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Van Isle 360 International Yacht Race returns to Nanaimo waters

NANAIMO — Boats big and small are readying to circumnavigate Vancouver Island.

The Van Isle 360 International Yacht Race sees dozens of vessels sail around Vancouver Island, and begins in Nanaimo on Saturday, June 3 with boats arriving as early as Wednesday, May 31 at the W.E. Mills Landing and Marina, off Cameron Island.

Sylvia Motley owns the race with her husband Jeff, she told NanaimoNewsNOW 39 boats, roughly 325 sailors and around 50 support crew will make the trek around the Island over the next two weeks.

“[The boats] going to range from 24 feet up to 52 feet. Most of the races this year are American, 60 per cent of our fleet are American. They’re very keen on this race…so many anchorages, so much wild beauty around the Island which they just really don’t have once you get south of Seattle.”

Start times on Saturday morning will be at 10:20 a.m., 10:30 a.m. and 10:40 a.m. as the boats navigate around busy Harbour waters with BC Ferries and seaplanes, along with personal watercraft.

Motley said the start is always a little chaotic with the best viewing along the seawall by the pier.

“The start is always fun, it’s very small and between satellite reef and the pier. There will be a lot of yelling and screaming and hopefully quite a bit of wind so we get out of the harbour quickly.”

After starting in Nanaimo, boats will turn north for the first of nine races around the Island, making stops along the way.

Most races are short day trips, however, boats will go overnight against the clock and each other down the Island’s west coast.

While boats are split into four divisions, they’re all competing for top prize through a unique ranking, the Ocean Racing Council system, which evens the field.

“It’s a very accurate form of handicapping the boats in that it takes into account weights of the boats, measurements, how tall their mast is, how big their sails are,” Motley said. “This makes the competitors very, very close because these ratings are so accurate.”

Usually held at the end of May or the start of June, timing of the race is built around one critical junction point.

“The race is totally dependent timing-wise on the tides through Seymour Narrows [between Vancouver Island and Quadra Island, north of Campbell River]. It’s the only place the boats will motor to get through the narrows and the whole race is based when we can get through at a half decent time.”

Boats will begin arriving back in Nanaimo in the evening or overnight hours of Friday, June 16 into Saturday, June 17 with an awards banquet to follow Saturday night.

It’s the first time in four years the bi-annual event has run, after being cancelled in 2021.

The races are supported by crews from the Royal Canadian Navy and the Canadian Coast Guard.

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Sailors circumnavigate Vancouver Island in Van Isle 360 International Yacht Race

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Thirty-eight vessels have set out to circumnavigate Vancouver Island as part of the Van Isle 360 International Yacht Race.

The boats, including a handful of sailboats that recently completed Swiftsure, set out Saturday from Nanaimo for the two-week, 1,150-kilometre journey around the Island — the first since 2019, due to COVID.

This will be the 13th edition of the biennial competition, which alternates each year with the Vic-Maui yacht race.

Organizers Jeff and Sylvia Motley of Chemainus were avid sailors when they took over the Van Isle 360, but now put all their energy into making sure the event runs well.

“What goes on in the water is the simple part,” Jeff Motley said. “It’s the logistics on the land that are hard.”

That’s because the boats stop at eight designated ports as they make their way around the Island, he said, giving the hard-working crews time for some fun ashore after a day on the water.

“Every day they get out there and go as fast as they possibly can from one place to the next,” Motley said.

After their days on the water, the sailors will spend time in Comox, Campbell River, Sayward, Telegraph Cove, Port Hardy, Winter Harbour, Ucluelet and Victoria before finishing in Nanaimo on June 17.

Crew members on the boats plus helpers following on land adds up to about 350 people converging at each community along the way, Motley said.

Motley said the mix of the onshore and offshore experience is a big attraction for competitors. “Some people have referred to it as adult Disneyland.”

This year’s field is about 60 per cent Americans and 40 per cent Canadians, and includes Victoria-based skippers Suze Cumming, Ellery Down, Ben Sproule and Colin Nichols.

