Perhaps it is difficult to find another Soviet sport car, about which so many legends would go, so famous, but at the same time, the information that is in open sources is so different from one article to another, and so unlike the truth (take at least the words of one of the Italian authors who claims that a turbocharged six-cylinder VAZ engine with a volume of 2.5 liters was installed on Jacky X's Niva), which definitely says something about this legendary car very, very difficult. And what's more - in the domestic press, to be more precise - in the "Behind the Wheel" magazines of the 1980s, the raid Niva was mentioned only in the "Sports Reviewer" heading, indicating the rating in the race and the pilot ... there are no descriptions of cars! Most likely, because from the Lada Niva itself, these devices had only a body - and even then not all! Soviet censorship did not allow openly admitting that the VAZ engine with an index of 2121 is not viable under such conditions, and the French are equipping raid cars with engines produced in capitalist countries, what can you do? No, the process of writing each article from the Motorsport Legends series was more like an archaeological excavation, or rather, the work of a scout who extracts data from various sources, sometimes translating documents into English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Ukrainian or Estonian. But the search for a trace of the Dakar Niva was probably more like the search for Atlantis.
Jan-Jaque Poch
In 1977, the first own development of Togliatti Automobile Factory- all-wheel drive VAZ 2121, which received the proud name "Niva". In general, the development, indeed, was in many ways remarkable and unique. Suffice it to recall that in the late 1970s, the Niva was perhaps the only SUV in the world with load-bearing body! Others, for the most part, differed in a supporting or semi-supporting frame. In addition, the cost of Lada Niva (the export name of the car) was an order of magnitude lower than its competitors - the same Mitsubishi Pagero, Toyota Land Cruiser, Nissan Patrol, Opel Frontera and others like them, which made it possible to compete with manufacturers on both sides of the Atlantic and other, very tiny islands in the Pacific Ocean. Between the lines, you can see that even today the twenty-year-old Niva, not only in Egypt or Germany, but also in Canada and the USA, is by no means the most rare car.
In France, the official (and only) exporter of the Lad was Jean-Jacques Pok, who, oddly enough, was simply in love with Togliatti cars! It is not surprising that the French also liked the Niva. ". Much later, he told in one interview: "It was the first real SUV and also inexpensive and durable. Before him, there were only too heavy military vehicles." And he not only sold VAZ SUVs - by order plastic elements exterior - no! Apparently, according to the Canadian example, convertibles based on the Niva were produced, and the low-power power unit 2121 was changed to the Renault 21 Turbo Diesel engine (the modification with such an engine was called the Niva Turbo), and even to the V-shaped "six" PRV - a joint developed by Peugeot, Renault and Volvo. By the way, the Maurelec company, a little later, prepared one of the Dakar sports prototypes. But it was a little later, but for now it was 1980 in the yard ...
First in first!
In itself, the appearance of the first Dakarovskoye Niva is just a happy coincidence. Jean-Jacques Poch had long dreamed of entering one of the Zhiguli models in international competitions, but to participate in the B rally group, a homologation series of 200 cars was needed ... Poch would not have survived such a batch of prototypes economically! Le Mann? This thought was ridiculous even to the Frenchman himself. Suddenly... in 1978, the first rally-raid "Paris-Dakar" ("Paris-Algiers-Dakar", to be more precise) starts. And a year before this significant event, Lada Niva just appeared! That is, Pok received his first car almost simultaneously with the news of the start of the Dakar next year!
Work on the project, called "Niva Proto", began to boil almost immediately. It is clear that the team did not yet have the proper experience, but there was a great desire, at least - to participate in competitions, and there - what the hell is not joking, maybe win! The first Dakar Niva differed little from the serial one - the same 1.6-liter engine located in front, a safety cage, additional tanks and containers for drinking water ... that's, in principle, that's all!
On December 26, 1978, 80 car crews, 90 motorcyclists and 12 truck crews, including two Niva Protos, started from Trocadero Square in Paris! However, in that first race, Niva, it seemed, did not achieve much success - 28th and 42nd place. But it only seemed! Indeed, in that first Paris-Dakar race, only about a third of the participants reached the finish line, including both Niva! In addition, in that first race, there was no division into categories yet - all the results were in one heap! For the next season, 1980, the engine underwent a significant modernization, which made it possible to pull out 110 hp from it. The result was not long in coming - the crew of Andre Tros - Jacqui Turon has already taken 19th place!
In the 1981 season, Niva came out with a new engine - a 140-horsepower 1.8-liter Starkit specially prepared for the Dakar, assembled on the basis of a serial block, and a new name - Lada Poch 1800. The team of Jean-Claude Brivouin - Andre Delier, those who won the first stage, and were in the lead almost the entire race, almost fell out of the race at the end - they pierced the radiator, but, in the end, they took third place! André Trosa also moved up a few positions - he is already 11th. At other rally-raids (Paris-Tunisia and the Algerian rally), Jean-Claude Brivouin already confidently took first places! However, that small incident with a broken radiator showed the failure of the serial design for such competitions. began new era...
Prototype Era
Not only Jean-Jacques Pok understood that it was time to move away from the stock design. The 1982 race turned out to be a turning point in the history of the Dakar - for the first time, cars specially prepared for rally raids began to participate in the competition, only outwardly, and then remotely, reminiscent of serial counterparts. In particular, the Marre brothers took to the track in the previous season on a prototype based on Renault 20 - Renault 4x4 Turbo with all-wheel drive and a two-liter V6 turbo engine. However, the first pancake turned out to be lumpy - the prototype could not stand the tests of the desert and the race ended in a descent.
