Rally "White nights" in spite of rather small number of participants became the most beautiful on a plot! The top three has shown the tremendous struggle worthy the international level. Afterwards for the main favorites of the rally the crew of Dmitry TAGIROV and Anna ZAVERSHINSKAYA finished being for the first time the members of the strongest rally team – URT (Uspenskiy Rally Technica)!
Only more than forty crews in the classifications of the Russian Championship and RAF Trophy started to "White nights"-2010. It is a little unusual for the Karelia’s rally which is the favorite by racers and teams and considered as the most interesting and difficult for a season. But for the first time in the history of performances in Russia Swede Patrik Flodin, the reigning Russian Champion, could do nothing with the Russian drivers! The crew of Evgeny Novikov and Sergey Larens got their first victory in this season being 10 seconds faster than Andrey Zhigunov and Igor Ter-Oganesyants. The crew of Patrik Flodin and Emil Axelsson had 50 seconds lag from the winner. Dmitry TAGIROV and Anna ZAVERSHINSKAYA finished fourth. The crew included to URT team and firstly drove Subaru Impreza of the newest modification. It was the car of the same level like from the leaders. But the main thing was that Dmitry and Anna worked together with the experienced and strongest team and got the experience which it is impossible to overestimate.
The first tests have been spent several days before start. Of course, the crew had some fears because new Impreza differs a design of rear suspension that causes a bit different controllability and behavior of the car in the route. The tests helped not only to specify these differences but and to define the tunings suitable for Dmitry’s driving style. The work continued during the official tests and shakedown where Dmitry shown the second time having 0.3 seconds lag behind his team partner – Flodin.
During the first section the joint crew from Yekaterinburg and Moscow finished fourth. But unfortunately in the beginning Dmitry's car bumped the stone causing the complete tyre disruption and the disk of other wheel was so seriously damaged that began to touch a suspension strut. It was clear that to attack the leaders would be recklessness! During service time the car was restored that allowed Dmitry to keep the suitable rhythm and only once his time was lower than fourth in the first day classification.
It was clear that the main struggle will be on Saturday on the long stages repeated twice, "Lumivaara" and "Kujaunsuo", both about 20 km long. But at Kujaunsuo it was happened the same situation as in winter when Dmitry and Anna hung down the snow bank on 90-degree junction and lost the "bronze" of the second Championship round. Attempt to pass a little faster… Déjà vu! But now there was ground instead viscous snow and it became clear that it is possible to move a little back and the wheels would find the traction. It was done but the time (one and half minute) has been lost and the position in the classification too. The crew became sixth behind the rivals: fellow countryman Andrey Truhin and well-skilled Muscovite Gennady Broslavsky. At next stage Broslavsky made a small mistake too thereby simplifying the conditions for counterattack. Before final section Dmitry asked the team to change some tunings that the passage according to his own words became safer thus the speed managed to increase.
On "Lumivaara" Dmitry wins back almost half of log from Andrey Truhin. But on "Kujaunsuo" Andrey has one and half second in his own favour. The rivalry remained for URT’s driver: Truhin is mistaken in one of the bends and his car is turned out the internal bank and rotated. Dmitry did not know about it but for the first time of this event shown the third time being faster than his team partner Patrik Flodin. Dmitry and Anna finished fourth and as a fact they won that position which today the crew are worthy. To fight with the top of three is rather complicated but to go away from the other rivals is just probably as the results shown.
But despite beautiful struggle and the third place the main result for the crew of Dmitry TAGIROV and Anna ZAVERSHINSKAYA is the big experience in the strongest rally team, URT. It was clear the tops where it should aspire. Dmitry tested new Impreza and named it «a successful combination of previous Subaru and present Mitsubishi». The main task for the crew is accumulation of experience and the present rally became big luck!
Dmitry TAGIROV, driver: We had two absolutely identical cars with Patrik and our crew could pass all race – it is the great experience for us! Now we know how to do it in our country and how it should be. Without small defects or any questions which could hang in the midair…It very much harmonizes to outcomes. I want to go quickly! It is interesting! I liked very much!
We had no the aim to show any results and were not going to surprise or make laugh someone. But in any case it was not easy to go at this level. The top of three is fantastic how they go! It was the great achievement for us to be nearer to them especially driving new car. Today we have the results as we can. We stably showed the fourth time – not so close but not far from the leaders. We see the results of our work: we are a little in front of those who goes in the second holder, so-called – «pursuit group». And we believe that we are on target. But there was only one step allowing us to go faster. And we need many and many steps to move nearer to the top of three… Of course, all time I liked to accelerate but controlled myself – it is early for us! We understood the main features and we can accelerate. We defined which we need. We will spend the special trainings. We should not hurry in this season – I think we can increase the rhythm next year but now we are trying to find nuances!
White nights-2010 final results:
1. Evgeny Novikov/ Sergey Larens (Moscow /Tallinn, ALM Rally, Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X, N4) 1:12.27,4
2. Andrey Zhigunov/ Igor Ter-Oganesyants (Moscow, ProSport, Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX, N4) +9,6
3. Patrik Flodin/ Emil Axelsson (Sweden, URT, Subaru Impreza, N4) +51,3
4. Dmitry Tagirov/ Anna Zavershinskaya (Yekaterinburg /Moscow, AKRT, Subaru Impreza, N4) +3.37,1
5. Gennady Broslavsky/ Alexandr Gorlanov (Moscow/ Pskov, FreeDrive, Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX, N4) +4.06,6
6. Andrey Truhin/ Andrey Petrov (Yekaterinburg, Ural-Rally, Subaru Impreza, N4) +4.42,7
In the classifications of the Russian Championship there are 17 crews.
Next round of the Russian Championship and RAF Trophy will be Rally Gukovo, Rostov’s region, on July, 16-17.