The Russian Drift Series begins in 2024 with a new tournament: on January 19 and 20, the first RDS Winter Drift Cup will take place on the territory of the Luzhniki Olympic complex in the center of Moscow. Athletes who have applied and passed the preliminary selection will be able to compete in controlled skidding with the stars of the RDS GP and RDS Europe championships, and thousands of spectators will support them in the stands and online.
Winter drifting is one of the most popular and accessible types of motorsport in Russia. These are safe competitions at low speeds, best suited for perfecting sports skills: the slippery surface makes it easy to skid, but requires maximum control over the car.
The RDS Winter Cup will take place over two days: official practice and single qualifying races will take place on January 19, and double elimination races from the Top 16 to the final on January 20.
The RDS team will be represented by a team of Russian drifting stars, including the only two-time FIA IDC Drift World Cup winner, four-time RDS GP champion (2017-2019, 2023) Georgy Chivchyan, runner-up to the champion of the FIA IDC World Cup and RDS GP (2022) Arkady Tsaregradtsev, Russian drift speed record holder Sergei Kabargin, winners of the RDS GP and RDS Europe stages Roman Tivodar, Timofey Dobrovolsky and other professional drivers.
Their opponents will be 16 riders who have applied to participate in the competition and have passed the organizer’s preliminary selection. Based on the qualifying results, eight of them will take part in pair races with the stars of the Russian Drift Series. Qualifying races will be held separately for RDS drivers and the second subgroup, and the Top-16 grid will be formed by pairs consisting of representatives from different subgroups. The winner of the pairs races will become the owner of the first ever RDS Winter Cup.
Participants of the competition will compete in classic cars of the VAZ, IZH and other families, prepared for drifting and meeting the mandatory technical requirements, including a safety cage. The tournament will use a “mono tire” designed to level the playing field for athletes.
Professional drivers of the Russian Drift series with many years of experience in judging and participating in competitions: Anton Novikov, Vladimir Safonov and Stanislav Dolgikh will work at the Luzhniki judging tower on January 19-20.
“The RDS Winter Cup is a new competition format for the Russian Drift Series. We are paving the way for a great drift for talented racers eager to prove themselves and compete with their idols – multiple winners of the RDS GP and RDS Europe. For professional RDS riders, it is also a new challenge: unknown opponents, different equipment, an interesting location in the very center of Moscow. In terms of entertainment and intensity of competition, winter drift competitions are in no way inferior to summer competitions, and pair drifting at national “classics” will add a special flavor. I’m sure we’ll have even worse storylines than in summer! — said Dmitry Dobrovolsky, head of the Russian Drift series.
RDS Winter Cup, Moscow, Luzhniki Olympic Complex:
January 19, 2024 (Friday):
9:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. – training
12:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. – qualifying races
January 20, 2024 (Saturday):
10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. – training
11:50 a.m. – 1:20 p.m. – Top 16 double races
1:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. – autograph session
2:10 p.m. – 3:40 p.m. – Top 8 pairs races, final
4:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. – prize giving
Source : MatchTV
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