But already in the new season - the 1982 season, Claude and Bernard Marre took a successful revenge, taking first place. The rest of the top lines of the standings were crowned by the Mercedes-Benz 280 GE, however, with a small but very important exception - Jean-Claude Brivouin and Andre Delier took 2nd place in an almost serial Lada Poch 1800! In other competitions, Andre Trosa has already tested a new 147-horsepower Lada Niva Poch prototype with an engine capacity increased to 2 liters. The results were impressive: Atlas rally - 5th place, Pharaohs rally - 1st place!
In the same 1982, So far had a historical acquaintance with Marcel Moral, the owner of the Maurelec enterprise, who proposed to make friends with Soviet technology with French, and, more precisely, to install a V-shaped "six" PRV with a volume of 2.5 liters on the Niva, and an outstanding already all 180 hp, and not on regular place, as before, but in the base - behind the front seats! However, largely due to the rush in which the Niva SMM prototype was being prepared, the car turned out to be “raw”, and Jean-Claude Brivouin barely made it to the finish line at the Algiers Rally, taking only third place. Although, there was nothing to be especially upset about - Andre Trosa on Lada Poch 1800 took first place.
In 1983, another prototype appeared - Niva Pastis, with a turbocharged ROC engine, which already produced at a volume of 2440 cm3. 290 Horse power! For the first time in the history of Soviet, so to speak, motorsport at international competitions of such a level as the Pharaohs rally, all three Niva started, took the entire podium first, second and third! And on "Dakar" - again the third place!
Space technologies
By the mid-1980s, plastics were already in full use in the "combat" automotive industry. Recall, at least, the 1987 Lada EVA Statis Brundza, or the cars of the B rally group (Lancia Stratos, Audi Quattro S4) - the most spectacular car competition of those years. The spirit of the times has not bypassed either the Dakar, one of the most high-tech races, or, even more so, Jean-Jacques Poka. And in 1986, a new sports prototype appeared on the basis of the Soviet Niva, this time Lada Poch with a 310 hp ROC engine. It was distinguished by carbon doors, a hood and a trunk lid, which made it possible to reduce the weight of the car and take Pierre Lartigue first places in the Tunisian rally and the Languedoc-Roussillon raid, and fourth in the Dakar.
A year later, the entire body of the car, assembled on a tubular frame, was carbon fiber, but the team led by the legend of formula 1, the winner of the 1983 Dakar in the Mercedes team Jackie Ickx, took only 38th place in the Paris-Algiers-Dakar race . In less important competitions - Rally Pharaohs Lada Poch continued to stay in the top three, but the result - third place - was very far from the brilliant victory of five years ago. The era of the Niva, which has been on the assembly line for more than ten years, was coming to an end - the palm now belonged to sports prototypes built from scratch, which were related to production cars only by the manufacturer's nameplates on the radiator grille. However, Jean-Jacques Pok was not very discouraged about this - VAZ had already produced new car loved by the French smaller than Niva- Lada Samara.
In total, as far as is known, Pock produced eight sports prototypes, of which two have survived to this day. However, both are on "Lada France", and Jean-Jacques Pok flatly refuses to sell them. There are still persistent rumors that last car currently owned by the last driver of the Lada Poch... but the last one as far as we know was Jacky X! However, these are just rumors.
Not "Dakar" alone
Speaking about the Dakar Niva, it would be a terrible injustice not to mention the Niva, created to participate in other rally raids. After all, not one Pok was an avid tuner! So, for example, in the late 1980s, the first place in the Italian Speed Off-Road (Italian autocross championship) was won by a Niva with a 300 hp V-shaped eight-cylinder engine manufactured by Ferrari! Of particular interest is the transmission of the car - here each wheel is driven by a separate chain.
By the way, even today in Baja Spain one of the most popular cars- El Lada Niva 4x4, and in the 2003-2005 competition the Niva of the Velillo Garcia team, with a 2 liter engine developing up to 180 hp. shows itself very well, primarily due to its reliability and unpretentiousness.
Niva at home
And here is the most interesting. Historically, sports prototypes for serious international competitions for Soviet Union trained abroad. And in fact - Moskvich 2140SL Rally 2000 in 1976 was prepared by the British from Piper, and both generations of Dakar VAZs - Lada Niva T3 and Lada Samara T3 - were French. From completely domestic developments only the Dakarovsky KamAZ-Master and the Dakarovsky Lada Raid, shown at the VII Moscow International Motor Show, come to mind, which, it seems, has remained in the development stage.
But no! Back in 1990, AvtoVAZ launched its own off-road program, for which they formed their own team to participate in rally raids. Within the framework of the same program, the development of the domestic sports prototype LADA NIVA T3 began, which was planned to be exhibited at the 1991 Paris-Moscow-Beijing super marathon. And in fact - a mess! Races pass through Moscow - the capital, then still, the USSR, but at the same time, decent car to "flex muscles" in the country was not!
The marathon, due to the August coup of 1991, was never held, but, on the other hand, an SUV appeared on the VAZ, capable of accelerating to hundreds in 12 seconds! The body of the car, as a whole, remained unchanged, except for the reinforcements in the places where the engine, transmission and suspension are attached. Of course, according to the FIA safety requirements, the car is equipped with a tubular frame and a rubber tank with a porous filler. The engine is assembled on the basis of a standard block 21213, with a volume of 1860 cm3, developing a power of 135 hp. at 5600 rpm. Suspension - practically unchanged - independent at the front, dependent at the rear, only the beams are reinforced, and instead of one shock absorber for each wheel, a pair is used. Complete the picture disc brakes 304mm in diameter, both front and rear. Max speed LADA NIVA T3 is not too impressive today - 170 km/h, but for Soviet jeep in 1991, when the "eight" was hardly gaining 160 - a very good indicator.