The boats will stop at the Royal Victoria Yacht Club once they get past the open ocean on the Island’s west coast, with a barbecue planned for June 15, Motley said.

The following day will see an 11 a.m. start off Clover Point for the final push to Nanaimo.

It could be a spectacular sight, he said, because the racers get going downwind, which means colourful spinnaker sails.

For more on the race and the full list of competitors, go to vanisle360.com .

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After an extended break due to COVID, 12 boats are currently racing from the Pacific Northwest to paradise in the Vic-Maui International Yacht Race, a monohull race competed biennially since 1965. This is the 28th running of the event, and throughout the years almost 550 boats have raced from Victoria, Canada, across the Pacific Ocean to Lahaina, Maui. The Vic-Maui race is co-hosted by the Royal Vancouver Yacht Club (RVYC) and the Lahaina Yacht Club, and takes place thanks to the engagement of both clubs and many dedicated, skillful volunteers.

Through intense race preparation, Vic-Maui skippers and crew have bonded this past winter, ensuring their boats meet the requirements in the World Sailing Offshore Special Regulations, the Notice of Race and appendices. There are two classes in the race. The Lahaina Class features more flexible racing requirements, while the stricter Racing Class showcases competitive yachts which traveled a fair distance to race, including Doug Baker’s Kernan 68 Peligroso , from Long Beach, California, and, from Kaneohe Yacht Club, Gib Black’s Tripp 47 Lurlin .

Vic-Maui boats began arriving in the heart of the historic port city of Victoria, Canada, on July 1, for the July 9 start. Distinct from many offshore races of typically 600 nautical miles, the 2,308 nautical mile Vic-Maui race is a unique offshore experience. There were starts on two dates, but on neither was the wind speed above 5 knots. Fortunately, start times are set to occur near high slack water, so the ebb tide assisted boats to get out of the strait. That was certainly helpful this year.

The race started with the challenge of navigating the Juan de Fuca Strait with its fog and strong tidal currents, while avoiding incoming shipping traffic. Boats then left Duntze Rock off northern Washington to port, passing Tatoosh Island, then a long reach down the west coast until a right turn around the North Pacific High, with navigators choosing their “slot” to the trade winds for the final gybe and warm winds while avoiding approaching the center of the North Pacific High with its light winds centered near 45N; the affect of this area is huge, with the potential influence potentially felt from 30N to 60N.

The 2,308 nautical mile race will test the boats and crew. This is an OSR Category One ocean race where safety requirements are very high, but the requirements don’t dissuade new racers from the challenge. At least two-thirds of the crew, including the Person in Charge, must hold a valid certificate for a World Sailing approved Offshore Personal Survival course. On-board satellite systems have become standard equipment, which also allows boats to maintain a connection to their shore support to monitor their crew and boat.

When boats arrive at the finish at Lahaina Yacht Club, crew are greeted with leis, kisses from loved ones, a welcome banner and a case of beer, as well as a party celebrating their arrival and amazing achievement of sailing to the isolated Pacific island. After the race officially ends on Friday, July 22, a gala celebration will follow for the racers, with trophies awarded and stories shared. The current Elapsed Race Record was set in 2016 by Gavin Brackett’s TP52 Valkyrie , and it stands at 8 days, 9 hours, 17 minutes, 50 seconds. We will know later this month if this record stands!

Shoreside watchers can follow the tracker and read the adventures via Daily Reports on the Vic-Maui home page HERE .

