Georgy Chivchyan won the RDS GP stage in Nizhny Novgorod for a record 8th time

Three-time RDS GP champion takes first stage win in 2023 season

• Anton Kozlov advanced to the final for the second consecutive round

• Arkady Tsaregradtsev took the podium for the first time this season.

• Damir Idiyatulin and Evgeny Losev failed to break into the TOP 8

The second stage of the Grand Prix of the Russian Drift Series (RDS GP) in Nizhny Novgorod brought a lot of surprises – on the Nizhny Novgorod Ring track, young pilots were able to loudly declare themselves, and several favorites failed to show everything they are capable of. But enviable stability was demonstrated by Georgy Chivchyan, who arrived in Nizhny Novgorod as a seven-time winner of the Russian Drift Series on the NRing track and updated his own record at the end of the weekend.

The TAKAYAMA FORWARD AUTO leader’s rival in the TOP 16 was Dmitry Ermokhin (STAR ​​PЁR STARS AIMOL), whom Georgy Chivchyan met in the final last year. This time, too, there were OMT races, but according to their results, Gocha received a ticket to the next stage of pair races. In the TOP 8, the standings brought together the three-time RDS GP champion with the representative of AUTOPROFI TEAM Stepan Azarov, who took the upper hand in the intra-team derby with Ilya Fedorov. Azarov did not become a serious obstacle for Chivchyan on the way to the semifinals.

At the TOP 4 stage, Georgy Chivchyan had to fight with Charles Ng (STAR ​​PЁR STARS AIMOL). This duel required an OMT run, which saw Gocha reach the final. His rival in the battle for victory was the winner of the first stage of the RDS GP, Carville Racing rookie Anton Kozlov. On the way to the final, the debutant of the series first left Damir Idiyatulin (SINTEC • FRESH Marketplace) in the TOP 16, and then defeated Alexei Vakhtin (VSTeam).

In the semi-final, Anton Kozlov faced the reigning RDS GP champion Arkady Tsaregradtsev (“FailCrew x DarkSide”). They had a fantastic first race, but in the second, “Tsar” suddenly made a mistake for himself – a U-turn deprived him of the opportunity to compete for victory, but left a chance to get on the podium. Tsaregradtsev took full advantage of this opportunity – in the race for third place, Arkady got the better of Charles Ng (STAR ​​PЁR STARS AIMOL).

But in the final duel, RDS GP debutant Anton Kozlov could not cope with the pressure – either he did not fully adjust to the car on wheels from the spare car, or his nerves affected – and made a mistake, and Georgy Chivchyan scored a record eighth victory at the Nizhny Novgorod Ring . Kozlov took second place and retained his lead in the overall standings at the end of two stages of the RDS GP 2023.

However, the championship of Anton Kozlov was not particularly threatened. The pilot of TAKAYAMA FORWARD AUTO Roman Tivodar stopped the fight at the TOP 8 stage. Even in the TOP 16, the representatives of SINTEC • FRESH Marketplace dropped out of the fight. Moreover, if Damir Idiyatulin lost in OMT races, then Evgeny Losev became the author of one of the most ridiculous defeats in the history of the Russian Drift Series – the pilot did not have time to arrive at the start zone on time, which, according to the regulations, is punishable by a technical gathering.

And if the most experienced Siberian RDS GP pilots could not please their fans in Nizhny Novgorod, the debutants were pleasantly surprised. FailCrew x DarkSide recruits, the Popov twin brothers, who celebrated their birthday at the stage, showed incredible progress compared to the start of the season at Moscow Raceway. Ilya Popov fought against Charles Ng with dignity, but lost in the TOP 16, and Vladislav Popov first went through the “bye run” Evgeny Losev, and in the TOP 8 in the intra-team derby with Arkady Tsaregradtsev, although he did not surpass his mentor, he showed the potential for further growth .

RDSGP. “Nizhny Novgorod ring”. Personal account. Top 3:

1. Georgy Chivchyan (TAKAYAMA FORWARD AUTO)

2. Anton Kozlov (Carville Racing)

3. Arkady Tsaregradtsev (“FailCrew x DarkSide”)

RDSGP. “Nizhny Novgorod ring”. Team account. Top 3:

1. TAKAYAMA FORWARD AUTO

2. “FailCrew x DarkSide”

3 Carville Racing

On Sunday, the pilots of KAMAZ-master also demonstrated progress. The legendary Russian team made their RDS GP debut with their rally-raid trucks at the stage in Nizhny Novgorod. Eduard Nikolaev and Anton Shibalov, multiple winners of the Dakar and Silk Way rally marathons, arranged an unusual pair drift.

Despite the fact that the races were indicative, they were held in full accordance with the regulations of the Grand Prix of the Russian Drift Series. First, each of the pilots passed qualifying attempts, and then a full-fledged “hit” took place, in which Eduard Nikolaev and Anton Shibalov visited both as a leader and as a pursuer.

As a result, each of the riders chalked up one victory: on Saturday, Eduard Nikolaev won in the pair races of his KAMAZ-master teammates, and on Sunday, Anton Shibalov demonstrated the most impressive drift for the judges. The pilots of KAMAZ-master themselves, as well as the fans in the stands of the Nizhny Novgorod Ring and at the RDS TV screens, were delighted with the cargo drift.

RDSGP. Personal account. position after two stages. Top 3:

1. Anton Kozlov (Carville Racing) — 423 points

2. Georgy Chivchyan (TAKAYAMA FORWARD AUTO) – 391 points

3. Charles NG (STAR ​​PЁR STARS AIMOL) – 345 points

RDSGP. Team account. position after two stages. Top 3:

1. TAKAYAMA FORWARD AUTO – 638 points

2. Carville Racing – 559 points

3. STAR PЁR STARS AIMOL – 515 points

Teams and pilots of the Grand Prix of the Russian Drift Series 2023 will return to the track on July 1-2 – the third stage of the RDS GP will start in a month, which will be hosted by the Igora Drive track in St. Petersburg.

Source: RDS Media Center.