The sports prototype received its baptism of fire in Hungary at the "Magyar MAVAD Raid-4" rally-raid, and the result was quite good - 1st, 3rd and 4th places! Then, in preparation for the same "Paris-Moscow-Beijing", NIVA T3 tests took place in the Karakum desert.
The super marathon "Paris-Moscow-Beijing", nevertheless, took place the next year, 1992, and Alexander Nikonenko and Sergey Talantsev already had 14th place in the Atlas rally. It seemed to predetermine the fate of the crew - Nikonenko took the same 14th place at the Paris-Moscow-Beijing rally. In 1995, already Alexander Lakeev and Anatoly Krivobokov were able to improve this result by taking 10th and 11th places in the Paris-Moscow-Beijing marathon. And a year before, the same pilots in Baja Hungary finished double, taking 1st and 2nd place. In the same, 1994 year LADA NIVA T3, completely assembled in Tolyatti, still left its tire mark in Dakar, taking 36th place in the Paris-Dakar-Paris rally.
Such is the history of the Dakarovskie Niv. If there weren’t these super-charged monsters, built at one time under the leadership of Jean-Jacques Poka, most likely, this car would not have been known on all six continents. Yes, yes, exactly six - after all, Niva - the only car who has been to Antarctica! It is sad that today AvtoVAZ's marathon program is in such a deplorable state, and Lada Raid will most likely remain a full-size model.
Kostin Konstantin Alexandrovich
zhurnal.lib.ru
The Soviet "Niva" (VAZ-2121, now LADA 4x4) became famous all over the world as the first off road vehicle. This model can go through almost any off-road. It is logical that the SUV has repeatedly taken part in various rally competitions, including the legendary Paris-Dakar rally. The AUTOSPORT.com.ru portal published an article on the participation of Niva in these competitions. Lada Club publishes this article in full.
How the Soviet "Niva" conquered the main rally marathon of the planet
There are ten days left before the start of the 40th anniversary Dakar. Now, foreign automakers are well-known in the off-road category, but once the Russian Niva was close to success in the legendary rally-raid. AUTOSPORT.com.ru tells the story of VAZ-2121 participation in the famous marathon...
Long before the debut of KAMAZ
The history of Russian motorsport at the Dakar does not begin at all with the 90s, when the debut of the legendary KAMAZ-Master team took place. The first domestic car went to the start of the very first marathon. It was an all-wheel drive SUV from the USSR - the Niva VAZ-2121 - rolled off the assembly line in April 1977. This happened, however, solely thanks to the French exporter Jean-Jacques Pock, who was simply crazy about the equipment from the factory in Togliatti. Twice he himself participated in the rally-raid on this car, but only as a navigator, and not at the Dakar, but at the Egyptian Rally of the Pharaohs in 1987 and 1988. The Niva was driven by no less than vice-champion of Formula 1 and winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Jacky Ickx.
“It was a real SUV: cheap and reliable, whereas before there were only heavy military vehicles,” Pok recalls.
The debut of "Niva" took place just a year and a half after the release. On December 26, 1978, five cars brought from Russia entered the start at the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Differences from the standard model with the exception of the mandatory roll cage and additional tank was not, even the factory 1.6-liter engine remained. Nevertheless, two of the five cars made it safely to the finish line on January 14, 1979. Jean-Louis Letendou was 28th overall, while Christian Duboscu was 32nd. Given that at that time there were no divisions into categories at the Dakar, the result was really impressive, because such cars as Peugeot, Renault were behind, and 2/3 of the participants were ahead on motorcycles.
Modernized "Niva"
By the mid-80s, virtually nothing remained of the serial Niva except for the external outlines. The Poka team, called Lada Poch, and then two other teams VSD and Pastis upgraded the suspension, the body was strengthened, expanded and lightened through the use of carbon fiber, and VAZ engine first modified, and then completely replaced. So, on the basis of the Soviet SUV, a real “Dakar” prototype was obtained.
It is especially interesting how the power of the power unit grew every year: 110, 150, 180, 240, 270 hp. Finally, in 1986, when the Niva was installed turbocharged engine R.O.C, the amount of horsepower has exceeded 300! On straight lines with such power, the car accelerated to 240 km / h.
Successes of "Niva" on racetracks
Several times Niva was close to success at the Paris-Dakar rally raid. Already in the third edition of the race in 1981 Russian car under the control of the Frenchman Jean-Claude Priavon, he was in the lead in the overall standings for most of the distance, but, unfortunately, a broken radiator at one of the last stages threw the crew into third place. A year later, the same Priavon finished second, losing only to compatriot Claude Maro in a Renault.
Andre Trossat brought another second place to Poka's team the following year. This podium was the last for Niva. As the reliability of the prototype, which has always been lame, was improved, it only got worse. In 1985, not one of the 18 starting Nivs reached the finish line at Pink Lake. Moreover, most came down due to problems with shock absorbers.
But on shorter and more difficult races modernized machine from Togliatti proved to be excellent. Rally Paris-Tunisia, Rally Algiers, Rally Pharaohs - all these exotic races were conquered by the Niva, and in Egypt in 1983 Pastis prototypes took all three first places on the podium. So there were no problems with speed and patency. Only reliability was not enough to conquer the main rally-raid of the planet ...
