Hills of Russia": a prologue in mud and puddles. The crews of "GAZ Raid Sport" showed their mettle

Ulyanovsk, 18 July 2026. Today at the 'Hills of Russia' rally, the first competitive day took place – the prologue (SS1). Following mandatory administrative and technical checks and the official opening ceremony, 34 crews took on the 13-kilometre 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 exceptionally challenging, and for many crews, it was simply impassable.

For the five crews of 'GAZ Raid Sport' competing in the Russian Championship, the day varied in outcome but will be long remembered. Alexey Khlebov and Evgeny Pavlov in the 'GAZelle NEXT' not only finished but posted the best result in their 'R' class and the fourth-fastest time overall!

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

Alexander Semyonov: battling the mud and helping rivals

For the crew of Alexander Semyonov and Dmitry Okhotnikov in the new 'Sobol NN', the prologue turned into a real fight against the mud. The truck ruts and sticky clay took their toll: at the finish, they faced a 30-minute penalty for exceeding the time limit. But crucially, the team made it to the finish line, showing real character.

Overall picture: KAMAZ-master dominates

The fastest time in the prologue was set by the 'KAMAZ-master' crew led by Eduard Nikolaev in the bonneted KAMAZ Extreme Plus, which swapped its black colour for the team's blue livery – 10 minutes and 3 seconds. Second place went to Dmitry Sotnikov's crew (+0:23), and third to the URAL MOTORSPORT crew of Yuri Naiman (+0:49). In the top five were two more trucks from the MAZ-SPORTauto team: Vitaly Murylev in fourth place and Sergey Vyazovich in fifth.

In the car category, the top honours went to the Belgorod pilots: Alexey Cherkesov took first place overall, with his brother Dmitry in second. Third place went to Andrey Novikov, who finished just 6 minutes ahead of Alexey Khlebov from GAZ Raid Sport.

Tomorrow, 19 July, the crews face a full competitive day: two special stages of 150 kilometres each. After today's trials of mud and puddles, one thing is certain: the 'Hills of Russia' are only just beginning.

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