• Team Information Team Profiles Crew Bank Crew Bank Registration Events & Logistics Shackles & Cotterpins Newsletter Victoria, BC Information Lahaina, Maui Information
• Official Notice Board Official Notice Board Vic-Maui Knowledge Base Ratings & Measurement Mentor Program Qualifying Races Events & Logistics Skippers Forum Race Documents Archives
• Courses Personal Survival Training Introduction Coastal Personal Survival Course Offshore Personal Survival Course Personal Survival Training Introduction (legacy link) Offshore Weather & Routing Seminar Offshore First Aid Course
• Store Online Entry Offshore Preparation Seminar Official Merchandise Send-off Social Waiting Wahine Luncheon Awards Banquet Moorage Bottom Cleaning Diver Tracker Rental for Return Delivery after Vic-Maui ORC Measurement Appointment Booking Safety Consultation Appointment Booking
• Archives Race Information & History Introduction Specific Race Years Results, Winners, Records, Trophies All Years (downloadable information) All Years Trustees, Chairs and Commodores The Boats Photo Gallery Archives Video Gallery Archives Audio Reports and Interviews Daily Position Reports and Tracks Media Coverage
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R ACE I NFORMATION

The Victoria to Maui International Yacht Race, first contested in 1965, is the pinnacle of Pacific Northwest ocean racing. Vic-Maui runs every second year, starting in June or July off Victoria, British Columbia and finishing near Lahaina, Maui, a distance of approximately 2308 nautical miles.

Vic-Maui challenges navigators to demonstrate their weather routing and navigational skills. Success depends on the navigator's skill in predicting where the Pacific High pressure zone and trade winds will be, nearly a week into the future. The adventure includes sailing around the Pacific High and surfing downwind in the trades. The days pass quickly with the fleet surrounded by dolphins and albatross, spectacular sunrises, sunsets and brilliant starlit nights. Teamwork gets the boats to the finish line near Lahaina, where each arriving boat is greeted with an outstanding Hawaiian welcoming party. Family and friends meet the racers to celebrate the accomplishment with hugs, leis and mai-tais. Many crew stay to spend more time enjoying Maui with their families before heading home.

H OST Y ACHT C LUBS

Royal vancouver yacht club  .

The Royal Vancouver Yacht Club is located at 3811 Point Grey Road on the south shore of English Bay on Vancouver's waterfront. Established in 1903 and renovated in 1978 and 1997, the club has 4400 members and is known as the "sailing capital of Western Canada". RVYC has a long history of hosting regattas and an international reputation for excellent race management and on-shore activities.

The Royal Vancouver Yacht Club web site offers complete information about the club.

Lahaina Yacht Club  

In 1965, at the old Anchor Cove on Front St, a small group of sailors got to drinking & talking (as sailors will) and the Lahaina Yacht Club was born. Soon a fleet of sunfish were purchased and races were taking place off of the beach next to the Lahaina Broiler. In 1967 an all-volunteer group of LYC members took a building (an old laundry) that was tumbling into the ocean and built the clubhouse at 835 Front St. There have been several renovations over the years most of the work being done by members. LYC is host to two major events. Annually we hold the Lahaina Jackpot Fishing Tournament where we have had as many as 150 boats competing for more than $20,000. Biennially we host the finish of the Vic-Maui Race, known around the Pacific as having the best dock parties for each yacht that completes the race.

Please visit the Lahaina Yacht Club website for more information about the club.

R ACE H ISTORY

Vic-Maui celebrated the Half Century mark in 2016.  

The first Vic-Maui was sailed in 1965. The race was a dream of Royal Vancouver Yacht Club member JG (Jim) Innes who at that time was a Captain for Canadian Pacific Airlines. Jim talked for years about the idea of such a race originating in Victoria and ending some 2308 nautical miles away in Maui. He convinced three other skippers to start with him off Brotchie Ledge in 1965. With Jim in his Lapworth 36' "Long Gone", there was Lol Killam of the Royal Vancouver Yacht Club with the 45' sloop "Velaris", Ron Ramsay of the Royal Victoria Yacht Club with the 45' ketch "Norena of Wight" and Boo Paskel from Seattle Yacht club with his 73' ketch "Tatoosh". The 1965 race and weather were typical; Westerlies in the Juan de Fuca Strait, a left turn down the coast to about the latitude of San Francisco followed by a right turn under the North Pacific High and a gybe with the northeasterly trade winds filling spinnakers for the sun run to Maui. Three boats finished the race some 15 days later at Kahalui Harbour on the north coast of Maui.  The fourth boat "Tatoosh", having used the iron spinnaker, greeted the three arrivals with Mai Tai’s. 