AvtoVAZ factory project implemented and frozen…
By the end of the 80s, the Niva era on the Dakar came to its logical conclusion. Though seriously modernized, but in ten years the VAZ-2121 model was outdated, and it was already impossible to compete with full-fledged prototypes. For the love of Jean-Jacques So far, this did not become an obstacle to cars from Tolyatti, and for the 1990 race, his Lada Poch prepared a prototype for participation ... "Lada Samara T3". Unlike the Niva, the French team could not even reach the podium with this car, and the sixth place at Dakar-1993 became the highest achievement, and the following year the French company left the competition, having sold the car to the VAZ factory team. However, the team sunk with long name Lada-Vaz-Togliatti-Russia was only enough for one marathon in 1994, when both Samaras retired. Two other crews from Togliatti performed on the Lada Niva T3.
Unlike its predecessor, which had been launching the Dakar for ten years, this prototype was completely assembled at the AvtoVAZ plant and was significantly inferior in performance. If the latest modification of Lada Poch was equipped with a 310 hp engine. and accelerated to 240 km / h, then the domestic conqueror of rally raids could boast only 135 hp. and maximum speed within 160 km/h.
This prototype had local successes, such as victories in rally raids in Hungary in 1991 and 1994, but at major international competitions, the Lada Niva T3 lacked competitiveness, which was confirmed by the only trip to the Dakar in 1994 -m. Alexander Lakeev finished on the distant 41st, and the crew of Anatoly Krivobokov retired.
Things were a little better at the Paris-Moscow-Beijing rally - an analogue of the current Silk Road - where in 1995 the Niva, under the control of the same Lakeev, took tenth place. But soon the FIA banned the category of T3 cars, and at this the VAZ program in international competitions ceased to exist.
In the mid-2000s, there were hopes for its revival, when Russian manufacturer announced the start of work on the Lada Raid car. The debut of the prototype was planned for Dakar-2008. As you know, the race did not take place, but even earlier, at the end of 2006, a promising project was “frozen” and remains in this state to this day ...
There are many interesting and glorious pages in the history of the VAZ-2121. For example, did you know that already at the end of the seventies, the Soviet all-wheel drive made its debut in the famous Paris-Dakar rally? No less surprising is the fact that Niva owes its success "in the big African adventure" to ... the French importer Lada Poch.
The owner of the company, Jacques Pock, represented Czechoslovak Skoda cars, as well as Soviet Muscovites and the Lada brand (since 1972). At the same time, he was a big fan of car racing and took part in them in the early fifties.
Pictured: Jacques Pock (left) at the start of the 1952 Le Mans
Obviously, the enterprising Frenchman shared the well-known saying "Win on Sunday - sell on Monday", since sports success not only contributed to the sales of cars of any brand, but could also "raise" the image of not the most prestigious cars produced in the countries of the socialist bloc. After all, to be honest, many Europeans preferred Soviet technology only because of its availability. However, participation (not to mention victory!) in some prestigious and well-known competition could stir up interest in Lada and Muscovites - which, in fact, happened to the “four hundred and twelfths” while participating in London-Sindey and London -Mexico City. No wonder that Monsieur Pok, who represented the French market soviet cars Muscovite since 1965, could extract from excellent result teams of "Autoexport" in long and difficult marathons a considerable commercial benefit.
When Niva appeared, many Western consumers looked at the Soviet brand Lada in a new way. Indeed, according to the set of consumer qualities, the VAZ-2121 with permanent all-wheel drive, "lowers" and blocking center differential not only ahead of his time, but also had no equal - at least in his price category. Staying almost car in terms of comfort, the Soviet car was comparable in terms of capabilities and potential to the good “rogues” of those years. At the same time, due to short base, a small curb weight and a successful weight distribution, even with a relatively weak "six" engine, the Niva showed great results when storming off-road.
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Thanks to permanent all-wheel drive and a durable chassis, Niva immediately gained fame as a real off-road conqueror.
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Thanks to permanent all-wheel drive and a durable chassis, Niva immediately gained fame as a real off-road conqueror.
It is not surprising that Jacques Pock, along with other Western European importers, immediately arranged the supply of Niva to France. And almost simultaneously with the European debut of the VAZ-2121 in 1978, the French motorcycle racer Thierry Sabin decided to hold a daring and unexpected competition - a rally that would start in Paris and finish in the capital of Senegal, the African city of Dakar. Thus, participants could test themselves and cars in the sands of Africa, famous for their cunning.
Thierry Sabin in front of the Niva shortly before his death (1986)
Motorized adventurers all over the world clearly liked the idea, because no less than 170 cars and motorcycles were announced at the start of the first Paris-Dakar rally! Moreover, five crews started on ... that's right, the Soviet VAZ-2121.
The most surprising thing is that all of them did not represent either the Soviet team or the French importer! That is, these participants simply purchased Niva privately, choosing the latest and almost unknown Soviet all-wheel drive as available car, where you can (and should) take part in a new rally-raid.
For this reason, the cars did not differ much from the usual serial Niva: a welded-in roll cage, a larger gas tank, additional protection bottoms and reinforced suspension. At the same time, the same standard 80-horsepower Zhiguli engine remained under the hood.
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Serial VAZ-2121. The first "Dakar" was attended by Niva, which differed little from the standard car
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Serial VAZ-2121. The first "Dakar" was attended by Niva, which differed little from the standard car
In this specification, along with the rest of the crews, the Nivas had to drive ten thousand (!) Kilometers, which consisted of special stages laid across the desert, unpaved "roads" and rough terrain. In fact, stock cars Soviet-made with a minimum of modifications had to pass in the same place and in the same way as seriously prepared "combat" vehicles.
