On Friday, July 17, a pre-start day took place in Ulyanovsk: the second stage of the national rally-raid championship – the "Hills of Russia" Baja – brought together 37 crews from across Russia and neighboring countries. The competition bivouac was set up on Cathedral Square, and participants managed to take part in official tests to assess the track conditions and make final adjustments to their vehicles ahead of Saturday's start. The weather delivered a surprise: instead of summer heat, the drivers were greeted by a prolonged downpour, turning the local black soil into impassable mud.
A total of 37 crews from 24 cities in Russia, Belarus, and Kazakhstan are registered for the start. The GAZ Raid Sport team fielded five vehicles: two racing GAZelle NNs in the "R" class, two Sadko Next trucks in the "T5" class, and a new Sobol NN 4x4 in the "T2" class, which is undergoing its baptism of fire in serious competitions.
The road, which the organizers had prepared as a fast, hilly track, turned into a real ordeal after three days of continuous rain. Even during the tests, it became clear that it wouldn't be easy: ruts left by passing trucks filled with water and became even deeper, while the muddy slush reached critical depths in places.
Alexander Sheludko, driver of the GAZ Sadko truck, noted the difficulty of the track but confirmed the vehicle's readiness:
Today was a test day, which allowed us to shake down the car and assess the track conditions. Due to the three-day downpours, the road turned into a real mess – the ruts from the trucks became even deeper, and in some places it was simply impossible to drive in them. We moved closer to the grass to maintain control. We completed four laps of 5 kilometers each – overall, the vehicle performed well. Now the main task is quality servicing of the cars before the start.
For the team, the test day was an opportunity to check not only the driving performance but also the engineering solutions implemented after previous races.
Vyacheslav Subbotin, sports director of the GAZ Raid Sport team, summed up the training session:
Today we rolled out all our vehicles. That's two racing Gazelles, one Sobol NN – a new addition, with new, more powerful springs. We're currently adapting the Sobol to the harsh conditions of rally-raids. We checked the engine: it's not overheating. The conditions were such that we arrived in summer but plunged into autumn. Such wind and such rain, such mud! First, second, at most third gear short, and the car goes sideways – it's constant drifting. And everyone in this mud is sideways, tail first, rarely did a car go front first. But we've restored our driving skills. We checked the engine to see if we made the right compromise – we reduced the intercooler on the T2 and increased the area of the main radiator. It's not overheating – good. Dirty, wet, very pleasant, because the more mud, the more adventure. We liked it. Super.
On Saturday, July 18, the crews will undergo administrative and technical checks, followed by the ceremonial opening of the race at 3:00 PM. The first special stage (prologue) starts at 4:00 PM. The organizers promise an exciting battle, and the weather, according to forecasts, will remain rainy, making the "Hills of Russia" even more spectacular and unpredictable.
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