previous days (sheared shock absorber bolts, torn driveshafts, a detached ball joint), the team managed to repair the vehicle and achieve the best result on the final special stage. Their total time was 18:52:11, earning them silver in the T2 class.
The team's sports director summed up the entire race, noting its diversity and the level of competition.
The final day was not without dramatic events. The SS6 route claimed five crews: Sergey Vyazovich in a MAZ rolled over the hood and was forced to retire, although he was just a step away from first place and was seriously fighting for the podium. Additionally, four other crews (one KAMAZ, two T3 vehicles – buggies, and one T2 class vehicle) did not finish, encountering various technical difficulties.
After four days, in the T5 class, Dmitry Sotnikov from KAMAZ-master won (8:24:09), second was Eduard Nikolaev in a hooded KAMAZ Extreme Plus (+4:52), and third was the Belarusian crew of Vitaly Murylev in a MAZ (+32:12).
In the absolute standings, victory was celebrated by crew No. 203 (A. Novikov/A. Goryunov) in a G-Force TIGRIS (9:00:13), second were Alexey Cherkesov and Artem Shevelev in a BRP Can-Am (+10:45). Alexey Khlebov and Evgeny Pavlov rounded out the top three (+40:35).
In the T2 class (production SUVs), the battle unfolded between three crews, and "GAZ Raid Sport" showed a worthy result. The new "Sobol NN" driven by Alexander Semyonov and Dmitry Okhotnikov finished the race in second place, losing only to the crew of Andrey Sushentsov and Alexander Shanov in a Toyota LC200 from the S&A Racing team. The crew from Kolomna, Leonid Petrov and Anton Pletenev, retired.
In the team standings of the Russian Championship, first place went to S&A Racing from Moscow, second to "GAZ Raid Sport", and third to LADA Sport ROSNEFT.
The awards ceremony took place at 7:00 PM in the Samara Region, in the village of Novaya Krymza. The "GAZ Raid Sport" team leaves the "Hills of Russia" with trophies, a podium finish, and confidence in their abilities ahead of the next stages of the Russian Championship and Cup, the nearest of which (the 4th stage of the Russian Rally-Raid Cup) will take place from July 31 to August 2.
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