On June 27, the Classic Series held its second stage of the 2026 season. The summer retro races took place at the Nizhny Novgorod Ring circuit, gathering fans of classic Soviet and foreign combat cars on the track and in the stands.
Entry to the stage was free, and anyone could watch eight racing heats across various classes that day. In addition to traditional competitions and "support races" for classes featuring drivers in Zhiguli, Moskvich, and Volga cars, the heats were held under the status of the Russian Automobile Federation Cup.
The "support race" this time included four classes. In Open Class, Andrey Koshelev achieved an undisputed victory in both races. For the win in Open Class Light at this stage, two drivers in Toyota Corolla Levin – Roman Skomorokhov and Ilya Gusev – competed. As a result, Roman Skomorokhov came first, beating his opponent by less than a second on the best lap time. In the Line 2000 class, Ilya Kashin performed excellently in the first race, finishing first in class, but retired in the second heat and ended up third overall in the stage. In the Tourism 1600 class, Vladimir Cherevan won both races.
Winners and prize-winners of the stage in Open Class: first place – Andrey Koshelev, second place – Denis Brattsev, third place – Ivan Bozhedomov.
Winners and prize-winners of the stage in Open Class Light: first place – Roman Skomorokhov, second place – Ilya Gusev.
Winners and prize-winners of the stage in Line 2000: first place – Andrey Ponomarev, second place – Mikhail Tyurin, third place – Ilya Kashin.
Winners and prize-winners of the stage in Tourism 1600: first place – Vladimir Cherevan, second place – Evgeny Sheklachyov, third place – Alexander Belkov.
The mass heat of combat classics is the hallmark of the Series. The main surprises and intense moments went to the A5 class, where a battle for leadership is underway between Pavel Tseplyaev and the "old school" represented by Vladimir Cherevan. The first heat ended for Pavel with a disappointing technical retirement, causing him to start the second race from the back of the pack. The driver immediately set a great pace and broke into the leading trio, but the machinery let him down again one lap before the finish. Pavel managed to complete the heat but did not end up on the podium for the stage. In the A2/1-1600 class, the young debutant of the season, fourteen-year-old Zlata Sidorenko, managed to secure a double victory at the Nizhny Novgorod stage. In the A2-1300 class, Valentin Konkov won the first race, but the second heat did not go as well for the driver, leaving him in second place overall for the stage.
Winners and prize-winners of the stage in A2-1300 (traditional competitions): first place – Sergey Chikunov, second place – Valentin Konkov, third place – Igor Tashaev.
Winners and prize-winners of the stage in A2-1300 (RAF Cup): first place – Sergey Chikunov, second place – Valentin Konkov, third place – Igor Tashaev.
Winners and prize-winners of the stage in A2/1-1600 (traditional competitions): first place – Zlata Sidorenko, second place – Daniil Gerasimov, third place – Ilya Gorin.
Winners and prize-winners of the stage in A2/1-1600 (RAF Cup): first place – Zlata Sidorenko, second place – Daniil Gerasimov, third place – Ilya Gorin.
Winners and prize-winners of the stage in A5 (traditional competitions): first place – Vladimir Cherevan, second place – Taras Laukart, third place – Gleb Semenov.
Winners and prize-winners of the stage in A5 (RAF Cup): first place – Vladimir Cherevan, second place – Taras Laukart, third place – Gleb Semenov.
A general heat featuring drivers in iconic Volga cars and foreign classics. In Touring Classic 80, Evgeny Trushin achieved a double victory in the stage. For his two rivals, Georgy Romanov and Denis Kachura, the second heat did not go as well – both suffered retirements. In Touring Classic 90, Series newcomer Artyom Yagodka and driver Sergey Chikunov battled for the win. Artyom managed to win the first race, but in the second heat, Sergey fought back and finished first, becoming the stage winner. In the Volga A2/1-2500 class, the undisputed leader of the previous stage, Vadim Antipov, retired from the first race due to technical reasons. The driver was unable to start the second heat. Ruslan Tolokonnikov came first to the finish in both races and claimed the stage victory.
Winners and prize-winners of the stage in Touring Classic 80: first place – Evgeny Trushin, second place – Georgy Romanov, third place – Denis Kachura.
Winners and prize-winners of the stage in Touring Classic 90: first place – Sergey Chikunov, second place – Artyom Yagodka.
Winners and prize-winners of the stage in A2/1-2500 (traditional competitions): first place – Ruslan Tolokonnikov, second place – Shamil Iksanov, third place – Irek Tenishev.
Winners and prize-winners of the stage in A2/1-2500 (RAF Cup): first place – Ruslan Tolokonnikov, second place – Shamil Iksanov, third place – Irek Tenishev.
The heat of ShortCut class Sport Prototype CN cars was not as numerous – six participants – but no less interesting. In the first heat, Igor Shunailov won, significantly pulling away from his closest pursuers. However, the driver was unable to start the second race, thereby losing his place on the podium. The stage victory went to Artyom Viktorov.
Winners and prize-winners of the stage in Sport Prototype CN: first place – Artyom Viktorov, second place – Ivan Gerasimov, third place – Kirill Zeylikman.
Winners and prize-winners of the stage in the team standings: first place – RRG, second place – LEMARC, third place – ROCKET TIGERS.
Detailed stage protocols can be found on the official Series website.
The third stage of the Classic Series will take place on July 25 at Moscow Raceway. Guests can expect an entertainment program, a variety of delicious food, as well as a large retro exhibition of various car clubs and communities devoted to automotive classics.
The seventh season of the Classic Series is held with the support of the Russian Automobile Federation (RAF).
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