Accompanied by the company's director general and chief engineer, Mr. Putin examined five modifications of the truck and a dedicated vehicle similar to the armored personnel carrier.
According to KAMAZ's chief engineer, all of the trucks shown have all-wheel drive transmissions. He drew Mr. Putin's attention to the 8X8 truck.
"It is second to none in terms of cross-country capability," the chief engineer said. "We have failed to find an obstacle it cannot negotiate."
At the improvised display ground, Mr. Putin got acquainted with a racer on KAMAZ's team, Firdaus Kabirov. It is Mr. Kabirov's crew that won the Paris-Dakar 2005 rally. The president spoke with Mr. Kabirov about his KAMAZ and the conditions the racers were facing during rallies.
Mr. Kabirov told Mr. Putin about his having once to give a hand to a rival team whose truck turned turtle. As for the KAMAZ truck, it is very stable in any environment, including deserts.
Then, Mr. Kabirov and another rally winner, Vladimir Chagin, demonstrated what the sports KAMAZ was capable of. Two trucks gathered speed and went off a springboard in a jump several meters long. Mr. Putin also was offered a ride in a KAMAZ.
Team leader Sergei Yakubov provided explanations to Mr. Putin who also was invited to have a look at a dedicated vehicle converted to a living module with a kitchen, a shower and a bedroom.
According to Mr. Yakubov, it was his team's idea to improve their living standards during rallies in African deserts.
The examination completed, Mr. Putin went on a brief vehicular tour, wearing a helmet issued on that occasion.
After Mr. Putin climbed into the cab, he had his seat belts fastened by his assistants. Firdaus Kabirov got at the driving wheel, and the KAMAZ went tothe proving ground. The ride was at a speed close to the maximum one. Mr. Putin drove the sports KAMAZ on his own for some time.
