The international Silk Way Rally Raid involving the gas-fueled KAMAZ truck is over. The truck’s team consisted of Sergey Kupriyanov Press Secretary of the Gazprom Management Committee Chairman, Alexander Kupriyanov and Anatoly Tanin.

Gas-fueled KAMAZ completed all the seven stages of the race in less than 42 hours. The most part of the route – 2,700 kilometers – ran off-road, through sands and steppes. The test vehicle performed steadily in any conditions, the gas equipment worked without failing. Summing up the results of the race, the team finished eighth in the overall ranking of truck vehicles.

“We tested the gas equipment under the most extreme conditions possible for a car. The outcome surpassed all the wildest hopes. Finishing eighth among the trucks and eighteenth in the overall ranking is absolutely awesome for the non-professional team. It is in an impressive result of our teamwork. We are completely happy!” Sergey Kupriyanov said.

Background

Gas-fueled KAMAZ is a special model of a sport truck vehicle powered by natural gas. The truck was customized by the KAMAZ Master team with Gazprom’s assistance in order to promote natural gas use as a vehicle fuel.

The international Silk Way Rally is a highly prestigious off-road race, as popular as the legendary Dakar Rally. Gazprom acted as a general sponsor of the first rally raid series that took off along the Kazan – Ashkhabad route in 2009. Russia hosts the rally from 2010.

The 2013 race runs along the Moscow – Tambov – Volgograd – Elista – Astrakhan route with the total length of 4,097 kilometers. More than hundred participants from 27 countries worldwide including 26 truck teams compete in the race.

The race began with a ceremonial start on July 5 in the Red Square in Moscow. The participants of the rally completed the race on July 13 at the walls of the Astrakhan Kremlin.