Russian Drift Series: the sixth stage will take the “reverse” configuration of Moscow Raceway

• At Moscow Raceway, RDS GP pilots will have to drive through a familiar section of the track in the opposite direction.
• In the championship, there are minimal gaps between the leaders of the individual and team standings before the sixth stage.
• Sergey Kabargin will show on Moscow Raceway with its new Hot-Rod Flying Brick car project.

MOSCOW, August 28, 2023

The fight for the championship in the Grand Prix of the Russian Drift Series (RDS GP) is escalating to the limit — there are only two stages left before the end of the 2023 season, and the gap in points between the leaders of the individual and team standings is minimal. Who will go to the finals as a favorite will determine the first autumn weekend: on September 2 and 3, the Moscow Raceway track will host the sixth stage of the country's main drift championship.

The autodrome near Volokolamsk is well known to RDS GP pilots and fans, but for the second year in a row the autumn stage at Moscow Raceway takes place in an unusual configuration for the participants. For the heats, the same scoring section is used as in the first stage of the season, but the athletes must overcome it in the opposite direction. This option was first tested in 2022, and the new track configuration was considered successful.

Despite the seeming, at first glance, simplicity and minor changes, the «reverse» version of the track poses a serious challenge to the athletes. The highlight of the estimated section is the profiled second turn with a variable radius, the passage of which along the «classic» direction of the track (counterclockwise) has already been perfected by the pilots. But the participants of the Grand Prix of the Russian Drift Series are only learning to drive in the opposite direction — not only the trajectory changes, but also the rhythm of the passage, which can only be adjusted during training.

Veterans and beginners are among the favorites

To the number The favorites of the upcoming stage can be safely attributed to the participants of the top 4 of the last season — the pilots, who managed to get into the semi-finals in the debut of the new configuration, should be strong this time as well. The experience gained and a serious “roll-in” into the new version of the track plays into their hands, since last year they spent more races on it than their rivals.

In 2022, Roman Tivodar (TAKAYAMA FORWARD AUTO) became the winner of the RDS GP stage at the «reverse» configuration of Moscow Raceway, accompanied by Arkady Tsaregradtsev (FailCrew x Darkseid) and Andrey Astapov (LUKOIL Racing Drift Team) on the podium. Grigory Gusev (LUKOIL Racing Drift Team) also made it to the semi-finals, so he can be considered a serious contender for victory. Especially considering how well the driver has driven his new BMW E92 this season.

High results can be expected from the debutants of the series. Anton Kozlov (Carville Racing) and Timofey Dobrovolsky (TAKAYAMA FORWARD AUTO) have already proved that they are able to pleasantly surprise on unfamiliar tracks. Kozlov won the first stage of the RDS GP at Moscow Raceway, while Dobrovolsky won his first qualifying victory at Igora Drive.

< p>It is obvious that the current leaders of the individual classification Charles NG (STAR ​​PЁR STARS AIMOL) and Georgy Chivchyan (TAKAYAMA FORWARD AUTO) will try to compete for places on the podium. Both pilots have tremendous experience, which allows them to quickly adapt to the conditions of different tracks. In addition, their confrontation is of a principled nature — whoever is higher at the end of the sixth stage will strengthen his leadership before the final.

What will SINTEC • Fresh Marketplace and TimeUp show

One of the intrigues of the upcoming weekend will be the performances of the SINTEC • Fresh Marketplace team. After an inexpressive start to the equator of the season, the pilots of the team rolled out so much that they became the authors of two victories in a row: Evgeny Losev won the stage at ADM Raceway, and Damir Idiyatulin won at the Red Ring. The team has obviously gained momentum and does not intend to slow it down, so if one of its pilots wins at Moscow Raceway, this will escalate the battle for the championship to the limit.

But for the TimeUp team, the stage in Moscow will be an opportunity to rehabilitate for failures in Krasnoyarsk. None of the trio managed to get past the TOP 16 on their home track, and for Leonid Schneider the weekend turned into an accident and the need to urgently restore the car. Nevertheless, one can expect bright performances from Schneider and his partner Maxim Grossman.

No less hope is associated with Danila Skorobogatov (TimeUp). At the Red Ring, he showed for the first time the long-awaited Toyota Supra A80, prepared by the team for the 2023 season, but the car's racing debut was postponed until Moscow Raceway. So the first ride of a new car and what a young Siberian can achieve behind the wheel of it will be one of the intrigues of the upcoming stage.

“Flying Brick” at Moscow Raceway

The STAR PЁR STARS AIMOL team will also be in the spotlight. In addition to the fact that Charles NG is the leader of the individual standings, Dmitry Ermokhin, with his performances in the 2023 season, has established himself among the potential contenders for the podium. And the legendary Sergey Kabargin, who drives his own Flanker F hypercar, will please the guests of the Russian Drift Series Grand Prix with another bright car.

In Moscow, Kabargin will show his new racing project Hot-Rod Flying Brick, which has not yet appeared at the RDS GP stages. You can see the exclusive Hot Rod at the location of the STARS PЁR STARS AIMOL team in the service park, and in addition, the Flying Brick will take part in the opening ceremony of the competition.

The judging panel of the RDS GP 2023

The composition of judges at the stages of the Grand Prix of the Russian Drift Series 2023 is permanent. Active athletes Maxim Akhtyamov, Anton Novikov and Vladimir Safonov work on the refereeing tower. All three have extensive refereeing experience, and in the 2023 season they will play for the WEGO DRIFT TEAM in the RDS EUROPE inter-regional series.

Schedule of the 6th stage of the RDS GP 2023 at the Moscow Raceway:

September 2, Saturday< /b>