Ladygin scores LADA’s first victory of the season
Kirill Ladygin claimed a lights-to-flag victory in the second TCR Russia race at Smolensk Ring, the first of the season for the LADA Sport Rosneft team.
Rail Pro Team’s Anton Badoev – who had started from pole position on the reverse grid – drove his SEAT León to second place, his first podium in the championship. Aleksey Dudukalo completed the podium in his Lukoil Racing Audi RS3 LMS.
It was a processional race with very few overtaking manoeuvres. Ladygin took the lead at the start, resisted the pressure from Badoev and Dudukalo during the first laps and then, gradually pulled away.
A compact group of drivers fought for the positions between second and seventh: Badoev, Dudukalo, Lev Tolkachev (Rumos-AMG Motorsport SEAT), Ivan Lukaschevich (Lukoil Racing SEAT DSG), yesterday’s Race 1 winner Dmitri Bragin (TAIF Motorsport Audi) and Mikhail Grachev (LADA Vesta). However, none of them was able to make an overtaking move and they finished in the order.
The only thrills were provided by the duel for the eight place, between Vladimir Sheshenin’s LADA and Irek Minnakhmetov’s Audi; they ran abreast several times. Lukoil Racing’s third driver, Klim Gavrilov, winner of the season opening race at Fort Grozny, stalled his Audi at the start and finished 14th.
After the fourth round, Dudukalo has taken the championship lead with 58 points, followed by Golikov and Ladygin (55), Bragin (52), Gavrilov (48) and Lukashevich (47).
The series will resume at Nizhniy Novgorod on 2/3 June.