During their stay in Maui they met up with the originators of what would become the Lahaina Yacht Club. Upon returning to BC waters both Jim and Lol proceeded to convince the Royal Vancouver Yacht Club and the newly organized Lahaina Yacht Club to jointly sponsor the Vic-Maui International Yacht Race.  The second Vic-Maui was sailed in 1968 with some 14 boats entered. Bill Killam's Porpoise III swept the fleet first to finish and first on corrected time. She took 17 days, 6 hours and 50 minutes. The race, heralded as a FUN RACE has encouraged both the ardent racer and the cruiser-racer. It has been held every second year since 1968, with 2016 being the 26th Vic-Maui race. The number of entrants has ranged from as few as 4 to as many as 37 boats.

The elapsed time record has been broken many times since 1965. The current record holder "Valkyrie", skippered by Gavin Brackett and sailing for the Royal Vancouver Yacht Club, completed the 2016 race in 8 days, 9 hours, 17 minutes and 50 seconds, crushing the previous record of 9 days, 2 hours, 8 minutes and 27 seconds which was set in 2000 by "Grand Illusion", skippered by James McDowell of the Lahaina Yacht Club.  

JG (Jim) Innes passed away on November 9, 2001 and Vic-Maui continues as part of his legacy.

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Life is short. When you have a dream, today is the time to make it happen. We are a team with a dream; we will be sailing across the Pacific Ocean straight to paradise. We all have our stories that brought us together on this journey. This adventure is about new friendships, excitement and life achievement. 

 Xiomara is brand new to the world of racing. She was born just before COVID in 2019. She is an X-Yacht 4.3. Xiomara stands for Ready for battle and the Brightest star in the universe. We are ready to shine our way to Maui, skippered by Aidan Walters. Elaine, Glyn, Ian, Isa, Kurt, Scott, Shannon and Steve are all members of the new family of Xiomara.  We will be racing Patos Island, Southern Straights and Swiftsure this season. As part of our journey, we will be raising money for awareness on cancer research in the name of the BC Cancer foundation.  Please donate if you know someone battling with this terrible disease so we can make a difference.

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Marussia f1 team return to russia for moscow city racing, andy webb, marussia ceo: we have seen the strength of that support again in the last few days following the very pleasing announcement of our new powertrain partnership with scuderia ferrari..

Max Chilton, Marussia F1 Team MR02

Despite the three-week gap between Rounds 9 and 10 of the FIA Formula 1 World Championship® the Marussia F1 Team has had little time to draw breath, embarking on a series of promotional events to reward the loyal support of its fans.

This week, while the race team conduct the Young Driver Test at Silverstone, the demonstration team are heading ‘home’ to Russia for their second year of participation in ‘Moscow City Racing’.

The event takes place on 20 and 21 July, with the demonstration runs scheduled for Sunday 21 July on the streets surrounding the Kremlin and the ‘paddock’ located close to Red Square.

Photo by: XPB Images

Visitors will also be given the opportunity to enter the inner-sanctum - the Paddock - to soak up the atmosphere and see for themselves the intricacies of Formula 1 design and engineering.

Aside from his on-track duties, Max will participate in a range of promotional activities, taking time out to mingle with the Russian fans during autograph sessions and photo opportunities.

Supporting the Marussia F1 Team over the weekend are main event partner Liga Stavok along with additional partners Instaforex, QNet and RBC.

Max Chilton: “There have been quite a few ‘firsts’ for me in my debut season in Formula One - new racetracks, new cities, meeting new fans - and Moscow City Racing will be my very first visit to Russia. I can’t wait. From what I hear from previous events, the demonstration runs are a fantastic spectacle and the crowd is huge and very supportive.

That’s nice, because we are the only Anglo-Russian team and it is good to keep building on their love of Formula 1 before Russia gets its very own race next year in Sochi. I’m really excited about making the trip and I hope to meet as many of the Russian fans as possible, when I’m not driving through their streets!”

