T H E O U N I N P O H J A’ S C H A L L E N G E
“This really is a huge, massive machine,”
added Mardeev. “And when you sit behind
the wheel of such a powerful truck, it’s an incomparable feeling: you feel the full power of
the truck as soon as you start the engine, while all the vibration is transferred to your hands
and your body.”
On the roads of the Dakar, launching the
Kamaz through the air is part of a normal
day’s work.
“In rally raids this happens all the time: during the day we lose count of how many times
we jump and fly,” he explained. “But this place is one of the most legendary in the whole
championship.
Maybe not even so much for the jump itself,
but more because of its location and its importance for the championship. So for Jari-Matti
and me such activity it’s the meaning of our
lives. We can’t live without it. You could call it
an adrenaline addiction.”
For the Finnish rally driver, seeing the truck fly
through the scenery of his homeland has raised
some intriguing possibilities for the future. After
all, a number of WRC stars have gone on to
continue their careers at the Dakar, from former
Dakar winners Ari Vatanen and Juha Kankkunen, to stars such as Sebastien Loeb and Mikko
Hirvonen in more recent times.
“I have to say that now I’m excited: maybe
after my rally career I should go to the Dakar and drive a truck,” he concluded. “That
would be a good experience for me and then
I would have it in my museum later on. I know
that Loeb and the others have been driving
the Dakar cars, but actually I’m more excited
about the trucks now…”