The Kazan stage of the championship and the Russian Cup on the motor circuit, united in the G-Drive series of the SMP RSKG Touring, proved to be eventful. More than 3,000 spectators visited the KazanRing Canyon racetrack in two days. In seven races, they’ve seen it all: a flying supercar, a hot hatch, the triumph of the winners and the emotions of those whose luck has turned away. Between races, the Festival of Speed entertainment did not let you get bored – from professional racing simulators of SMP Racing Esports to a competition for the most unusual tuning car.
Oleg Petrikov, Head of Russian Motorsport Development Program SMP Racing:
“Kazan is one of the recognized capitals of domestic motorsport. Since the 90s, the leadership of the Republic of Tatarstan and its patrons have paid great attention to the development of running infrastructure and the creation of conditions for the achievement of athletes. It is especially pleasant that following the results of the races this weekend, I presented awards to several Tatarstan drivers at once, who performed well in different classes. And, of course, I am happy that it was at our stadium that the TAIF Motorsport team celebrated its 20th anniversary – my sincere congratulations and best wishes to the well-deserved team!
On Saturday, the performances of the drivers of the SMP GT4 Russia international category were recalled: three supercars were damaged in the two races. Daniil Ivanov was the first to cross the finish line each time, but in the second race he was punished for cutting the track – and he was robbed of victory. So, after reviewing the results on Saturday, the Toyota Supra driver was able to clinch bronze: Andrey Solukovtsev only lost to Rinat Salikhov and Anton Nemkin, who traditionally drive the Mercedes-AMG GT4.
But Sunday’s supercar race earned the Japanese coupe the highest accolade – for the first time since the start of the season! Sergey Titarenko, who made his debut in the SMP GT4 Russia class this year, got off to a brilliant start, fending off attacks from rivals and spending most of the time in leader status, extending his lead over Anton Nemkin and Denis Remenyako .
In another international ranking, the SMP TCR Russia, this season’s debutants clearly showed themselves. SMP Racing drivers Vladimir Atoev and Alexander Smolyar, who only recently got their hands on the Lukoil Racing team’s Hyundai cars, finished first and second on Saturday. And on Sunday they managed to break through from the back of the field – but the judges punished Smolyar for a fierce fight with Pavel Kalmanovich and dropped him from third to ninth place. The bronze therefore goes to Atoev.
In the same race, there was literally a brilliant and dangerous episode: a Honda Civic of the Super-production class broke. Yesterday’s silver medalist Roman Golikov not only lost out on a potential third place, but also had fans worried. It took him about half a minute to stop and get out of the burning car. After that he received proper medical attention – but it’s a blow to his championship ambitions. After all, the second race of the weekend was won by Mikhail Mityaev in a factory LADA Vesta, who was the class leader heading into the Kazan round. The second Sunday was Maxim Turiev on a similar model, the third – again Nikolai Vikhansky (Honda Civic).
In the Touring Light category, the two races of the stage were won by Egor Sanin. Moreover, if on Saturday he started from pole position, then on Sunday – from 10th place. Nevertheless, there were no competitors for its latest generation Audi A1. And the second place is again with the driver of a Skoda Fabia with a similar 1.5-liter turbo engine – only if the day before it went to Andrey Petukhov, then today – to Mikhail Simonov. Bronze this time was won by Stas Novikov, who also drives the current Audi A1.
The S1600 class race, like Saturday, pleased me with a tight fight. For the first time in his career, Kirill Zinoviev took victory in the Hyundai Solaris – an excellent continuation of Saturday’s initiative, when he became third. Artem Antonov moved up to second place this time and Vasily Korablev added a bronze medal to yesterday’s silver.
It was possible to follow the events of the stage on the television channels of the group – in addition, the races of the SMP GT4 Russia and SMP TCR Russia classes were broadcast live on the federal channel .
The next step in the G-Drive series of the SMP RSKG Touring will be even more eventful. On July 8 and 9, more than 100 drivers will gather on the Igora Drive circuit, competing in 7 classes of the Russian Championship and Cup, as well as the RAF Cup.
Source : MatchTV
I am Mary James, a passionate journalist and content creator who enjoys writing about the world of sports. I specialize in covering racing-related news for athletistic, one of the top websites dedicated to this topic. With my expertise in motorsports, I have been able to write compelling stories that captivate readers all over the world.
