Ulyanovsk, July 18, 2026. Today, at the "Hills of Russia" rally, the first combat day – the prologue (SS-1) – took place. After mandatory administrative and technical checks and the grand opening, 34 crews set out on a 13-kilometer special stage, which, due to three days of torrential rain, turned into a true test of endurance. Mud, clay, and deep ruts left by trucks made the route extremely challenging, and for many crews, it was simply impassable.
For the five crews of "GAZ Raid Sport" competing in the Russian Championship, the day turned out differently for each, but it will be remembered for a long time. Alexey Khlebov and Evgeny Pavlov in the "GAZelle NEXT" not only finished but also achieved the best result in their "R" class and fourth place in the overall standings!
The crew of Alexey Khlebov and Evgeny Pavlov in the "GAZelle NEXT" brilliantly handled the extreme conditions and completed the prologue with the best time in the "R" class – 13 minutes and 50 seconds, losing only to three prototypes in the overall standings.
For the crew of Alexander Semyonov and Dmitry Okhotnikov in the new "Sobol NN," the prologue turned into a real battle with the mud. The truck ruts and sticky clay took their toll: at the finish line, they faced a 30-minute penalty for exceeding the time limit. But the main thing is that the team reached the finish, showing character.
The best time in the prologue was set by the "KAMAZ-master" crew led by Eduard Nikolaev in the hooded KAMAZ Extreme Plus, which swapped its black color for the team's blue livery – 10 minutes and 03 seconds. Second place went to the crew of Dmitry Sotnikov (+0:23), and third to the URAL MOTORSPORT crew of Yuri Naiman (+0:49). Among the top five fastest were two more trucks from the MAZ-SPORTauto team: Vitaly Murylev in fourth place and Sergey Vyazovich in fifth.
In the car category, the palm of victory went to the Belgorod pilots: Alexey Cherkesov took first place in the overall standings, his brother Dmitry came second. Third place was claimed by Andrey Novikov, who was only 6 minutes ahead of Alexey Khlebov from GAZ Raid Sport.
Tomorrow, July 19, the crews face a full combat day: two special stages of 150 kilometers each. After today's trials of mud and puddles, one thing is certain: the "Hills of Russia" are just beginning.
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