Anton Kozlov will start the weekend in St. Petersburg as the leader of the individual standings. Damir Idiyatulin and Evgeny Losev will try to reassert themselves. The third stage of the RDS GP 2023 will be home to three pilots and one team.
In the calendar of the Grand Prix of the Russian Drift Series (RDS GP), the Igora Drive autodrome occupies a special place: drift fans love it for the spectacular driving of pilots, and the championship participants themselves for the highest level of track coverage and high speeds.
Extensive asphalt safety zones make it possible to set speed records at the production — it was on Igor Drive in 2021 that Damir Idiyatulin sent his Altezza into a skid, accelerating to an insane 197 km/h. From the spectator stands of the autodrome, there is an excellent view of the entire configuration of the RDS GP track, along which, surrounded by puffs of smoke, race cars rush — from start to finish.
Will any of the pilots get the top 100 points in qualifying again? Will the «oldies» of the series give up under the onslaught of nimble debutants? For those who are not able to personally attend the circuit, the opportunity to watch the entire weekend in full format will be provided by RDS TV — live video broadcast on the platform will show both the qualification and the pair races: from the TOP 32 to the final battle for the victory.
Challenge for Season LeaderCarville Racing rookie Anton Kozlov, who triumphantly broke into the RDS GP this season, will try to repeat the success of the first two stages at the team's home circuit. But this will not be so easy to do.
For Anton Kozlov, Igora Drive will be a new circuit. Other series, if they spend their stages on the track near St. Petersburg, then not on the configuration of the main national championship RDS GP. Secondly, «Igora Drive» is very demanding on the power of the car, and in such conditions, Kozlov's BMW E30, which is already experiencing a shortage of horsepower compared to rival cars, will not be easy.
Nevertheless, it's too early to write off Anton Kozlov. The athlete is famous for his approach to strategy calculated in detail and unmistakable aerobatics, which means that the RDS GP rookie has every chance.
An opportunity to recoup for veterans of the series
RDS GP regulars, who at the start of the season were in the shadow of a talented debutant, at the stage in St. Petersburg will have the opportunity to declare themselves as real contenders for victory. In two stages, technical problems with cars were resolved, work within the teams was streamlined, which means it's time to return to the battle for the championship.
Georgy Chivchyan (TAKAYAMA FORWARD AUTO) after a significant victory in Nizhny Novgorod will start the weekend at Igor Drive as one of the favorites. Reigning RDS GP champion Arkady Tsaregradtsev (“FailCrew x DarkSide”) will have the opportunity to demonstrate the full potential of his most powerful drift car in the world (1365 hp), and the pilots of the “SINTEC • FRESH Marketplace” can still declare themselves as title contenders.
Damir Idiyatulin and Evgeniy Losev (SINTEC • FRESH Marketplace) had a frankly unsuccessful first two stages of the season, so in order to maintain a chance for the championship, both need to at least be among the leaders of the qualification and reach the final of the pair races. Naturally, the two strongest RDS GP pilots have chances for this — both athletes have already won qualifications at Igora Drive. And last year, Losev first drove 100 points in qualifying, and then took second place in pair races. So, if technical problems do not interfere, Evgeny will be among the favorites of the stage.
Petersburg pilots on the home track
The Igora Drive stage will be home for the Carville Racing team and one of its drivers, Nikolai Gorkovenko, as well as Anton Klyamko, who competes in the individual competition. Both athletes are from St. Petersburg, which means that they will be supported by close and numerous friends.
In addition, the return to the RDS GP of the legend of St. Petersburg drifting — Sergey Kabargin, who again represents the STAR PЁR team this year STARS AIMOL should finally take to the track behind the wheel of a Flanker F hypercar of its own design. Technical problems prevented ddKaba from performing in Nizhny Novgorod, but on the home track, I want to believe, he will declare himself in full force.
The judging panel of the RDS GP 2023
The composition of judges at the stages of RDS GP 2023 is constant. Maxim Akhtyamov, Anton Novikov and Vladimir Safonov work on the refereeing tower, they have vast experience in both refereeing and drifting. All three are active athletes, representatives of the WEGO DRIFT TEAM team of the RDS EUROPE championship.
Schedule of the 3rd stage of the RDS GP 2023 on the Igora Drive track:
July 1, Saturday
- 9:00-10:10 — training
- 10:30-14:00 — qualification
- 14:30-15:30 — official opening of the competition and autograph session
- 16:00-18:30 — pair races TOP 32
July 2 , Sunday
- 9:30-11:00 — TOP 16 training
- 11:30-12:30 — official opening of the competition and autograph session
- 13:00-14:30 — pair races TOP 16
- 16:00-18:00 — pair races TOP 8/TOP 4/final
- 18:30-19:00 — awards ceremony
It will be possible to follow events on the track both in the stands of the Igora Drive autodrome and live on the RDS TV platform: qualifying races can be watched for free after registration, and pair races — by subscription.
About Igora Drive
Igora Drive is the most modern racing track in Russia and a large-scale sports complex that combines a ring track, rallycross, motocross, karting tracks, emergency response training grounds and an off-road park and a car museum. Since its opening in 2020, Igora Drive has consistently hosted the Grand Prix of the Russian Drift Series. It was in St. Petersburg in 2020 that the young pilot Roman Tivodar won his first victory in the RDS GP, who has since gone from a debutant to one of the leaders of the country's main drift championship. In 2022, the Grand Prix of the Russian Drift Series was held on a track already reconstructed to meet the requirements of Formula 1.
RDS GP statistics on the Igora Drive track
2020
- Qualifier: Arkady Tsaregradtsev (97 points)
- Top 3 doubles: Roman Tivodar (winner), Dmitry Ermokhin, Kristaps Blushs
2021
- Qualifier: Damir Idiyatulin (96 points)
- Top 3 doubles: Jack Shanahan (winner), Evgeny Losev, James Dean
2022
- Qualification: Evgeny Losev (100 points)
- Top 3 Doubles heats: Georgy Chivchyan (winner), Evgeny Losev, Leonid Schneider
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