This is the second year in a row that Automobile and Tractor Engineering Faculty of South Ural State University opens the championship "Virtuoso Driver" in Kunashak. This time, December 12, the enthusiasts of auto-event have met at the square in front of the Administration of Kunashak municipal region. 38 drivers came over there to participate in the championship and get their awards and first scores. That event became regional and got together the drivers from Chelyabinsk, Kopeysk, Karabash, Ekaterinburg and Kataysk. The hosts of the championship were presented by Albina Balakina, permanent participant of Kunashak auto events.
Albina and in her Peugeot 407 became bronze medallist in the classification "Lady". Following the results of competitions Albina and Natalia Salomatina (our readers know this girl as Molokanova, her maiden name; in December she married Aleksandr Salomatin, repeat winner of "Virtuoso Driver", and changed her last name) showed the same time but Albina performed the task of Speed Manoeuvring faster and with less mistakes that is why she took the second place. At the winning podium Albina was joint by Tatyana Alchina (Daewoo Matiz, Chelyabinsk), winner in that classification, and Mariya Kungurova (VAZ 2109, Kataysk), owner of the Cup for the second place. Also we would like to thank Elizaveta Oleynikova, student of Chelyabinsk State Medical Academy, for the fact that it was the first time when a student of Chelyabinsk State Medical Academy took part in our championship.
The most numerous was the classification "Student. Front Drive", here 14 students took part: students from Chelyabinsk and Karabash, students and school children from Kataysk. Frankly speaking, the results of that classification does not seem surprising: all the participants were strong enough and nobody expected any intrigue from them and any breakthrough of the beginners. Everybody was interested in how the winning places would be distributed among the experienced virtuoso drivers. Andrey Volkov (VAZ 2109, Kataysk) in Speed Manoeuvring showed the best time not only within the classification but within all the competitions and left behind his rival at 6 seconds thus revealing a tiny intrigue. As it was expected, Andrey became the gold medallist. His rival, school student Andrey Trifonov (VAZ 2109, Kataysk) took the second place and the third place was taken by Gennady Kremlev (VAZ 2108, Chelyabinsk), student of Automobile and Tractor Engineering.
In the classification "Student. Rear Drive" the so called "semyorki" (VAZ 2107) were popular: all the prize holders have this model of Russian car. The debutant Aleksandr Istomin (VAZ 2107, Chelyabinsk) surprised the jury with his results: student of SUSU International Relations Faculty performed the Speed Manoeuvring without mistakes and very fast (the second place in the classification) and even one mistake in passing Slalom could not prevent Sasha from taking the second place. Konstantin Burtsev (VAZ 2107, Chelyabinsk, Chelyabinsk State Agroengineering Academy) did not make any mistake and became the winner. The third place was taken by Pavel Vilkov (VAZ 21074, Chelyabinsk), student of SUSU Automobile and Tractor Engineering Faculty.
Among the results of drivers who are not students we would like to point out Vladislav Zhvakin (Ford Fiesta ST, Ekaterinburg) who took the third place in the classification "Absolute. Front Drive". The champion of Sverdlovsk region in autosprint in the classification "Rear Drive" came to our competitions at the invitation of his colleague Dmitry Vlasov - graduate of Automobile and Tractor Engineering Faculty and organizer of competitions "Virtuoso Driver" in 2008-2010. Now Dmitry and his colleagues (team "JSC OKB Novator") plan to participate in all competitions of the championship. The second place in the classification "Absolute. Front Drive" was taken by Marat Aflyatunov (Lada Kalina, Chelyabinsk), repeat prize winner of our competitions. And, finally, Aleksandr Salomatin (Mitsubishi Lancer, Chelyabinsk), graduate of Automobile and Tractor Engineering Faculty and repeat prize holder and winner of "Virtuoso Driver" took the first place.
The classification "Absolute. Rear Drive" gave us two surprises at once: silver medal of the debutant Vitaly Ladoshin (VAZ 21060, Chelyabinsk, SUSU, Economics and Management Faculty) and bronze medal of Kirill Oleynikov (VAZ 21074, Chelyabinsk, South Ural Professional Institute). Last year Kirill took only the ninth place in "Virtuoso Driver" in Kunashak. Though the winner in that classification was not surprising - again the first place was taken by Danil Plaksin (VAZ 2105, Chelyabinsk)!
In Team Classification the winning places were distributed in the following way:
1st place. Team "STK Patriot", Kataysk
2nd place. Team ZMS, Chelyabinsk
3d place. Team "Automobile and Tractor Engineering Faculty", Chelyabinsk
All the participants were awarded with diplomas, the prize holders were given the Cups and certificates for motor oil and car wash services from the sponsors.
We would like to thank the Administration of Kunashak municipal region and personally Nadezhda Hayatova, Head of Youth Department, for her warm and friendly welcome and also our partners for their support while organizing the championship!
We are waiting for the auto enthusiasts for the next competitions "Virtuoso Driver 2013" which will take place on February 16 in Chelyabinsk. The timetable, regulations of the championship and detailed results of the first round you can check at web site of SUSU Automobile and Tractor Engineering Faculty atfakultet.ru
The prize winners of the championship "Virtuoso Driver 2013. Kunashak's Cup":
Classification "Lady"
1st place. Alchina Tatyana, Daewoo Matiz, Chelyabinsk, Chelyabinsk State Medical Academy
2nd place. Kungurova Mariya, VAZ 2109, Kataysk, Municipal Educational Institution of Kunashak Secondary School No.1
3d place. Balakina Albina, Peugeot 407, Kunashak
Classification "Absolute. Rear Drive"
1st place. Plaksin Danil, VAZ 2105, Chelyabinsk
2nd place. Ladoshin Vitaly, VAZ 21060, Chelyabinsk, SUSU - Economics and Management Faculty
3d place. Oleynikov Kirill, VAZ 21074, Chelyabinsk, South Ural Professional Institute
Classification "Absolute. Front Drive"
1st place. Salomatin Aleksandr, Mitsubishi Lancer ,Chelyabinsk, graduate of SUSU - Automobile and Tractor Engineering Faculty
2nd place. Aflyatunov Marat, Lada Kalina, Chelyabinsk
3d place. Zhvakin Vladislav, Ford Fiesta ST, Ekaterinburg, JSC "OKB Novator"
Classification "Student. Rear Drive"
1st place. Burtsev Konstantin, VAZ 2107, Chelyabinsk, Chelyabinsk State Agroengineering Academy
2nd place. Istomin Aleksandr, VAZ 2107, Chelyabinsk, SUSU - International Relations Faculty
3d place. Vilkov Pavel, VAZ 21074, Chelyabinsk, SUSU - Automobile and Tractor Engineering Faculty
Classification "Student. Front Drive"
1st place. Volkov Andrey, VAZ 2109, Kataysk, MGRI RSGPU
2nd place. Trifonov Aleksandr, VAZ 2109, Kataysk, Municipal Educational Institution of Secondary School No.2
3d place. Kremlev Gennady, VAZ 2108, Chelyabinsk, SUSU - Automobile and Tractor Engineering Faculty