Вся галерея мероприятияWe love motorsports for those positive emotions that it gives us. Speed, adrenaline, the beauty of what is happening on the road — for all this we are ready to get up on weekends or before dawn, and sometimes go to bed closer to the morning, when passions subside in the long races.
Endurance is a separate happiness for the fans. You're going on the road and thorough understanding, ready to spend for the supervision of competition is not 30 minutes or an hour and four hours, sometimes six, but especially when you're lucky — and then the day.
Long race has long been included in the foreign culture, the envy of those countries who are deprived of this pleasure. We struggled to relocate six-hour Endurance World Championship (WEC), or want to take a look at the three-hour Blancpain Series race. What can we say about such happiness as Le Mans or in the 24 Hours Nürburgring, because the dream of a daily marathon in Spa — or at least willing to accept even a long race in Dubai.
The fact is not widely known to the public: but in the past, and Russia has the experience of many hours of competition. For example, in 2002–2003 in Moscow and St. Petersburg were 4 and 6 hours brand trophy Polo Cup, which involved our stars, including Alex Dudukalo, Alexander Lvov, Mikhail Ukhov, Victor Shaitar Boris Shulmeystera, Oleg Kesselman Oleg Petrikov and even Vitaly Petrov.
There were 500 kilometers of the Honda-Challenge on the Neva ring, which lasted 4.5 hours. In those same years, was carried out and Moto Endurance in Kazan, but already this season, held the first six-hour classic motorcycling with the start of a la Le Mans under the TRD championship on the last weekend of August.
Last year, for the first time after a long break ASPAS sports agency decided to «trial balloon»: a test version of the 4-hour race at Moscow Raceway was held, which was called «Russian Endurance Challenge» — or abbreviated REC.
The strength of the REC became free classes scheme participants. This means that no restrictions are no classes, and they may be formed in a free manner, that is — on request. Last year, a trial event 15 participating cars were distributed by 12 classes. So what? The Endurance prevail yet slightly different principles than in sprint races, the more that offset «absolute» has not been canceled. This year it was 8 classes and 26 participants, and 23 of them qualified for the race.
4-hour REC has been declared as a support event format transferred in the summer «Race Stars» Behind the wheel ", but I will tell you honestly: it still grandmother two told who gets supported.
Generally Saturday format, code-named «one fell swoop» was coined very wisely. The combination of these two events was quite beneficial for everyone, but, of course, Endurance bought more. Additional advertising, respectively, additional viewers detained after the Race of Stars, the participants who have been easier to stay in the second race, rather than spend another weekend, the same applies to journalists, as well as certain benefits when renting a race track well and other small items.
Uncomfortable it was only, perhaps, the absence of at least some break between the two events, when it is not yet time to end the press conference Stars Racing, both on the starting grid have begun to leave cars participants Endurance.
But it would be desirable to worship at the feet of the organizers of the REC for having dared to go into the night, which gave the event a special flair, for at Moscow Raceway, as far as I know, the night events has never had. The dark part of the competition was a beautiful, unusual and imbued with some additional sense of beauty and danger, like all night racing. Well, the sound of the engines in the quiet night air always especially booming.
Pleased as machine at the start — two prototypes: Fenix and Ligier (Ligier, however, came on the engine before the start of the race), two Radical UMMC, the Porsche 911 GT3, Cayman GT4, Audi R8, BMW M3, several «cup» Mazda MX5, Renault Megan RS3, Subaru WRX STI and something else on the little things. Separately want to say about the Lamborghini Gallardo GT3 LP 560, and not so much because the car itself, but because of the people that were in it as pilots.
It was the most unusual and very interesting crew of all that I have met for the last time. «Motorsport Promotion» The team combined the owner of the route Moscow Raceway Rustem Teregulova architect racetracks, including MRW, Hermann Tilke and his son, it is a professional pilot, I often met in various competitions like 24 Hours Nürburgring, Carsten Tilke.
From this we gradually move on to another point, which I personally liked. Already at this time on the start of the race when several international crews, and the participation of foreign pilots created a clear sense of increasing degrees and status. Firstly, the level of these pilots was quite high, and secondly, psychologically it made «catch up» and not to relax. Especially, of course, he made the sweat of his rivals was the crew at Lamborghini at number 7, so as a qualified first, they immediately declared the claim of victory.
That «Teregulov-Tilke Tilke,» and became the main incentive «gather» for the main Russian professional crew at number 2 teams Russian Racing Group on Radical SR-3, which were Vitaly Larionov and Yefim Gantmakher. According to Vitaly, the race was intense, and it was impossible to relax for a second. Especially difficult to have at night because experience driving on the Moscow Raceway at night, no one was not.
