New track configuration presented at Igora Drive

At the circuit of Igora Drive, located 50 km from St. Petersburg, the official opening of a new track configuration, suitable for competitions at the highest level, took place.

The presentation was attended by representatives of the RAF and the Russian Motorsport Federation, famous racers Vladimir Vasiliev and Irina Sidorkova, as well as Alexei Titov, general manager of ANO Rosgonki.

The modernization of the circuit began in August 2021 and was carried out according to the project of Hermann Tilke, the designer of the original version of the circuit, with the involvement of the FIA, FIM and the management of the most important racing series in the world.

A new coupling has been added to the main configuration and now the total length of the ring is 5183 m (previously it was 4086 m). The terrain of the route has become more complex and interesting – the height difference is up to 20.5 meters and the descent between turns 15 and 16 reaches 12.5%.

Calculations show that the Formula 1 cars of 2022 could accelerate to 325 km/h on this track and that the lap time would be approximately 1 minute. 22 seconds.

The stands will accommodate up to 65,000 spectators and while not everything has been completed yet, all the necessary project documentation has already been developed. As practice shows, 30-35 thousand seats are enough for holding national competitions, and Igora Drive can already accept so many fans.

Particular attention was paid to the safety of the riders: the departure areas were enlarged and the most modern technologies were introduced. In this regard, the new configuration meets all the requirements of the leading Russian and international federations.

Andrea Benozzi, track director, deputy general manager of the motoring dream Igora Drive: “To obtain both Grade A, the highest level of FIA homologation and FIM, the motorcycle federation, it was necessary to carry out additional work. And now we have a circuit where both Formula 1 and MotoGP races can be held, and in general all national and international competitions.

If we compare this circuit with others, there are not so many circuits in the world – personally I counted no more than fifteen – that can be compared in terms of characteristics to Igora Drive, where you can hold competitions in both car and motorsport.

The new configuration is the result of an upgrade to the track designed by Hermann Tilke, which was already quite good. We have not only expanded the track, but also extended it. We can say that the modernization was based on three pillars: of course we wanted to increase the entertainment of the races so that the fans could feel it, but the track also had to be interesting for the drivers.

There is a noticeable difference in height, descending and ascending alternate and there are good overtaking opportunities. By the way, when we talk about overtaking, we have worked very closely with Formula 1 on this point. It was important to offer trajectories that facilitate overtaking and create the conditions for an interesting fight.

Second, it was very important to bring the security level to the highest standards. And also it was necessary to improve logistics, ie the movement schedule of spectators on the territory of the complex.

Already from next weekend different types of racing activities will start on our track, this will continue until September and in 2023 we will load the track to the maximum and for the whole season. Therefore, we will not be able to fully assess whether we have done well or not until next year. And in 2022, the main event for our Garage Fest will be held on August 6-7.”

Alexey TitovCEO of ANO Rosgonki: “The Igora Drive complex has a unique functionality, a unique set of possibilities, and we, the organizers of the competition, are simply intoxicated by these opportunities – they are endless.

That is why we are fully focused on the development of Igora Drive and this year we will be holding Garage Fest – this is our attempt to showcase the various possibilities of the complex.”

Irina Sidorkovaa Russian racer who participated in the W Series International Women’s Championship and now returns to the RCRS series: “I have not yet managed to drive a combat race car here, but in September the RCRS stage will be on this track and I’m sure I’ll have even more emotions then.

It seems that the previous version and this configuration are two different tracks. Especially the last, third sector is impressive: I was even a bit confused, because the first time I just didn’t understand where to go, how to go through these corners? It’s really very complex, and what I don’t understand is what I like.

And I can’t help but note the 16th turn – the left one with a steep descent. The 15th and 16th turns are a very interesting sequence, and not even in terms of overtaking, but because of the fact that there is a very high chance of mistakes. If you put pressure on your opponent during the race, he will usually make a mistake sooner or later. In general, the third sector is very difficult, there are interesting and unusual turns and the chance of mistakes increases there.

This is all very cool, and thanks for all the work you’ve done. You are great guys!”

Already this season, the new circuit will host the stages of the leading Russian championships – the RCRS, the RDS drift series, the Russian Endurance Challenge (REC), as well as national road racing competitions.

The REC race is included in the program of the main event of the summer of racing – Garage Fest, a festival of speed, drive and music. Also on these days, the Autoculture Automobile Exhibition will be held at other locations of Igora Drive, and the guests of the autodrome will be able to try themselves in different disciplines of car and motorsport – from karting to motocross.