Fourth round of the Russian Drift Series Open Championship to be held in Saint Petersburg

On 18 and 19 July, the Igora Drive circuit in Saint Petersburg will once again host a round of the RDS Open Championship. The competition will take place as part of the anniversary GARAGE FEST Igora Drive and will form part of the wider festival programme.

Who will be battling for a place on the podium?

The entry list includes drivers from Samara, Yekaterinburg, the Stavropol Territory, the Moscow Region, Moscow and Saint Petersburg. Spectators will see dynamic and closely fought runs from the regular members of the RDS Open peloton in the 2026 season: the reigning RDS Open champion and current leader of the drivers' standings after the previous rounds, Anatoly Shcherbak; drivers Vladimir Afanasyev, Igor Ozolin and Stanislav Antropov (all three representing the Tamashi Racing team); athletes from the STAR PËR STARS AIMOL team, Dmitry Dobrovolsky, Vladislav Yerofeyev and Sergey Korneyev; TsMRBank team driver Ruslan Arefyev; as well as drivers competing in the individual standings – Sergey Davidadze and Alexander Leonov.

In addition, for the fourth round, three athletes from Saint Petersburg will join the field – Denis Bochkaryov, known to RDS Open viewers from the 2025 season, as well as Yelisey Nikitin and Matvey Vakhrushev.

'Media Racing' in the drift discipline

As part of GARAGE FEST Igora Drive, the large-scale 'Media Racing 2026' project will be delivered. Its participants are bloggers loved by millions of social media users, who will try their hand at various motorsport disciplines throughout the festival. The participants will also make their mark in drifting as part of the RDS Open Championship.

On Saturday, 18 July, bloggers Big Russian Boss, Anton Forsazh, Yan Dylan and Yekaterina Tyurina will take to the RDS Open layout to show their fans and drift enthusiasts some real drive and spectacular runs in the 'concrete Colosseum'. After the runs, the star participants will take part in an autograph session, where they will chat with festival guests, answer the most interesting questions and, of course, pose for photos with everyone who wants one.

On Sunday, 19 July, the bloggers will take part in the drivers' parade for the fourth round of the RDS Open Championship and will show off their competition cars to festival guests.

Layout update in the 'concrete Colosseum'

The RDS Open Championship round traditionally takes place at the Igora Drive drift arena. Spectators and athletes have nicknamed this venue the 'concrete Colosseum' because of the extremely close positioning of the concrete barriers to the cars' racing line – here, drivers take real risks, and mistakes are especially costly.

In the 2026 season, the layout will be changed – this time, the start and acceleration zone will be located directly beneath the grandstands, and beyond that, spectators and drivers will face a challenging configuration with numerous transitions. Drift fans will see every metre of the track up close and will get a real adrenaline rush and plenty of excitement. The athletes, meanwhile, will need to find the most precise set-ups for their competition cars and demonstrate a high level of car control in controlled drift.

Schedule for the fourth round of the RDS Open Championship

The race weekend will follow the familiar schedule known to regular viewers. On Saturday, 18 July, spectators can look forward to qualifying runs, and on Sunday, 19 July – tandem runs with a double-elimination system.

Saturday, 18 July

12.20-12.35 – drivers' parade on track

13.00-16.00 – qualifying and 'Media Racing'

16.30-17.15 – autograph session in the service park

17.45-19.15 – tandem practice

Sunday, 19 July

10.30-10.45 – drivers' parade on track

10.45-11.30 – autograph session in the service park

12.00-17.30 – tandem runs

17.50 – awards ceremony

What will GARAGE FEST Igora Drive be remembered for?

The anniversary GARAGE FEST will, as ever, bring together motorsport, culture and entertainment. The festival programme, in addition to the fourth round of the RDS Open Championship, includes the '1000 Kilometres of Igora Drive' endurance race, the third round of the GT Cup 2026, an exhibition of rare cars from the 'Avtokultura' project, a dragster display, lectures and discussions on the history and future of cars, concerts by Vanya Dmitrienko, the band 'Komnata Kultury' and Polina Gagarina, as well as a host of activities for guests of all ages.

The RDS Open Drift Championship is held with no age restrictions. Online fans can enjoy a free live stream on the RDS TV platform.