In the first rally, everyone was riding on anything - for example, on a "semi-military" all-terrain vehicle Volkswagen Iltis
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The blue and red Niva performed better than the others - at least they got to Dakar
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The blue and red Niva performed better than the others - at least they got to Dakar
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The blue and red Niva performed better than the others - at least they got to Dakar
Of course, not all Niva arrived at the finish line - two out of five crews managed to get to the capital of Senegal, and one of them took 28th place in the overall standings, and the second - 42nd. However, in reality, the result was much higher, because the regulations of the first Paris-Algiers-Dakar rally did not provide for the division of participants into classes, so the final places were “shared by everyone”, including motorcycles and trucks.
At the same time, the conditions of the first race, to put it mildly, left much to be desired - the rally turned out to be not only difficult, but also could not boast of a high level of organization. Many crews experienced difficulties with ... water and food! What can we say about the technical support of cars, which had to act simultaneously as combat crews, and as a kind of "technical", having loaded everything necessary on board along the way, including provisions and spare parts.
As you can see, the Niva were loaded, as they say, to the eyeballs
Apparently, the test turned out to be too severe for the crew with start number 132, who took 28th place in the absolute: immediately after the finish, Pierre Minonzio and Jean-Louis Le Dento sold their Niva right in Senegal.
Both Niva at the finish line of the first Dakar
And the second Niva No. 107, finishing 42nd, returned home with the help of Jacques Pok, who paid for this “return transfer” in exchange for information from Christian Dubosque about how the Niva performed throughout the run.
In the photo: Crew Niva Christian Dubosque/Pierre-Emmanuel Frussa
Relatively successful debut of amateur athletes on Soviet cars in Dakar-79 prompted Poka the idea that it was necessary to put up his own crew for the next competition. Of course, the preparation of the car under the starting number No. 128 and the conditional name Niva Proto was carried out at a much higher level - in particular, the engine power was raised to 110 “horses” by various tricks, and professional racer Jean-Claude Briavuan was behind the wheel. In total, eight crews on Russian off-road vehicles took part in the second Dakar.
The results of the Pokovskaya Niva at the first stages of the Dakar-80 were very encouraging - the athletes showed best time, but… already in Algeria, they were forced to leave the track due to a breakdown. But the "private trader" Andre Tross was able to finish nineteenth.
Indeed, in comparison with other participants, it is quite affordable soviet all-terrain vehicle didn't look like a whipping boy thanks to all-wheel drive transmission and strong running gear. In addition, the Niva was quite light, thanks to which many difficult sections could overcome "move".
In 1981, Pok again put Niva on the race, increasing the engine size to 1.8 liters. This made it possible to squeeze an impressive 140 hp out of the Zhiguli engine. - that is, it has become almost twice as powerful as the standard one!
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| In the eighties, the magazine "Behind the Rulem", although sparingly, nevertheless reported on the rally successes of the Niva. And in 1981, an interview with Jean-Claude Briavuan was even published on its pages! |
Alas, this time the athletes were let down not by technology, but by the lack of sufficient experience in desert navigation. Not quite accurately interpreting the "legend", Briavuan lost a lot of time, and once stood in the middle of the stage with a "dry" tank. The final result was also affected by repeated punctures of the wheels, the replacement of which also led to the loss of precious time.
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Niva has become a familiar "element" of the Paris-Dakar rally
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Niva has become a familiar "element" of the Paris-Dakar rally
However, the French rider was able to catch up with the leading Rene Metge by range rover, but ... because of the leaky radiator of the Niva with the 157th starting number, instead of winning the Lada Poch S.A. managed to take only third place in the absolute. In any case, it was a success and an obvious achievement for both the French racers and the Soviet car.
It is not surprising that in 1982 two crews of the Poka team took part in the Dakar, and in total a record number of VAZ-2121s took part in this race - two dozen cars!
This time, the Marre brothers were able to win the Dakar. The components of their success are the 170-horsepower Renault 20 Turbo 4 × 4 and rich experience in African raids.
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In the photo: Renault 20 Turbo 4×4 Paris-Dakar
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In the photo: Renault 20 Turbo 4×4 Paris-Dakar
Well, the crew of the Poka team (Jean-Claude Briavouin/André Deliar) was satisfied with the second place in the overall standings - frankly speaking, a good result.
Lada Niva at the Paris-Dakar rally (1983)
By the 1983 season, Jacques and Jean-Jacques Pokey realized that the Soviet engine had exhausted itself and decided on a "heart transplant" - installing a 2.4-liter Simca engine. Initially, this engine was turbocharged (!), But for greater reliability, they decided to abandon this method of increasing power, because the Niva had to go not only quickly, but also for a long time.
The conversion was carried out by Maurelec, owned by Marcel Morel, who in 1981 himself took part in the Dakar on the Niva with a French engine.
As a result, the VAZ-2121 racing engine located in the base developed about 200 hp. But even this was not enough for Pokam: the French decided to lighten the car by installing fiberglass doors, a hood and a trunk lid. In addition, the car received more powerful brakes and modernized electrical equipment. Thus, the Niva exhibited at Dakar-83 differed markedly from the serial “source code” in terms of technology, and the rather free technical regulations allowed for such metamorphoses.
Three crews of the Lada Poch team took part in the race at once, which, in addition, received constant technical support from their own team throughout the race.
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Soka's team has repeatedly won other rallies - for example, "Paris-Tunisia-81". But the Dakar Niva did not submit ...
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Soka's team has repeatedly won other rallies - for example, "Paris-Tunisia-81". But the Dakar Niva did not submit ...
Rally "Niva"
A few years ago, fans of winter racing gathered every Saturday at the cross-country track near Kopeyskoye Highway. And so, before the start of the next competition, a shabby Niva rolled up to the track, from which an unpresentable peasant got out, in a padded jacket and felt boots.
