AVTOVAZwill hold the 28th edition of the Champions Race, one of the most important opening events of the country’s racing season, on January 24, 2026.
The race will be held on the traditional ice rink at the manufacturer’s training facility in the village of Sosnovka in the Samara Region.
The event is being held at a time when Russia faces increasing international isolation due to the war with Ukraine. This situation has limited the country’s participation in global sports organizations and calendars. In this context, national races such as the Champions Race gain even greater importance in Russian motorsport, both symbolically and sportingly.
Pilots in the 2026 edition LADA Iskra Sport and will compete behind the wheel of the updated LADA Vesta Sport; The organization will bring together 18 of the country’s leading names in motor sports. The same year also marks the 30th anniversary of the Race of Champions: the first races on the synchronized track in the AVTOVAZ complex were held in 1996 and rally driver Sergey Alyasov took victory.
The current record holder of the race, Kirill Ladygin, will try to reach a historic threshold by aiming for his tenth victory in the jubilee year. The starting list will also include well-known winners of the race in Togliatti, Dmitry Bragin, Vladimir Sheshenin and Mikhail Mityaev, as well as notable newcomers. These include Formula 1 test pilot and Silk Way Rally winner Roman Rusinov, KAMAZ-master team competitor and Russian rally-raid champion Bogdan Karimov, and national champion in the same branch Vladimir Vasilyev.
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Champions Race 2026 brings with it an important technical update. LADA Iskra Sport and updated LADA Vesta Sport models will now use a naturally aspirated 1.8-liter engine with increased torque and a five-speed sequential transmission. This combination has shown competitive performance in racing Iskra in previous editions.
The race format remains unchanged. In the first stage, pilots race in pairs within their groups, and the two fastest names advance to the quarter-finals. From here, four finalists make it to the finals and fight for the championship. The winner of the final race wins the traditional Silver Tower, the main trophy of the event.
Source and images: AVTOVAZ JSC. This content was created with the help of artificial intelligence and reviewed by the editorial team.
