Just a few years before, the famous New York-to-Paris race wound its way through tsarist Russia, with competitors describing nearly impossible-to-traverse terrain there, some of the worst on the global competition. But by 1914, Russian motoring enthusiasts had not only grown in numbers, they had also organized their own rallies and races and set the stage for the first Russian Grand Prix, which took place in May of that year.
But with the onset of World War I and the Russian Revolution, that Grand Prix would also be the country’s last, at least until the one scheduled for later this year in Sochi. Russians, understandably, are proud of their brief moment in the international motoring spotlight, and so last month the organizers of the third annual Bosch Moskau Klassik paid tribute to the Russian Grand Prix on the occasion of its centennial with a rally around Moscow and some spins around a wetted extreme driving track. The folks from Oldtimer.ru shared some photos and a writeup of the event with us on the My Hemmings pages:
27 crews took off with a minute interval from the national Historic Museum just next to the famous Red Square. Early morning crowds in their hundreds flocked to the city center to see all that historic automotive delicacy in action. The first leg of the run was a classic regularity rally through the historic center of Moscow, while the second one took place on the Federal Guard Service extreme driving track near Moscow, where the pilots had to show off their driving skills under varying road conditions.
Among the cars which took start that morning were mighty Americans, traditionally loved in Russia – Cadillac De Ville, Chevrolet Corvette and Dodge Charger; English icons of automotive style – Jaguar XK120, E-Type and Austin-Healey; fine examples of German automotive craftsmanship – Mercedes-Benz 300D and BMW 2000CS, and, of course, nostalgic and memorable to the older generation Russian classics of the communist era – Chaika, Volga, Moskvich and Pobeda.
One of the most exciting parts of the competition were paired speed trials, in which two Russian Moskvich’s threw down the gauntlet to some of the best cars in motorsports history – Austin-Healey Mk 3000 and Austin Mini. The outcome, of course, was predictable, but it was a lot of fun both for the drivers and for the spectators. As a result of a tough final race, the winner’s trophy was awarded to the Austin-Healey Mk 3000 crew G.Artamonov/F.Golov, while Belarusian team I.Krishkevich/A.Khaletski on the Austin Mini – last year’s event winners – took second place overall. The third prize deservedly went to a well-known in Russia, automotive journalist A.Pikulenko who drove a Moskvich 2140 Rally.
This year’s edition of Bosch Moskau Klassik celebrated a centenary of the first Russian motorcar race ever to have a Grand Prix title – Grand-Prix d`Automobil-Club de Saint-Petersbourg, held on May 18, 1914. The Grand Prix and a special Bosch trophy were awarded to a German driver Villie Scholl, who came first overall on his Benz racer and covered the distance of 224 km in 1h 48m, showing a spectacular average speed of 123.8 km/h. Notably, the oldest of the vehicles taking part in this year’s Bosch Moskau Klassik turned 100 years old – it was a 1914 Locomobile Model 48 speedster, restored recently in Russia. This 8.6-Liter giant was built on an imposing 3.6-meters chassis and weighs over 3 tons. The start of this exotic beast was quite a show for Muscovites!
Have a story or coverage of an event that you’d like to share? Upload it to My Hemmings and let us know.
