How different each of the days of the fourth stage turned out to be! A very hot Friday with temperatures reaching 38 degrees during practice, rainy qualifying on Saturday, warm and sunny weather with a cool wind on Sunday. The perfect day for some fun drifting!
NXT Standings
The qualifying round of the NXT class took place in extremely difficult conditions. First it rained, then the track began to dry in places, but it still remained slippery. Four pilots managed to overcome the qualifying round: Taras Shatov, Valery Nikulin, Ivan Sedykh and Timofey Nikiforov. They were the ones who had to determine the best driver of the 4th stage of RDS Europe 2024 in the NXT class. Before the start of the TOP-4 races, Timofey Nikiforov announced a technical retirement. Thus, the remaining pilots only had to distribute places on the podium. Timofey's rival Valery Nikulin received the advantage, automatically getting into the final.
Ivan Sedykh and Taras Shatov met in the first semi-final. Taras' confident and calm driving style helped him reach the final, where Valery Nikulin was already waiting for him.
The NXT final started with contact on the stage between the athletes! Nikulin's car was damaged, but was quickly brought back to normal. As a result of the hit, Taras Shatov became the winner of the 4th stage of RDS Europe! This victory was the second in a row for the pilot this season.
NXT Individual Championship
PRO Test
The PRO competition started from the TOP-24 stage, which Valery Bogocharov, Arthur Zeleny, Leonid Schneider, Evgeny Shmakov, Sergey Alachev, Dmitry Putilin, Fedor Vorobyov and Ilya Polishchuk managed to overcome. Separately, we note the entry into the TOP-16 of Arthur Zeleny, who in Nizhny Novgorod competed in the Russian hyper-driving car Flanker F.
From the TOP-16 stage, the “eight” of the best Saturday qualifications entered the battle, so the fight began to heat up. The races became even more synchronized and breathtaking. Ivan Palmin, Grigory Gusev, Leonid Schneider, Evgeny Shmakov, Ilya Polishchuk, Timofey Dobrovolsky and Fedor Vorobyov moved further in the standings.
The TOP-8 grid started with the championship leaders Palmin and Gusev. Two great runs failed to reveal a winner, and the judges declared OMT! However, there was no additional hit. Just before the start, Ivan Palmin's wheel came off the rim, which resulted in the brake hoses being torn. It was not possible to repair the car in the allotted five minutes. Grigory Gusev advanced to the next stage, and he was joined by Leonid Shnaider, Kirill Matskevich and Timofey Dobrovolsky.
The semi-final began with the arrival of two participants of the junior series, who have been making their mark in the RDS Grand Prix for several seasons now – Gusev versus Schneider. Once again, technical problems prevented us from seeing a bright confrontation. At the very beginning of the first race, Schneider's Silvia S15 experienced technical difficulties that the mechanics were able to overcome. Based on the results of the second run, the judges gave preference to Gusev, who became the first finalist. His opponent in the battle for the gold medal was Kirill Matskevich.
Timofey Dobrovolsky and Leonid Schneider competed for third place in the PRO qualifying group. The riders' ride was a sight to behold! Everything we like: smoky, dense and aggressive. The judging staff was more impressed by the performance of Timofey Dobrovolsky, who won the bronze medal of the 4th stage of RDS Europe 2024!
The final of the PRO competition was incredibly intense! The pilots fought door to door throughout the hit. Gusev made several mistakes as a pursuer, and Matskevich demonstrated the closest possible drift in the return race! Verdict — OMT! The additional hit was no less exciting. The referee staff took a long time to make a decision, because the athletes were worthy of each other and showed an equal fight. The decision to conduct OMT was made once again!
And for the third time the pilots drove as if glued to each other. The decision this time was difficult, but necessary — the series regulations do not allow more restarts. TimeUp team pilot Kirill Matskevich was declared the winner! This triumph was the first in the career of the Belarusian racer!
Personal competition PRO
Team standings PRO
Thanks to everyone who watched the broadcast throughout the entire stage, worried in the stands and followed the updates on social networks Russian Drift Series GP!
The 5th stage of RDS Europe 2024 will take place on July 27-28 in St. Petersburg as part of the Garage Fest.