Review of the fourth stage of the RDS GP in Krasnoyarsk: the long-awaited victory of Tsaregradtsev and the Furidashi Battle

Since 2006, when Triple Fast and the Furious introduced the general public to controlled drifting, drifting has come a long way from a semi-legal hobby of enthusiasts to an FIA-recognized motorsport discipline. And while some indulge in nostalgia for the times when drifting was not so regulated by the technical and sports regulations, the Grand Prix of the Russian Drift Series managed to do what many dreamed of: for one day, RDS GP returned our 2007 to us and on the Red ring” staged a “Furidashi-battle”.

What is furidashi

The stage in Krasnoyarsk traditionally occupies a special place in the calendar of the main Russian drifting tournament, since the Siberian tour means a return – at least for one weekend! — to the mecca of Russian drift. To the track where today’s RDS GP leaders started, where winter drifting tournaments are held annually and where young pilots are still taking steps into the big drift.

Naturally, the Red Ring has a special place in the heart of all participants in the Russian Drift Series Grand Prix, and in 2022 the Siberian stage has become triple iconic. Firstly, the organizers and drivers of the championship paid tribute to Andrey Naumov, a big fan of drifting and an RDS GP judge who died in a car accident this spring, to whose memory the stage was dedicated. Secondly, right in the course of the weekend, a new competition for pilots appeared, and, thirdly, the one who had not won before for more than a year won in pair races! But first things first.

Stage RDS GP on the “Red Ring”

Photo: RDS GP

All the regular participants of the RDS GP do not always get to the Red Ring, and this year, due to personal circumstances and due to technical problems, even more pilots did not come to Krasnoyarsk. And it so happened that only 22 athletes applied for places in the top 32. Fortunately, all of them successfully passed the qualification, following which the top ten (it so happened that all of them entered the “90+ club”) secured access to the top 16 through a bye run. And when it seemed that 10 neat passages were waiting for us, events suddenly took on an unexpected character – a furidashi battle happened!

Usually, pilots who get a bye run try to carefully get to the setting area in order to secure an exit further along the grid of pair races according to the regulations. Sometimes, of course, someone conducts a combat solo drive, but this is more the exception than the rule. But it is not for nothing that Krasnoyarsk occupies a special place in Russian drifting – at the Red Ring, a dozen of the best pilots of the qualification suggested that the organizers organize a battle at the maximum angle of setting as part of the bye run. The initiative received enthusiastic support, and the “Furidashi Battle” took place in the RDS GP, which gave some bright backguards.

You can’t do without a brief educational program, so first let’s figure out what “furidashi” is and what is “backward”. The Japanese term “furidashi” in drifting refers to an obligatory part of any race – whether it’s a qualification or a duel in paired races – skidding. Throwing the car into a skid is important in a given segment of the assessed area, and the further course of the race largely depends on what the furidashi will be like. As for the “backward”, behind this English concept there is a spectacular performance, during which the rear axle of the car is thrown into a skid by the pilot so much that it almost outruns the front one. And it’s relatively easy to make a backward, but then keep control of the car and continue the race without flying off the track, only the best of the best can do it. And there were several of them in Krasnoyarsk!

Ng tamed the Flanker, but Losev is even cooler

The judging task on the Red Ring required the pilots to set up at an angle of up to 95 degrees, since a larger angle is a problem for the pursuer. It is difficult for someone who is driving behind to understand what to expect from the leader with a giant setting angle – either he will now go further and need to give out the same crazy angle, or now the car in front will fly off to the side of the road and everything must be done to avoid an accident. But the Furidashi-battle, where the pilots go alone and do not interfere with anyone, allowed the athletes to take their minds off and please the fans.

Qualification winner Damir Idiyatulin pleased the audience with a backward of 101 degrees, and then the result of the Sintec Fresh Auto Drift pilot was surpassed by Leonid Schneider: a representative of Forward Auto recorded 110 degrees! The victory condition was the continuation of the race after the setting, with which both local stars coped, and it seemed that the question of the winner of the Furidashi Battle would be removed, but heavy artillery entered into action.

