AVTOVAZwill hold the 28th edition of the Champions Race, one of the main opening events of the domestic racing season, on January 24, 2026.
The competition will take place on a traditional ice circuit at the company’s training facility in the village of Sosnovka, Samara region.
This event will be held at a time when Russia is increasingly isolated internationally due to its war with Ukraine. This limits Russia’s participation in international sporting events and the global competition calendar, and in this context, domestic events such as the Race of Champions have an even greater symbolic and competitive importance in Russian motorsport.
At the 2026 tournament,LADA Iskra Sportand an improved LADA Vesta Sport, 18 drivers representing the domestic motorsports world will compete. The same year also marks the 30th anniversary of the Race of Champions, with rally driver Sergey Alyasov winning the 1996 race, which was first held on the same track at the AVTOVAZ complex.
Kirill Ladygin, the current record holder for the most wins in the tournament, will aim to reach a historic milestone in this memorable year with his 10th win in total. The grid includes former Tolyatchi winners Dmitry Bragin, Vladimir Sheshenin and Mikhail Mityaev, as well as some notable newcomers. Among them are F1 test driver and Silk Road Rally winner Roman Rusinov, KAMAZ master and Russian rally raid champion Bogdan Karimov, and the sport’s national champion Vladimir Vasilyev.
Race of Champions 2026 will also introduce important technical updates. LADA Iskra Sport and updated LADA Vesta Sport feature a 1.8-liter naturally aspirated engine with increased torque and a 5-speed sequential transmission. This powertrain has already shown high competitiveness in the racing version of Iskra in past competitions.
The competition format remains unchanged. In the first race, two cars competed against each other in each group, with the top two advancing to the quarterfinals. From there, four finalists will compete for the title in the final. The winner of the final race will be awarded the traditional “Silver Tower” trophy, which is the symbol of the event.
Source and images: AVTOVAZ JSC. This content was created with the assistance of AI and reviewed by our editorial team.
