In a far-far-north forest lies a by far white snow, and multicoloured heavy tractors drive on it...That is the preparation of the "Northern Forest" Baja 2009 in progress. The route chairman Igor Kan gives us more details on it (please note - the latest details as our call caught him right on the track).  

 I.Kan: We're got used to preparing tracks, but sometimes the weather makes us correct our plans. The main difficulty of this year was caused by the recent hurricane, which felled down a lot of trees. They've been sawn for a few weeks now to clear the way. For the moment there're still some places where a car can only squeeze, so we must make more room for driving. And of course we're clearing the tracks of snow, covering streams, so actually a lot of people are working on the route's preparation in forests.  

Is rectification of the hurricane's consequences the biggest problem you're facing now?

I.Kan: Well, no, because the main work on it has already been done. The biggest issue is the weather: it's either thaw or snowfall. The schedule of tractors' work is generally composed few days in advance. But if they appear at above-zero temperature, they begin to rut the surface and damage the roads. Hence, we have to follow weather forecasts in order to foresee the future. Otherwise it's all Ok.

At the same time we're testing the radio connection and GSM network coverage in the area, because the cars will be equipped with data recorders for tracking. While the most part of the route is situated far from inhabited places, there's no such a coverage. There're two ways of solving this problem - we can either mount additional GSM transmitters or increase the power of those transmitting facilities close to the area.  

You mentioned weeks of the route's preparations. And how much time does it take overall?

I.Kan: As usual, I give it up to three months. The works conclude a day before the race. Because, even if everything is ideally clean, a side wind from Ladoga (the route lies close to Lake Ladozhskoe) can bring dry snow from the nearby fields within a few hours. So, the route's preparation might be continued even between the Legs - it's up to the weather really.

 A long-term weather forecast, by the way, promises a thaw week before the race. Well, "the divine headquarters" have one month left to change their decision. But the Baja will be run anyway, no matter what the weather is.