Andy Webb, CEO: “The Marussia F1 Team are very excited to be returning to Russia to participate in the Moscow City Racing event for a second successive year. As the only Anglo-Russian team in Formula One, this event has become a very important date in our Team calendar, as we continue our determined efforts to bring more of F1 to Russia and more of Russia to F1.

This is our opportunity to get closer to the fans and for them to see our car and drivers right on their doorstep, not just on the TV. Our drivers Jules Bianchi and Max Chilton are enjoying a flying start to their exciting debut seasons and the Marussia F1 Team really is going from strength to strength now, making good progress towards its long-term ambitions.

We look forward to a fantastic crowd in Moscow and to expressing our thanks for all the incredible support we receive ‘back home’ in Russia. We have seen the strength of that support again in the last few days following the very pleasing announcement of our new powertrain partnership with Scuderia Ferrari. It seems the fans share our optimism for the future of the Marussia F1 Team.”

Marussia F1 Team

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The Comprehensive Guide to Moscow Nightlife

• Posted on April 14, 2018 July 26, 2018
• by Kings of Russia
• 8 minute read

Moscow’s nightlife scene is thriving, and arguably one of the best the world has to offer – top-notch Russian women, coupled with a never-ending list of venues, Moscow has a little bit of something for everyone’s taste. Moscow nightlife is not for the faint of heart – and if you’re coming, you better be ready to go Friday and Saturday night into the early morning.

This comprehensive guide to Moscow nightlife will run you through the nuts and bolts of all you need to know about Moscow’s nightclubs and give you a solid blueprint to operate with during your time in Moscow.

What you need to know before hitting Moscow nightclubs

Prices in moscow nightlife.

Before you head out and start gaming all the sexy Moscow girls , we have to talk money first. Bring plenty because in Moscow you can never bring a big enough bankroll. Remember, you’re the man so making a fuzz of not paying a drink here or there will not go down well.

Luckily most Moscow clubs don’t do cover fees. Some electro clubs will charge 15-20$, depending on their lineup. There’s the odd club with a minimum spend of 20-30$, which you’ll drop on drinks easily. By and large, you can scope out the venues for free, which is a big plus.

Bottle service is a great deal in Moscow. At top-tier clubs, it starts at 1,000$. That’ll go a long way with premium vodka at 250$, especially if you have three or four guys chipping in. Not to mention that it’s a massive status boost for getting girls, especially at high-end clubs.

Without bottle service, you should estimate a budget of 100-150$ per night. That is if you drink a lot and hit the top clubs with the hottest girls. Scale down for less alcohol and more basic places.

Dress code & Face control

Door policy in Moscow is called “face control” and it’s always the guy behind the two gorillas that gives the green light if you’re in or out.

In Moscow nightlife there’s only one rule when it comes to dress codes:

You can never be underdressed.

People dress A LOT sharper than, say, in the US and that goes for both sexes. For high-end clubs, you definitely want to roll with a sharp blazer and a pocket square, not to mention dress shoes in tip-top condition. Those are the minimum requirements to level the playing field vis a vis with other sharply dressed guys that have a lot more money than you do. Unless you plan to hit explicit electro or underground clubs, which have their own dress code, you are always on the money with that style.

Getting in a Moscow club isn’t as hard as it seems: dress sharp, speak English at the door and look like you’re in the mood to spend all that money that you supposedly have (even if you don’t). That will open almost any door in Moscow’s nightlife for you.

Types of Moscow Nightclubs

In Moscow there are four types of clubs with the accompanying female clientele:

High-end clubs:

These are often crossovers between restaurants and clubs with lots of tables and very little space to dance. Heavy accent on bottle service most of the time but you can work the room from the bar as well. The hottest and most expensive girls in Moscow go there. Bring deep pockets and lots of self-confidence and you have a shot at swooping them.