To his questions, the racers answered with a laugh: “We have races here, uncle. Do you want to race? Pay 100 rubles. Whoever wins takes all the money."
The last phrase turned out to be fatal, because the “uncle” took off his jersey, unloaded various rubbish from the trunk of the Niva, and after ten races he took the prize money of 1,100 rubles. And he went to the collective farm for meat.
Professional
This true story I have already heard from one racer, offended by his uncle that evening. And now I happened to get acquainted with him and his Niva.
Alexander Utarov is a professional motorsport mechanic who started his career in 1984 at the stages of the USSR Rally Championship. Later, for many years he worked in one of the strongest rally teams in Chelyabinsk - STK Kamaz, led by Alexander Konstantinovich Novokreshenov.
“That's where I got my racing experience. During training races, he often drove through the special stage behind his racer, Vladimir Turov, on this Niva, stuffed with spare parts and tires. And he drove fast.
But the main thing is technical experience.
– At competitions, it is important to repair cars not only with high quality, but also quickly. Yes, gearbox replacement. rear axle VAZ-2105 took 15 minutes, the replacement of the VAZ-2108 gearbox took 17 minutes.
For 20 years, Niva has been working at competitions in the technical support group. And about three years ago, Alexander decided that it was time for her to take a sip of fame, and remade the Niva into rally car to participate in club races.
materiel
How fit is the standard Niva for rallying?
- She has weak sides, - says Alexander, - and, first of all, a non-rigid body. On bumps, the car creaks and groans, and you can even see how the windshield plays in the opening.
Nothing surprising. "Niva" is one of the first SUVs in the world with a monocoque body. To conquer slopes, a non-rigid body is sometimes useful, but handling does not suffer.
Alexander made a tubular frame, and although it is bolted to the body, and not welded, the character of the car has changed. The jelly body, having found a skeleton, allowed the suspension to work more efficiently, and the car got the sharpness of reactions necessary for sports.
Of course, the suspension itself has undergone a change. Homemade traction is installed at the back, the main difference of which is in high-quality silent blocks, which are much more rigid and hardy. Rear shock absorbers Bilstein are designed for a car with a larger mass, and therefore they made the suspension stiffer, moreover, they are installed not at an angle, but vertically. Ahead - two shock absorbers for each wheel. Alexander tried to put on one more rigid one, but the attachment points, not designed for such loads, “surrendered”. As a result, the car became more predictable when cornering and the "goat" effect characteristic of a short-wheelbase jeep has decreased.
Another drawback of the Niva - a high center of gravity - was exhausted by removing two coils of springs. Clearance decreased by 8 centimeters.
The steering wheel of the standard "Niva" is heavy and blunt, there is nothing to do with such a rally. The gearbox and hydraulic booster from the Mercedes-Benz 190 made it possible to reduce the number of revolutions from lock to lock from 4.5 to 3 with a significant reduction in steering effort.
And recently, the native engine “died”, and Alexander assembled a new one. A “high” cylinder block was purchased, lightweight crankshaft with 84mm stroke, lightweight connecting rods and forged pistons. The inlet and outlet channels in the cylinder head were expanded and ground, the 71st Ufa camshaft was installed, and the intake system from the VAZs of the tenth family. The compression ratio was increased to 12 units.
In the collection, this economy, with a working volume of 1.8 liters, is capable of spinning up to 8500 rpm, on which it develops about 140 hp.
As a sign of solidarity with the native engine, the gearbox breathed its last, and Alexander replaced it with a unit ... which is equipped with "three-liter" Mercedes-Benz E class.
“It is designed for significant torque,” Alexander explains, “and it has the right gear ratios. And although the mileage was half a million kilometers, the Merc units are tenacious. I hope she goes through as many more.
Full speed ahead!
Alexander is taxiing to the icy cross-country track of the ASC "Route 74".
In the very first protracted turn, the Niva falls into a bottomless skid, from which I forget where the north is, where the south is. Due to the snow wave that covered the car, it becomes dark in the cabin. Alexander turns on the wipers: in each turn, no less than a shovel of snow sticks to the glass.
It soon becomes obvious that the car cannot drive in an arc. Both axles have limited slip differentials, and the tires are non-studded. On smooth turns steering the car reacts ... frankly, it does not react to them. To fit in, Alexander sharply turns the steering wheel and gives full throttle. In other “studs”, the car is set almost backwards, but at the exit, its “nose” looks where it needs to.
Understeer is such that once, without having time to break the car into a skid, Alexander flies in a straight line into a snowy parapet. The blow is strong: the camera case, dangling in the trunk, flies under the dashboard, and an imprint of the angular “face” of the car was formed in the parapet. Are the rides finished? Not at all. Of the damage - only a license plate smeared around a narrow bumper.
“The tires are failing,” Alexander complains. - Now there are tires with dimension 205/70 R15, and they absolutely cannot stand ice. On studded narrow tires, it would steer better.
In the meantime, it resembles a kart: clumsy at the beginning of the turn, it easily sweeps its tail when you press the gas, goes into a frightening skid, but somewhere in the midst of the fight, it suddenly becomes submissive again, and allows you to return to the trajectory.
Alexander shows me his signature trick: he turns on the third gear, presses the gas to the floor and in this mode, with the wheels buzzing on the ice, he goes through the entire track. The Niva steers like a hovercraft: first it turns around the vertical axis, then it smoothly dampens the side slip, and only after that it starts reluctantly accelerating forward. After a couple of laps, the salon is filled with a nasty smell burnt clutch- it's here from the Chevrolet Niva, too frail for the new engine.
