April 13 and 14 at the Fortress Grozny circuit the fight for championship titles will begin.
The next season of the SMP RSKG series, which will be held under the patronage of the SMP Racing program for the eleventh time, starts in the capital of the Chechen Republic in mid-April. There are eight stages ahead, during which the best circuit pilots of the country will fight for the titles of champions and winners of the Russian Cups, as well as the RAF Cups — the Russian Automobile Federation. At the first stage, participants from five classes will gather, including two international ones.
The SMP GT4 Russia class is represented by powerful Mercedes-AMG GT4 supercars, which last year were successfully opposed by the Toyota Supra, BMW M4 and Porsche Cayman. We will find out whether they will have new competitors very soon, when the participants in the supercar championship come to the Fortress Grozny circuit to hold three spectacular races.
The SMP TCR Russia class can also please with new cars, identical to those compete in the FIA WTCR World Cup. In any case, the highlight of the two races in Grozny will be the battle of 350-horsepower LADA Vesta Sport sedans with competitors from famous brands.
They will be accompanied at the start by cars from the slightly less powerful Super-Production class, where LADA Vesta 1.6T sedans will also compete Japanese and German cars are competing.
Two races of the Touring-Lite and S1600 classes will be held in the format of a combined race. In the first, the Audi A1, Volkswagen Polo and Skoda Fabia will be joined by MINI hatchbacks — and this class promises to become one of the most popular in the new season. The S1600 class is represented by well-known models, from LADA Granta to Kia Rio — but it’s even more interesting to see what they are capable of in racing versions.
In total, spectators will see 7 spectacular races over the weekend. You will be able to watch what is happening on the track both from the stands of the Fortress Grozny circuit, and thanks to broadcasts on the TV channels of the Match TV group.
The new season of the Russian circuit racing series promises exciting intrigue. Ahead of us are 8 stages of the SMP RSKG Touring sprint race series, the first of which will take place in a month, as well as 5 stages of the SMP RSKG Endurance series of long races, each of which lasts from three to six hours. Some stages will be held on adjacent dates, but in any case we will have 13 racing weekends.
This is not the first time we are opening the season in the capital of Chechnya, at the Fortress Grozny circuit. This race track appeared less than ten years ago on the initiative of the Head of the Chechen Republic, Hero of Russia R. A. Kadyrov. But very quickly it became one of the points of attraction for all-Russian competitions. An interesting track, a comfortable atmosphere, professional staff — all this, together with favorable climatic conditions, allows you to start the circuit season in mid-spring.
And I am sure that on April 13-14, the first stage of the SMP RSKG Touring series will worthily open a new page in the history of the Russian circuit racing series.
Alexey BASOV, General Director of the Russian motorsport development program SMP Racing
In the new season, we will see a lot of beautiful competition, a confrontation between established and new pilots — and a number of technical innovations. As always, the first stage will be a difficult test for the participants: after the off-season it takes time to return to peak form.
But it is all the more interesting to follow the races that will open the way to new titles. On the part of the organizers, we will make every effort to ensure that the next season of the Russian Circuit Racing Series is enjoyed by both participants and spectators.
Vyacheslav NASONOV, Head of SMP RSKG
Vyacheslav NASONOV, Head of SMP RSKG
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