Eduard Nikolaev: “Europeans really want us to return” to Dakar Rally

Barring a sudden development on the frontlines in the coming months, 2025 will be the third year that the Dakar Rally does not feature Russian or Belarusian teams. Although Truck powerhouse KAMAZ-master is still barred from contending for a twentieth Dakar victory, team boss Eduard Nikolaev believes sentiment in Europe is leaning towards letting them back.

“We are not against returning (to Dakar),” Nikolaev told state-owned media outlet RIA Novosti. “The Europeans really want us to return. We are constantly in communication and talking with them. The team is in shape and ready to fight for the title.”

The FIA implemented restrictions on Russian teams following the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, a month after Dmitry Sotnikov led a KAMAZ podium sweep of the Truck class at Dakar. Under the policy, Russian and Belarusian racers must agree to condemn the invasion and to not sport their respective nation’s insignia; KAMAZ, whose parent company is partly owned by the Russian government and provides vehicles for the Russian military, unsurprisingly rejected the terms.

The team lost many of their foreign backers in the wake of the invasion, most notably Red Bull, prompting the switch to domestic suppliers. Since then, KAMAZ has focused exclusively on the Russian Rally-Raid Championship.

Earlier in July, Sotnikov won the Silk Way Rally, the premier rally raid in the country, in a 1–2 finish for KAMAZ with Nikolaev in tow. The latter held off 2023 winner Siarhei Viazovich of rival MAZ-SPORTauto, a Belarusian outfit also prohibited from racing the Dakar; the two had nearly collided head-on during the third stage. Nikolaev won four stages.

\“The wonderful route inspired us a lot,” Nikolaev continued. “After all, we have already missed two Dakars. These vast spaces, sands, dunes, rocks, riverbeds, winding and fast roads—we really missed all of this. In recent years, the Silk Way Rally took place in Russia, and we have been competing in our country throughout the year. This year, we were very happy that the organisers found an opportunity to go to Mongolia.”

Still, Nikolaev was quick to note that it would be unfair to compare the Silk Way to it because of how long it’s been. The race, formerly part of the FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies (predecessor to the current World Rally-Raid Championship), used to draw international stars before COVID-19 and the invasion. Since then, most entrants hail from Russia, Belarus, or other friendly neighbours like China, Mongolia, and Turkmenistan.

“There were not enough participants as we saw, but that is the current global situation,” concluded Nikolaev. “I believe that Europeans who watched our race and battles in all categories would like to come take part.”

Various KAMAZ drivers and personnel have continued to follow the Dakar since 2023. Like Nikolaev, they also claimed foreign teams told them that the race is just not the same without them. Sergey Kupriyanov, fifth in T5 at the Silk Way, said in May that he would like to see the team head to the Africa Eco Race, which is organised independently of the FIA and follows the Dakar’s original Europe-to-Senegal route.

Without KAMAZ, the 2023 and 2024 Dakar Rallies were won by IVECOs on the Truck side.