Dakar 2007 ends

One of the world's most difficult and dangerous off-road races has come to an end in the Senegalese capital of Dakar. The 2007 Dakar rally started in Portugal and ran through Europe and Africa.

In the past Russians have done well in the race for trucks, but this year they yielded the palm.

It is a test of man and machine and this year's Dakar rally tested the Russian Kamaz team more than any other. The leading Russian truck driver Vladimir Chagin and his engineer crashed during the middle of the race and had to go to hospital.   

“Our crew members risk their lives every time they participate in the rally. On the one hand, they weren’t lucky this time. On the other, they were fortunate enough as they are alive now,” said Vladimir Samoylov, Deputy Head of Kamaz.

The participants covered thousands of kilometers of sand and dirt to get from Lisbon to Dakar.

Only half of the Dakar racers usually make it to the end. Kamaz have had more truck wins than any other manufacturer but this year it was left to Ilgizar Mardeev to uphold the company's honor coming in a valiant second.

Now with this year's drama behind them, the Russian team will begin training for next year’s event. They hope to design a new truck and snatch back from the Netherlands’ Hans Stacey the garland of victory.