Russian gymkhana is rapidly changing its scale. Just a few years ago, competitions were held mainly on small parking lots and industrial sites, but today the stages of the PRO series are hosted by the country's largest sports arenas. Over the past two seasons, Yuka Drive Gymkhana has significantly expanded its geography, increased the number of participants, launched a full-fledged team championship, and continues to explore new iconic venues.
The next step will be on July 19, when the third stage of the Yuka Drive Gymkhana PRO series will be held for the first time at the Ak Bars Arena stadium in Kazan. For the series itself, this is much more than a change of location. Kazan has long held a special place in the calendar: it was here that one of the most active gymkhana communities formed, but in 2025 the stage was held at the Vysokaya Gora racetrack. Now the series is moving to one of the country's largest sports facilities, continuing its course towards the development and popularization of the discipline.
The move to a new venue will also allow for a change in the nature of the track. While previous stages offered their own unique configuration features, in Kazan the organizers have bet on a faster distance, while maintaining the technical complexity that remains the hallmark of gymkhana.
This is precisely what distinguishes modern gymkhana from most automotive disciplines. In circuit racing, the driver gradually reaches the limit of the car's capabilities, and in drifting, the main criterion is the quality of cornering in a controlled slide, but here almost every meter of the distance requires a new solution. Turns, "boxes," slaloms, transitions, and high-speed elements combine into a single continuous sequence, where any mistake instantly translates into penalty seconds or lost time.
Equally important changes are taking place in the technical regulations. After the second stage, the organizers abandoned the experiment with using a spec tire, returning the freedom of tire choice to the participants.
But the main change of the season has been the full-fledged team championship. While attention was previously focused mainly on the battle of individual drivers, the series now increasingly resembles major world championships, where the result is built from the work of the entire team. Every point earned affects the team's position in the standings, and the consistency of several drivers becomes no less important than the victory of a single leader.
This is why the 2026 season has become a new point of development for Russian gymkhana – the PRO series is now evolving not only as a competition of drivers, but also as a championship of teams and strategies, where success is increasingly determined by the work of the entire collective.
The main discovery of the season has been Fortis YUKA Pervykh. The team brought together drivers with completely different levels of experience. Arkady Tsaregradtsev continues his fight for the championship title and, after his victory in St. Petersburg, is tied on points with the season leader. Andrey Samotey is a professional motorsports athlete with many years of experience in rally and technical disciplines. And another driver of the team is actor and TV presenter Denis Dorokhov. Despite his media fame, he treats his performances in the PRO series as a full-fledged sports season and continues to progress from stage to stage.
The main rival of the leaders remains the "Telekanal Drive" team, for which Alexey Shendyukov, Alexey Kuznetsov, and the reigning champion of last season, Kamil Khamidullin, compete. The team relies on consistency: regular finishes among the leaders allow them to maintain high positions in both the individual and team standings. After two stages, it is Shendyukov who approaches the stage in Kazan with the same number of points as Arkady Tsaregradtsev, preserving the main intrigue of the season.
One of the most progressive teams of the season remains Vissol Crew. The team's leader, driver from Belarus Sergey Tikhonenko, after a major upgrade to his BMW E46, has noticeably increased his speed and today confidently ranks among the contenders for the highest places. The team occupies third place in the team standings and retains good chances to fight for prize positions at the end of the season.
A completely different philosophy is represented by Young Wave Team. The team focuses on young drivers and proves that a high result depends not only on the project's budget, but primarily on regular work, perseverance, and the desire to become faster with each stage.
TACHAGA, Elastomeric Team, Adhesol, Drift Racing Park, MBM, Petrolero, and other teams regularly interfere in the distribution of places, thanks to which almost every stage can significantly change the position of teams in the standings.
The main part of the program will be the head-to-head runs of the strongest drivers from Russia and Belarus on a new mirrored track configuration. Guests will be able to attend the drivers' parade, chat with participants, get autographs, and take photos together. In addition to the sports program, a festival zone will be operating on the grounds of the Ak Bars Arena, featuring a car exhibition, interactive areas, a reaction trainer, photo zones, a food court, and relaxation areas for the whole family.
One of the most popular activities will once again be G-Taxi – a unique opportunity to be in the passenger seat of a sports car and, together with a professional driver, drive along the track configuration, feeling the speed, G-forces, and features of modern gymkhana. Entry to the event is free. To attend, you must pre-register on the official Yuka Drive Gymkhana website.
Partner material
Comments (0)