22
WORLD AND LIFE
TCR 2016
INTERVIEW
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DRIVERS T
Russia:
the field grows
from three to ten
For the second year TCR cars have a dedicated class inside the RAF Russian Circuit Racing
Series. In 2015, only Lukoil Racing took up the challenge, running three SEAT León cars
for Aleksey Dudukalo, Roman Golikov and Rustam Akiniyazov. The trio dominated in both
performance and reliability; Dudukalo, Golikov and Akiniyazov filled the three top positions
in the championship ahead of a bunch of Super 2000 and Super Production cars.
The promoter’s bet has paid off and for the new season no fewer than ten competitors are
entered in the TCR class, all at the wheel of SEAT cars. Lukoil Racing reinforced its winning
team with the addition of former European Touring Car champion Nikolay Karamishev to
Dudukalo and Golikov, while another ETCC champion, Dmitry Bragin, will race for TAIF Mo-
torsport that will also field three cars. Amongst the other participants are Irek Minna-
khmetov, former champion in the Russian Rallycross series and Rustam Minnikhanov, the
winner of Russian and European Autocross titles.
The RCRS will begin at the Smolensk Ring on May 15 and will then visit Nizhniy Nov-
gorod, Grozny, Sochi (with the TCR International Series), Moscow Raceway, Myachkovo
and Kazan.
The three SEAT cars of Lukoil Racing dominated
the Russian championship in 2015
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TCR Russiawebpage
http://www.raf-rcrs.ru