Press-centre

1 october 2024

Russian Evgeny Sidorov was awarded the title of winner of the III International Championship of the BELAZ Operators Club.

A record number of participants – 44 professionals from six countries: Russia, Kazakhstan, Iran, Uzbekistan, Armenia and Belarus – came to Zhodino to test their skills in a spectacular driving competition this year.

– This is the third time that we have gathered on our land of the best in the difficult, responsible and very important profession of BELAZ dump truck operator in order to determine the champion. Our competition truly has an international status, uniting us into one family. And I am absolutely sure that the geography of participation in the championship will continue to expand. Thank you for your loyalty to our brand and our equipment, – said BELAZ General Director Sergey Lesin at the opening ceremony of the competition and presented the participants with personal cards of members of the BELAZ Operators Club.

The professionals had to show off their skill in stunt driving behind the wheel of a 130-ton BELAZ-7513D, one of our most popular models among consumers.

On the first day, having passed a test on knowledge of the structure of a quarry dump truck and safety regulations, the operators drove the first stage of practical drives around the testing ground. Each participant sought to demonstrate their high driving skills in the arena of competition, and even the rain did not become an obstacle to them in this.

Well, all the most interesting things were saved for the festive Saturday, September 28 – Open Day at BELAZ. The clouds over the testing ground cleared, and the super-spectacular battle of the second stage, undoubtedly, became one of the most memorable events of the celebration of the current Machine Builder's Day for the guests of the enterprise.

The tasks for Saturday's races on the modified route were "overall corridor", "snake", "riding bumps" and "diagonal parking". The key factors in the fight for victory were the finest nuances of driving a car. In particular, in the endgame of their performance, it was important for the participants to burst a balloon with a special "spike" attached to a dump truck.

Evgeny Sidorov, a true ace of quarry roads with 17 years of experience from JSC Stroyservis, showed himself to be the best in skillful maneuvers on the 130-ton steel giant.

- I am very happy with the first place! The hardest thing for me was to cope with the excitement, and from the figures on the route I will note the side parking, which on the first day I did not obey at all. Today, perhaps, the stars aligned in such a way that I coped with it perfectly! I am grateful to the organizers for the high level of organization of the competition. The best of the best from six countries of the world gathered here, but I was a little better, - the champion noted, smiling, after the bright award ceremony.

The silver prize winner of the competition was Denis Pashentsev from the Kedrovsky coal mine (JSC UK Kuzbassrazrezugol). The bronze prize was awarded to Igor Isaev (Sibanthracite Mining LLC).

- I thank all the participants of the championship for their skill, for the emotions that you gave us during these two days. We always watch with warmth and awe not only how professionally you compete, but also how carefully and with what love you treat our equipment. And we understand that the efforts that are made every day here at the enterprise by our many thousands of team members are highly appreciated. This gives us strength to develop our product and make it even better, - said Alexey Grachev, Deputy General Director for Strategic Development and Corporate Management, at the award ceremony.

To the sounds of fanfares and applause from the audience, cups, diplomas, valuable prizes and gifts from BELAZ and the competition's partner companies found their owners. The only female operator, Anastasia Savina (Elga Group of Companies), who was a serious competitor to the men, was awarded in the "Brilliant driving" nomination.

The International Championship of Professional Skills at BELAZ turned out to be full of events: spectacular competitions, business meetings of partners, exchange of experience, an expert session on the practice of operating quarry equipment, excursions and new acquaintances.

Every year the BELAZ Operators Club expands its boundaries and grows in popularity, consistently demonstrating a high organizational and professional level of competitions.

Event partners: "Cooling Systems Plant" LLC, State-owned company «EPOTOS», «POZHTECHPROM» Ltd, «Ruselprom Electrical Machines» LLC, «Sibelektroprivod» LLC.