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Russia's Team Kamaz to return home from Dakar on Jan. 21

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Russia's triumphant Team Kamaz Dakar 2009 is to return to Russia on January 21, the team's website said on Tuesday.
NIZHNY NOVGOROD, January 20 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's triumphant Team Kamaz Dakar 2009 is to return to Russia on January 21, the team's website said on Tuesday.

The team won the legendary rally for the eighth time, occupying the first two places of the overall standings.

The world-famous rally, founded in 1979, took place in Argentina and Chile, and was held for the first time outside of Africa. The 9,500-kilometer (5,900-mile) race began in Buenos Aires on January 3 and finished in the capital of Argentina on January 17.

Semyon Yakubov, the chief manager of the Team Kamaz, said that, "This year's race was unpredictable in its variety."

"If for the rallies in Africa we knew what to get ready for - rocks in Morocco, sand in Mauritania, than here [in Latin America] we encountered unusual types of landscapes, including dirt and fluctuations of temperatures and altitudes," he said.

Team Kamaz entered three trucks in this year's race, each with a three-member crew.

The crew of Firdaus Kabirov, who is now the two-time Dakar Champion, finished first, with the crew of five-time Dakar Champion Vladimir Chagin finishing second, just 3 minutes and 39 seconds behind Kabirov.

The crew of Dutch pilot Gerard De Rooy, on a Ginaf truck, came third. The third Team Kamaz crew, piloted by Ilgizar Mardeyev, finished fourth.

This year's event involved 230 motorbikes, 30 quads, 188 cars and 82 trucks from 49 countries. The rally did not take place last year due to safety concerns.

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