The 28th edition of the Race of Champions was held in Togliatti, with support from Rostec, keeping alive an approximately 30-year tradition of ice racing in the Samara region.
The event takes place at the AvtoVAZ test proving ground, where drivers have competed since 1996.
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The Race of Champions does not accept open entries. Only invited drivers take part, selected based on outstanding results in national and international competitions. Winners from various motorsport disciplines come together on the track, ranging from karting to drifting and single-seater categories, competing head-to-head on a synchronous layout.
The AvtoVAZ track is considered unique in the country. The three-dimensional circuit includes a jump and sections driven almost blind, requiring prior knowledge of the layout from the drivers. For the competition, a special layer of pure ice is prepared, frozen specifically for the event.
Competitors do not use their own cars. In this edition, all drivers raced specially prepared versions of the LADA Vesta Sport, equipped with a 1.8-liter engine and a five-speed sequential gearbox. In the final, however, the traditional highlights were new vehicles: two units of the Lada Iskra Sport, developed exclusively for the race.
One of the main expectations of the championship was the performance of Kirill Ladygin, the record holder with ten Race of Champions titles and a 16-time Russian champion. In this edition, however, Ladygin did not reach the final and finished with the bronze medal.
The final brought together Dmitry Bragin, a representative of the Togliatti motorsport school, and his student Yegor Sanin, from Ulyanovsk. The contest was closely fought, with cars running very close throughout the race, but Bragin prevailed in the final showdown and secured his fourth victory in the Race of Champions.
Source and images: Rostec, Telegram @rostecru. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
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