Suddenly, for everyone, Charles Ng issued a 124-degree backward – no one expected this from the pilot of Star Per Stars Aimol, because the Chinese legionnaire spent his first stage driving a Flanker F. The Russian supercar, known for its temper, did not really obey either its creator Sergey Kabargin , not even Arkady Tsaregradtsev, but Ng found a common language with the machine. Spreading all weekend in compliments Flanker F, Charles actually demonstrated the potential of the supercar – and in pairs races, where the athlete looked very confident, and in the furidashi battle.

And Ngu would have been the winner of the Furidashi Battle, if not for Evgeny Losev. The Siberian “silovik”, known for his aggressive style of piloting, gave a phenomenal staging – electronic sensors recorded an incredible angle of 130 degrees on the Sintec Fresh Auto Drift! Having retained control over the car and having passed the evaluated section after such a furidashi according to the referee’s task, Losev nevertheless entered himself among the winners of the stage. Even though neither the qualification nor the pair races were submitted to Evgeny, but in matters of spectacular backward he was not equal!

Damir Idiyatulin

Photo: RDS GP

The king is the winner! But only on the third try

And the main rivals of the Krasnoyarsk weekend were Damir Idiyatulin and Arkady Tsaregradtsev. In qualifying, the best passage for each of this pair was rated by the judges at 97 points. But since Damir’s second run was better (96 points against 93 points for the “Tsar”), Idiyatulin became the winner – for the second time in the 2022 season. However, only the final put an end to this duel, because, having passed through the grid of double races, in the decisive battle of the stage, they again met … Damir Idiyatulin and Arkady Tsaregradtsev!

In some ways, the path to the final was similar for both. On the way to the decisive battle, Idiyatulin overcame the resistance of Anton Dmitrienko (BY Motorsport) without any problems, then in the contact fight he was able to overcome Nikita Shikov (Carville Racing). In the semi-finals, Roman Tivodar (Forward Auto) became Damir’s opponent, but the mistake of the young pilot of the Krasnoyarsk team played into the hands of Idiyatulin, opening the way to the final.

And there Tsaregradtsev was waiting for him. On the way to the final, the Tsar first defeated Denis Migal (Sintec Fresh Auto Drift), then had a super spectacular race with Charles Ng (Star Pёr Stars Aimol) and met with the most experienced Losev at the semi-final stage. And again, the opponent’s mistake played a role: Evgeny made a blot, which determined the owner of the second ticket to the final. Which turned into a Krasnoyarsk derby.

No one was going to yield in this largely principled battle! At the decisive moment, Damir and Arkady gave 101% each – the judges did not have enough one run to determine the winner, so a rerun was required. And then another one. As a result, the name of the strongest driver of the RDS GP stage in Krasnoyarsk was determined on the third attempt, after the main race and two OMT runs. Idiyatulin failed to win the third in the season and the second victory in a row – the first place was taken by Tsaregradtsev, who managed to achieve an important success for himself.

And it’s not even that for the Tsar this is the first stage won this year. Finally, the FailCrew leader Darkside conquered the Red Ring home track and broke a long streak without victories: the last time Arkady Tsaregradtsev stood on the highest step of the podium was in May 2021, at the start of last season at Moscow Raceway! Obviously, this success will remove unnecessary pressure from the pilot, which means that the fans will win, who will be able to see even more vivid and aggressive aerobatics.

Moreover, the next stage is conducive to this. The fifth weekend of the Grand Prix of the Russian Drift Series will take place in St. Petersburg – the Igora Drive track favors high-speed experiments, therefore, in addition to the usual winners of the qualification and pair races, we will also find out the name of the pilot who will show the maximum speed of skidding. The experience with the Furidashi Battle was recognized as successful by everyone – pilots, fans and organizers – and therefore experiments with unusual battle formats will continue in the future.