From Football to Motorsport: Gazprom Arena Hosted Stage 2 of Yuka Drive Gymkhana

The territory of the Gazprom Arena has become a venue for gymkhana competitions for the first time. The second stage of the Yuka Drive Gymkhana PRO series marked the debut of the discipline at one of Russia's largest sports facilities, bringing together 40 drivers, thousands of spectators, and a packed festival program.

The 2026 season has become one of the most significant for the series in recent years. In addition to the switch to a mono tire, which made the competition tighter, the championship introduced a full-fledged team classification for the first time. After just two stages, 15 teams are vying for the title, and interest in the competition has been so high that organizers had to limit the number of entries. In St. Petersburg, 40 drivers were allowed to start, with the strongest advancing to the TOP-32 stage based on qualifying results.

Yuka Drive Gymkhana remains one of the most unusual series in Russian motorsport. On the same track, drivers from gymkhana, drifting, circuit racing, time attack, and other disciplines regularly meet. However, experience in other championships is not always an advantage. Gymkhana requires lightning-fast adaptation to a new track configuration, high precision in vehicle control, and the ability to navigate technical elements without penalties.

The best qualifying time was set by Alexey Shendyukov (Vitebsk, Belarus) in a Mazda MX-5, completing the track in 02:12.028.

As in Nizhny Novgorod a month earlier, the final once again pitted the two season leaders against each other – Alexey Shendyukov (Vitebsk, Belarus) in a Mazda MX-5 and Arkady Tsaregradtsev (Sochi) in a Toyota Altezza. The stage winner was Arkady Tsaregradtsev (Sochi) in a Toyota Altezza. For one of Russia's most decorated drivers, this victory allowed him to tie with the championship leader in points.

After the midpoint of the season, the intrigue in the individual standings has only grown.

Individual Standings After Two Stages

1. Alexey Shendyukov (Vitebsk, Belarus) – 471 points
2. Arkady Tsaregradtsev (Sochi) – 471 points
3. Sergey Tikhonenko (Mogilev, Belarus) – 292 points

An equally tight battle is unfolding in the team standings.

Team Standings After Two Stages

1. Fortis YUKA Pervykh – 618 points
2. Television Channel Drive – 581 points
3. Vissol Crew – 388 points
4. TouchAGa – 323 points
5. Elastomeric Team – 252 points
6. Adhesol – 216 points
7. DRIFT RACING PARK – 175 points
8. Young Wave Team – 156 points
9. MBM – 121 points
10. Petrolero – 120 points
11. 333Team – 56 points
12. OPG Driftanutye – 52 points
13. Amers NN – 38 points
14. A51 – 32 points
15. Letter Yu – 32 points

A special award was given to Matvey Vakhrushev (St. Petersburg) in a Nissan Silvia S13. His car won the "Best Livery of the Stage" nomination.

The scale of the series is also confirmed by the season calendar. In 2026, the stages are held at the country's largest sports venues with the support of the championship's partners – DRYDRY, ICORE, and SHINSERVICE.

The next stage of the Yuka Drive Gymkhana PRO series will take place on July 19 in Kazan at the Ak Bars Arena stadium. The season finale will be held on September 5-6 in Moscow as part of the technical sports festival. Before that, on June 28, the attention of gymkhana fans will be focused on Ulyanovsk, where the second stage of the regional VOLGA league of the Yuka Drive Gymkhana Lite Fortis series will take place as part of the Youth Day celebration.

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