Hills of Russia”: a prologue in mud and puddles. The crews of “GAZ Raid Sport” showed their character

Ulyanovsk, July 18, 2026. Today, the first combat day – the prologue (SS-1) – took place at the “Hills of Russia” rally. After mandatory administrative and technical checks and the official opening ceremony, 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 truck ruts made the route extremely challenging, and for many crews, completely impassable.

For the five crews of “GAZ Raid Sport” competing in the Russian Championship, the day turned out differently for each, but will be remembered for a long time. Alexey Khlebov and Evgeny Pavlov in the “GAZelle NEXT” not only finished but posted the best result in their “R” class and fourth place in the overall standings!

Alexey Khlebov: A Sensational Result in the Mud

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 50 seconds, losing only to three prototypes in the overall standings.

Alexander Semyonov: Battling Mud and Helping Rivals

For the crew of Alexander Semyonov and Dmitry Okhotnikov in the new “Sobol NN,” the prologue turned into a real battle with the mud. 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.

Overall Picture: KAMAZ-master Dominates

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 03 seconds. The crew of Dmitry Sotnikov finished second (+0:23), and the URAL MOTORSPORT crew of Yuri Naiman finished third (+0:49). In the top five fastest were two more trucks from the MAZ-SPORTauto team: Vitaly Murylev in fourth place and Sergey Vyazovich in fifth.

Among the car category, the palm of victory went to the Belgorod pilots: Alexey Cherkesov in first place overall, his brother Dmitry in second. Andrey Novikov took third place, beating Alexey Khlebov from GAZ Raid Sport by just 6 minutes.

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 can say with confidence: the “Hills of Russia” are just beginning.

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