New Challenges for KAMAZ-Master: Hooded Trucks Underperform in Dunes and Rain

The leader and driver of the «КАМАЗ-мастер» team, Eduard Nikolaev, who navigated a cab-over truck during the Silk Way rally, shared his thoughts on the shortcomings of this type of vehicle compared to the conventional «КАМАЗ» truck.

«You can’t escape the downsides of a cab-over design. It is definitely slower in the dunes, particularly if you’re the one breaking the trail—you’re much slower than when there are already tracks and grooves laid out. You can’t accelerate until the path is clear in front of you, until you have crested the dune. It’s easier with conventional trucks. Plus, you can’t always take dunes sideways; that would result in losing momentum.

We also observed that cab-over trucks perform significantly worse in rainy conditions, when the roads are inundated. The cabin’s position is more centered over the base, causing water from the front axle to spray directly onto the windshield, while conventional trucks direct the water flow toward the back. The K5 drivers, benefiting from better visibility, maintain a much higher pace. It’s good that we are discovering these factors—it would be worse to be left wondering why I am losing,» Nikolaev said in an interview with Championship correspondent Evgeny Kustov.