«Spirit Award» is a unique prize, which «KAMAZ-Master» team was awarded with. The prize was handed for extremely strong will to win and for team spirit that the team showed during the 2d lap of «Desert Challenge» rally. KAMAZ has been participating in this famous rally in United Arab Emirates for 5 years already, and it wins this prize for the 2d time.

The 2d lap is 380 km long and after the start of the rally it has become the first real test for its participants at extremely poor off-road. Having successfully passed the first 230 km on relatively plain areas, the sport caravan dived into soft sands of dunes on high speed.

Even when checking time limit for passing this special area has lapsed, scores of sport vehicles have been helplessly struggling with sands: it was a real show which deserved to be defined as the toughest trophy.

Semyon Yakhubov, the head of «KAMAZ-Master» team, said that: «…this lap for both crews and vehicles has been the toughest road test on survival. Our 3 trucks, as before, were driving together. Only because we always stayed together, we have managed to overcome that awful trap. We helped each other by pushing, trailing. This dramatic show was taken by Rally TV from helicopters from the very beginning to the end. Half of the 46 passenger cars, jeeps and trucks, which took the start of the 2d lap, couldn’t meet with checking time limits set for passing this special area. If we had only 2 race trucks, we might have met the night far away from the finish line.»

This is exactly what has happened with the crew of Bonetti from Italy on an IVECO truck. The crew has lost more than 1,5 hours in a sand whirl and after two laps it is more than 2 hours behind of KAMAZ team, 3 trucks of which keep together.

In spite of all difficulties KAMAZ trucks are in a very good condition, one more time confirming special technical and operational characteristics of this off-road extremist. Neither hot temperature in cabs, mass of sand under wheels, nor pain in back and hands could change fighting mood of the members of KAMAZ trucks.