So far, Alexander and his Niva have a few 3rd and 4th places on the club rallies, but that is with an old engine. Let's see what happens to the car in the new year. But be that as it may, this device is not for speed, but for fun.
There are many interesting and glorious pages in the history of the VAZ-2121. For example, did you know that already at the end of the seventies, the Soviet all-wheel drive made its debut in the famous Paris-Dakar rally? No less surprising is the fact that Niva owes its success "in the big African adventure" to ... the French importer Lada Poch.
The owner of the company, Jacques Pock, represented Czechoslovak Skoda cars on the French market, as well as Soviet Muscovites and the Lada brand (since 1972). At the same time, he was a big fan of car racing and took part in them in the early fifties.
Pictured: Jacques Pock (left) at the start of the 1952 Le Mans
Obviously, the enterprising Frenchman shared the well-known saying “Win on Sunday - sell on Monday”, since sports success not only contributed to the sales of cars of any brand, but could also “raise” the image of not the most prestigious cars produced in the countries of the socialist camp. Indeed, to be honest, many Europeans preferred Soviet technology only because of its availability. However, participation (not to mention victory!) in some prestigious and well-known competition could stir up interest in Ladas and Muscovites - which, in fact, happened to the “four hundred and twelfths” while participating in the London-Sindey marathon rally and "London-Mexico City". It is no wonder that Monsieur Pock, who has been representing Soviet Moskvich cars on the French market since 1965, could derive considerable commercial benefit from the excellent result of the Autoexport team in long and difficult marathons.
In 1978, Soviet racers Stasis Brundza and Arvydas Girdauskas on the VAZ-21011 performed well at the Greek Acropolis Rally, finishing 10th in the overall standings. But success in a long rally marathon would prove the endurance of Togliatti vehicles even more convincingly.
When Niva appeared, many Western consumers took a look at soviet stamp Lada in a new way. After all, in terms of a set of consumer qualities, the VAZ-2121 with permanent all-wheel drive, "lowers" and a center differential lock was not only ahead of its time, but also had no equal - at least in its price category. Remaining almost a passenger car in terms of comfort, the Soviet car was comparable in terms of capabilities and potential to the good "rogues" of those years. At the same time, due to the short base, small curb weight and successful weight distribution, even with a relatively weak "six" engine, the Niva showed excellent results when assaulting off-road.
It is not surprising that Jacques Pock, along with other Western European importers, immediately arranged the supply of Niva to France. And almost simultaneously with the European debut of the VAZ-2121 in 1978, the French motorcycle racer Thierry Sabin decided to hold a daring and unexpected competition - a rally that would start in Paris and finish in the capital of Senegal, the African city of Dakar. Thus, participants could test themselves and cars in the sands of Africa, famous for their cunning.
Thierry Sabin in front of the Niva shortly before his death (1986)
Motorized adventurers all over the world clearly liked the idea, because no less than 170 cars and motorcycles were announced at the start of the first Paris-Dakar rally! Moreover, five crews started on ... that's right, the Soviet VAZ-2121.
Poster of the first Paris-Dakar rally
The most surprising thing is that all of them did not represent either the Soviet team or the French importer! That is, these participants simply purchased Niva privately, choosing the latest and almost unknown Soviet all-wheel drive vehicle as an affordable car that can (and should) take part in a new rally raid.
For this reason, the cars did not differ much from the usual serial Niva: a welded roll cage, a larger gas tank, additional underbody protection and reinforced suspensions. At the same time, the same standard 80-horsepower Zhiguli engine remained under the hood.
In this specification, along with the rest of the crews, the Nivas had to drive ten thousand (!) Kilometers, which consisted of special stages laid across the desert, unpaved "roads" and rough terrain. In fact, mass-produced Soviet-made cars with a minimum of modifications had to pass in the same place and in the same way as seriously prepared "combat" vehicles.
In the first rally, everyone was riding on anything - for example, on a "semi-military" all-terrain vehicle Volkswagen Iltis
Of course, not all Niva arrived at the finish line - two out of five crews managed to get to the capital of Senegal, and one of them took 28th place in the overall standings, and the second - 42nd. However, in reality, the result was much higher, because the regulations of the first Paris-Algiers-Dakar rally did not provide for the division of participants into classes, so the final places were “shared by everyone”, including motorcycles and trucks.
At the same time, the conditions of the first race, to put it mildly, left much to be desired - the rally turned out to be not only difficult, but also could not boast of a high level of organization. Many crews experienced difficulties with ... water and food! What can we say about the technical support of cars, which had to act simultaneously as combat crews, and as a kind of "technical", having loaded everything necessary on board along the way, including provisions and spare parts.
As you can see, the Niva were loaded, as they say, to the eyeballs
Apparently, the test turned out to be too severe for the crew with start number 132, who took 28th place in the absolute: immediately after the finish, Pierre Minonzio and Jean-Louis Le Dento sold their Niva right in Senegal.
Both Niva at the finish line of the first Dakar
And the second Niva No. 107, finishing 42nd, returned home with the help of Jacques Pok, who paid for this “return transfer” in exchange for information from Christian Dubosque about how the Niva performed throughout the run.
In the photo: Crew Niva Christian Dubosque/Pierre-Emmanuel Frussa
The relatively successful debut of amateur athletes on Soviet cars in Dakar-79 prompted So far the idea that it was necessary to put up his own crew for the next competition. Of course, the preparation of the car under the starting number No. 128 and the conditional name Niva Proto was carried out at a much higher level - in particular, the engine power was raised to 110 “horses” by various tricks, and professional racer Jean-Claude Briavuan was behind the wheel. In total, eight crews on Russian off-road vehicles took part in the second Dakar.