I would also like to note the statement by the full members Series Mazda MX5 Cup, which was put up for the race five cars. In general, the project is worth it to watch him. Alexander and Sergey Borisov Andreadi conceived the series two years ago, bought and began to prepare for her car, as a result of Mazda's got quite an original hard-top silhouette and unforgettable hunchback, and the guys have already conducted several multi-format races. In the REC, they have collected a very motley team, the main thrust of which — like all the other participants — was druzhnosti and passion for motorsport. It is interesting that one of the machines pilot performed even Alexey Dudukalo and his crew finished second in the standings MH5 class.
The first place in the class went to just the crew of Alexander Andreadi / Dmitry Ryzhakov / Anton Shatrov and Sasha himself shared in social networks is very colorful story about how he raced to victory in the night in the car of his own ideas, but alas with pulled out after the previous session and damaged gear wheel, the friction of the arch.
In general, it is a pleasure to read reviews of pilots after the race on the first (for the majority) experience of participation in the domestic Endurance, so even with the night section.
UMMC pilot Anatoly Evdokimov also shared their unforgettable impressions: «It was great !!!!!! The head pass frames are not life, but the film, after all fly on canvas MPB driving SR3 at sunset, and then in the dark — a special experience for the most conservative estimate. Respect Leon and Ilya Kashin for the right strategy, thanks to them, we finished the whole, unscathed and climbed the podium hell! »
Himself the absolute winner in the young pilot Vitaly Larionov, taking part in a series of Russian racing circuit, about his victory with Yefim Gantmakher said briefly and clearly: «The Germans in Russia were not supposed to win!»
And I want to say about Nicholas Karamysheva that on Saturday September 3rd two victories in a row, and both on the same car Volkswagen Polo National class prepared Andrey Sevastyanov and B-Tuning team. The first victory was won on their «Race Stars» Behind the wheel ", and the second in the Russian Endurance Challenge. The Nicholas-I, frankly, did not doubt Nikolay we hoo, but the technique often fails. Often, but not at this time. Broken and battered from all sides after the Stars Racing Car endure and survived, but still came in first place in its class. Together with Nicholas Karamyshevo in one carriage drove Andrey Sevastyanov Anton Zakharov and Kuznetsov, Gleb.
In general, the starting list of participants and the machine is extremely difficult to stop. It was attended by the machine and Moscow Classic Grand Prix, the final stage will take place at the same Moscow Raceway on 2 October. There was the same and the Russian Phoenix prototype, designers and engineers who at one time was Igor Ermilin. Phoenix, by the way, during the REC fully lived up to its name: the crew several times came close to a gathering for technical reasons, and each time the car returned to the track. Less fortunate fate prototype Ligier JS51, that is, the departure of the qualifying races, descended on the motor.
I also can not help but mention the only girl who participated in the Challenge. Love Andreeva together with three men in a sports prototype 527 / shortcut placed third in CN2.0 class.
Surprisingly, after spending more than four hours on the road, and then a few days on the Internet, I have not heard a single negative comment about the last race. Moreover, the participants are so imbued occurred that immediately after the awards were talking for a second of a similar competition this year. If all goes well, and besides, there are all the prerequisites, the race may be held in mid-October in Sochi. What it is called: to be announced. Well, next season the organizers are planning to hold several stages.
Anastasia Bendikova as organizer REC in ASPAS face with Igor Ermilin, summed up the day of the race:
— We are very pleased with how everything went, we got a real treat. 3 September we were visited by a lot of people from different periods of motorsport. All mentioned how nice to meet all together in a single event. For all the time we have not received any negative feedback, only wishes to increase the number of stages as a whole. The combination with the REC Race Stars proved to be successful and varied. According to the commercial director of Moscow Raceway Baziler Anna, it was the largest Russian event at the circuit for the time of its existence.
Of course, we would like to increase the number of participants, but this is the ideal. During the entire day of racing we have participated in more than 100 pilots, of whom 77 were traveling in carriages REC. People need to understand that everything seriously, prepare the machine in advance.
Of course, we already have exciting new ideas about the Russian Endurance, but the sports part, we remain conservative, save format is a 4-hour race, as the longer format is still too early to pass. I can say one thing: we will do everything that the participants were interested to have to go (and not only in Moscow).
Separately, I want to say thanks to the team Dragtimes, that we are very serious help with the organization as a movie, as well as in technical matters, as well as with the performance of Promod, which led to the track more spectators, including from the fans and participants Unlim 500 and the Championship of Russia drag racing. This is a very professional team, friendly and open.
