May 19, drift season in Ukraine was opened with the First round of the Ukrainian Drift Championship 2013 which took place at the Chayka Ring in Kyiv! And year by year organization of the Championship continues to improve!
This year the race has lasted for three days! So let’s do things in order…
Thursday, May 16, Technical day. This day each racer had to register, make his car available for technical inspection and receive a kit of compulsory championship decals.
Marchenko Racing Team came first. After having registered their racer Vladimir Marchenko to participate in the Championship, the car – Nissan 240SX – equipped with LS3 engine was presented for inspection. We’d like to mark out professional integrity and attendance of Aleksandr Laguta, UDF technical commissioner. His mastery and excellent knowledge of racing car equipment and racing kits is doubtless while his specificity and inflexibility cannot but inspire respect. And as far as a race car of Marchenko Racing Team was designed according to all technical specifications of the Championship Regulation, the car as well as Vladimirs racing kit undergone inspection without remarks. In parallel with inspection the car was decorated with Championship decals and received the mark of conformity to technical specifications. After this the team proceeded to take place at service park.
Friday, May 17 мая, Training day. Organizers designated the whole Friday for training of participants. Race track at the Chayka Ring is quite complex and peculiar that is why racers won’t waste any chance to practice on it.
After a short briefing, everyone wishing to train was let to the track. The training day had gone unremarkably, Vladimir slowly steered around the track, gradually training and improving new cornering techniques.
Saturday, May 18, Qualification day. Everything started traditionally with briefing during which Maxim Miller, the President of Drift Federation and Member of FAU Drift Committee, greeted all registered racers, gave guidelines for passing the track and wished good luck in the opened season! After that racers proceeded to training.
Exactly in line with timing qualification runs were announced opened. Marchenko Racing car was the first to take the starting line. Qualification implied three runs, each being scoring, and result being the best try. Vladimir Machenko passed all three runs successfully and went to the closed park to wait for results. It is worth mentioning that Aleksandr Grinchuk, who was on the edge of withdrawal as a result of power steering breakdown, but in the nick of time decided to drive without HPS and showed incredible track pass, having come in third in qualification runs. Vladimir Marchenko came straight after him gaining 4th place and 17 scores.
The day finished with briefing where results of qualification runs and pairs run schedule were announced. In top 16 Nikita Lukianov, the youngest racer of the Championship, became our opponent.
Race!!!
From the very early morning racers had an opportunity to train in pairs runs, while tiers were gradually filled with Ukrainian drift fans. Besides, the first round of the Championship attracted attention of Viktor Viktorovich Yanukovich, the Vice-president of the Automobile Federation of Ukraine, and Svetlana Loboda, pop-singer.
On the stroke of 13:30 the Safety Car paraded participants and declared the race officially opened!
After this all the racers were kindly sent to fan session to autograph and be photographed with fans. There were an incredible number of people wishing to have a poster of their idol! Thanks to you all!
Well, the turning point!
Top 16. Nikita Lukyanov.
Nikita has quite a good car, well-tuned and controllable. But as far as it was the first Nikita’s run with this car, he didn’t manage to get used to it after setting. As a result Lukyanov made a range of mistakes that contributed to Vladimir Marchenko passing in Top 8.
Top 8. Vladimir Palariev.
Two Vladimirs met on this track at the final round last year. Then and there Palariev had an advantage over Marchenko. But this time Marchenko didn’t let the contender from Odessa chill out and won victory! Due to Palariev retirement from the track with all four wheels, Marchenko was only to pass the track after Real and he successfully managed with this task.
Top 4. Alex Holovnya.
Well, that’s it – final lap! At the first run Holovnya goes ahead. Racers pick up the speed… Mad race!.. At the first lap both racers turn and … Vladimir, not taking into account the inertial force, overtakes Alex’s vehicle and pushes it. From outside the contact seemed as slight as there was no contact at all, but in fact collision was quite strong. As a result both cars suffered damages. Bended steering knuckle WISEFAB left no chances to continue the race for Marchenko Racing resulting in retirement for technical reasons. Alex Holovnya became Top 8 winner.
The second Top 4 pair attracted attention of all drift fans! That was a competition of two champions, the fight of professionals, long-standing rivalry…Aleksandr Grinchuk and Dmitriy Illyuk fought to get into the final! They are fascinating and true stars, it is a real drifting! But Aleksandr made a minimum error in one of the laps and after a long discussion judges gave victory to Illyuk.
Fight for the third place between Vladimir Marchenko and Aleksandr Grinchuk hasn’t take place due to Marchenko’s car retirement for technical reasons.
But Holovnya and Illyuk demonstrated really perfect level of drifting, entertaining fans with One More Time run.
Well, the results are as follows:
Thanks to everybody who supports and roots for Marchenko Racing Team! We take part in competitions to bring joy to you! See you at upcoming events!