The results of the Pokovskaya Niva at the first stages of Dakar-80 were very encouraging - the athletes showed the best time, but ... already in Algeria they were forced to leave the track due to a breakdown. But the "private trader" Andre Tross was able to finish nineteenth.
Nevertheless, the short but brilliant performance of the riders of the So far team did not go unnoticed - now they seriously believed in Niva.
After the Dakar successes of the Niva, Lada Poch released a corresponding modification of the car. Anyone could "touch Dakar"
While the Lebranchu studio was remaking the Niva's body into a convertible, Lada Poch offered customers such a Niva "Plein Soleil"
After all, in comparison with the rest of the participants, a fairly affordable Soviet all-terrain vehicle did not look like a whipping boy at all thanks to the all-wheel drive transmission and a strong undercarriage. In addition, the Niva was quite light, thanks to which it could overcome many difficult sections on its own. In 1981, Pok again put the Niva into the race, increasing the engine size to 1.8 liters. This made it possible to squeeze an impressive 140 hp out of the Zhiguli engine. - that is, it has become almost twice as powerful as the standard one!
In the eighties, the magazine "Behind the Rulem", although sparingly, nevertheless reported on the rally successes of the Niva. And in 1981, an interview with Jean-Claude Briavuan was even published on its pages!
Alas, this time the athletes were let down not by technology, but by the lack of sufficient experience in desert navigation. Not quite accurately interpreting the "legend", Briavuan lost a lot of time, and once stood in the middle of the stage with a "dry" tank. The final result was also affected by repeated punctures of the wheels, the replacement of which also led to the loss of precious time.
Each Dakar is a severe test of both people and equipment. And not only while driving, but also during repairs
However, the French driver was able to catch up with the leading Rene Metge in a Range Rover, but ... due to a leaky Niva radiator with the 157th starting number, instead of winning the Lada Poch S.A. team. managed to take only third place in the absolute. In any case, it was a success and an obvious achievement for both the French racers and the Soviet car.
It is not surprising that in 1982 two crews of the Poka team took part in the Dakar, and in total a record number of VAZ-2121s took part in this race - two dozen cars!
This time, the Marre brothers were able to win the Dakar. The components of their success are a 170-horsepower Renault 20 Turbo 4×4 and rich experience in African raids.
Well, the crew of the Poka team (Jean-Claude Briavouin/André Deliar) was satisfied with the second place in the overall standings - frankly speaking, a good result.
By the 1983 season, Jacques and Jean-Jacques Pokey realized that the Soviet engine had exhausted itself and decided on a "heart transplant" - installing a 2.4-liter Simca engine. Initially, this engine was turbocharged (!), But for greater reliability, they decided to abandon this method of increasing power, because the Niva had to go not only quickly, but also for a long time.
The conversion was carried out by Maurelec, owned by Marcel Morel, who in 1981 himself took part in the Dakar on the Niva with a French engine.
As a result, the VAZ-2121 racing engine located in the base developed about 200 hp. But even this was not enough for Pokam: the French decided to lighten the car by installing fiberglass doors, a hood and a trunk lid. In addition, the car received more powerful brakes and upgraded electrical equipment. Thus, the Niva exhibited at Dakar-83 differed markedly from the serial “source code” in terms of technology, and the rather free technical regulations allowed for such metamorphoses.
Three crews of the Lada Poch team took part in the race at once, which, in addition, received constant technical support from their own team throughout the race.
Alas, the hopes for the first place were not justified again: due to electrical problems, the “female” crew of Martin De Cortenz / Anne-Marie De Belabre quickly left the race, and technical problems relegated Briavuan to 36th place. But Niva under the control of Andre Tross finished second, and this was not the fault of the pilot! Firstly, the short-wheelbase car was already at the limit of its capabilities, and, secondly, the rivals from the Mercedes-Benz team repaired their G-class in violation of the regulations, because of which they were subsequently to be disqualified. But representatives of Lada Poch did not file a protest, agreeing with the next Dakar "silver".
Not always the racers were able to fix the car on time. Therefore, not all Niva appeared at the finish line
Niva on the cover of the "Dakar" edition of 1984 - symbolic, but no longer relevant
Then, until 1988, the crews from Poka continued to start on the Niva along with other participants, but ... Despite the increase in the wheelbase, a serious modernization of the suspensions, the use of carbon fiber, the constant increase in the power of the engines of military vehicles and the taken indicator of 300 hp, get on The Dakar pedestal was never succeeded by the riders on Soviet off-road vehicles. By that time, both the Dakar technique and the potential of rivals had changed - after the tragic death of Thierry Sabin in 1986, this rally turned from a “semi-professional” into a world-class competition with an appropriate approach and budgets. Yes, the late Pokov prototypes were strikingly different from the first Niva Proto, possessing characteristics that the conquerors of the first Dakars did not even dream of, but in the mid-eighties this was no longer enough. And even a fairly modified Niva under the control of giants like Pierre Lartigue and Jacky Ickx, alas, could not resist on equal terms formidable monsters like the Porsche 959 or Peugeot 205 T16 ...
Of course, the sporting successes of the VAZ-2121 in the early eighties made it possible to revive the interest of French motorists in both the Soviet SUV and other VAZ models, which the enterprising Pok took advantage of, selling in best periods about 24,000 frets annually! However, due to the circumstances mentioned above, the drivers of the Lada Poch team never managed to take the first place in the Dakar. Perhaps there was a certain irony of fate in this - after all, at the same time, the French won more than once in other competitions on the same Niva.
