Motorsport driver as a vocation

— What does your typical working day look like when you are not at the competition?
— It is just like everyone else’s. At 8am sharp, I have to start my work, before that I need to go through the checkpoint and get to my workplace. The members of our sports team do not belong to the main production and are not employed on the assembly line — we are engaged in the piece production of sports cars. We come up with ideas, design, and send engineering documentation to departments. We use the extensive capacities of the Minsk Automobile Plant [MAZ trademark] to manufacture the necessary parts.

— The MAZ-SPORTauto crews have recently returned from the Silk Way rally. This time, you have secured the third place. After the victory last year, did you set yourself up for a higher result?
— In fact, this result needs to be evaluated from several sides. Looking at the third place in the final standings, I can say that our ambitions were obviously higher. However, when I recall the struggle on the track and how competitive our automobile was, the race was almost perfect for our crew. Our team had counted that Sergei Vyazovich’s crew would end up on the podium, and it worked — we did not allow KAMAZ-Master [Russian motorsport team] to occupy the entire podium. Mutual assistance, mutual support, team spirit and understanding of the goals — we had all of this. So I will give a rather positive assessment of the race.

Silk Way Rally

— Due to the sanctions, the focus of attention has shifted — it is the Silk Way that is the main start of the season now, while before it was Dakar. Do you follow this competition now?
— I will not dissemble, I watched it in the first years. We had a lot of attempts to get back into this rally raid, and we are taking certain steps now. The race organisers and representatives of various structures and teams would like to see both MAZ-SPORTauto and KAMAZ-Master return to the international arena. They are closely watching our fierce competition on the Silk Way, at the Russian Championship, and they envy us in this regard. I do not follow the Dakar anymore. It is not interesting to watch when rivals quickly drive apart from each other with hours’ difference, when the class of drivers varies dramatically. What kind of intrigue can be there? Even now, in summer, I can tell you what the top 3 of the future Dakar will be.

— The unfair suspension from the Dakar, which happened in 2022, was painful for you. Have your emotions subsided over time?
— Yes. Besides, the attitude towards everything has changed.

Participating on the terms that are put forward to us is absolutely out of the question. Restrictions on the truck name, participation without a national flag and anthem, equipment and outfit without national symbols — this is unacceptable to me. Everyone understands which teams are the strongest in the world. If anyone doubts, come to the Silk Way, to the stages of the Russian Championship and prove the opposite.
Sergei Vyazovich participating in Silk Way Rally

— The word ‘team’ has been used many times in our conversation. Does it refer solely to MAZ-SPORTauto or have a broader concept for you?
— First of all, it is our sports team. Also, a huge number of people are involved in its preparation and participation in competitions. Of course, all enterprises of the holding are involved in fitting our trucks — without the support of MAZ and other enterprises, nothing would have been possible. This year, the Ministry of Industry has helped us a lot, and the enterprises belonging to the machine-building complex took over part of the team’s operating costs. In fact, a huge number of enterprises and people have contributed to the success of MAZ-SPORTauto. Of course, there is a contribution on the part of the country and the Head of State — the support he provides to us is invaluable.

The praise from the President after last year’s victory on the Silk Way rally raid became a great motivation to continue in the same spirit and, no matter what, show that Belarus’ machine-building complex is competitive, and Belarusian athletes are not inferior to the most famous ones in this sport. Therefore, each of our victories is our common victory.

The team has thoughts about what else can be improved in MAZ-SPORTauto trucks after each trip — whether it is training, tests or races. “The most important period in preparation is the off-season. The way the team has held it affects the readiness for competitions. After all, when they start, there will be no time to make changes to the cars since the race schedule is tight in the calendar, with a considerable distance to the sites,” clarified Sergei Vyazovich.