Regular Mid-level clubs:

They probably resemble more what you’re used to in a nightclub: big dancefloors, stages and more space to roam around. Bottle service will make you stand out more but you can also do well without. You can find all types of girls but most will be in the 6-8 range. Your targets should always be the girls drinking and ideally in pairs. It’s impossible not to swoop if your game is at least half-decent.

Basic clubs/dive bars:

Usually spots with very cheap booze and lax face control. If you’re dressed too sharp and speak no Russian, you might attract the wrong type of attention so be vigilant. If you know the local scene you can swoop 6s and 7s almost at will. Usually students and girls from the suburbs.

Electro/underground clubs:

Home of the hipsters and creatives. Parties there don’t mean meeting girls and getting drunk but doing pills and spacing out to the music. Lots of attractive hipster girls if that is your niche. That is its own scene with a different dress code as well.

What time to go out in Moscow

Moscow nightlife starts late. Don’t show up at bars and preparty spots before 11pm because you’ll feel fairly alone. Peak time is between 1am and 3am. That is also the time of Moscow nightlife’s biggest nuisance: concerts by artists you won’t know and who only distract your girls from drinking and being gamed. From 4am to 6am the regular clubs are emptying out but plenty of people, women included, still hit up one of the many afterparty clubs. Those last till well past 10am.

As far as days go: Fridays and Saturdays are peak days. Thursday is an OK day, all other days are fairly weak and you have to know the right venues.

The Ultimate Moscow Nightclub List

Short disclaimer: I didn’t add basic and electro clubs since you’re coming for the girls, not for the music. This list will give you more options than you’ll be able to handle on a weekend.

Preparty – start here at 11PM

Classic restaurant club with lots of tables and a smallish bar and dancefloor. Come here between 11pm and 12am when the concert is over and they start with the actual party. Even early in the night tons of sexy women here, who lean slightly older (25 and up).

The second floor of the Ugolek restaurant is an extra bar with dim lights and house music tunes. Very small and cozy with a slight hipster vibe but generally draws plenty of attractive women too. A bit slower vibe than Valenok.

Very cool, spread-out venue that has a modern library theme. Not always full with people but when it is, it’s brimming with top-tier women. Slow vibe here and better for grabbing contacts and moving on.

High-end: err on the side of being too early rather than too late because of face control.

Secret Room

Probably the top venue at the moment in Moscow . Very small but wildly popular club, which is crammed with tables but always packed. They do parties on Thursdays and Sundays as well. This club has a hip-hop/high-end theme, meaning most girls are gold diggers, IG models, and tattooed hip hop chicks. Very unfavorable logistics because there is almost no room no move inside the club but the party vibe makes it worth it. Strict face control.

Close to Secret Room and with a much more favorable and spacious three-part layout. This place attracts very hot women but also lots of ball busters and fakes that will leave you blue-balled. Come early because after 4am it starts getting empty fast. Electronic music.

A slightly kitsch restaurant club that plays Russian pop and is full of gold diggers, semi-pros, and men from the Caucasus republics. Thursday is the strongest night but that dynamic might be changing since Secret Room opened its doors. You can swoop here but it will be a struggle.

Mid-level: your sweet spot in terms of ease and attractiveness of girls for an average budget.

Started going downwards in 2018 due to lax face control and this might get even worse with the World Cup. In terms of layout one of the best Moscow nightclubs because it’s very big and bottle service gives you a good edge here. Still attracts lots of cute girls with loose morals but plenty of provincial girls (and guys) as well. Swooping is fairly easy here.

I haven’t been at this place in over a year, ever since it started becoming ground zero for drunken teenagers. Similar clientele to Icon but less chic, younger and drunker. Decent mainstream music that attracts plenty of tourists. Girls are easy here as well.

Sort of a Coyote Ugly (the real one in Moscow sucks) with party music and lots of drunken people licking each others’ faces. Very entertaining with the right amount of alcohol and very easy to pull in there. Don’t think about staying sober in here, you’ll hate it.

Artel Bessonitsa/Shakti Terrace

Electronic music club that is sort of a high-end place with an underground clientele and located between the teenager clubs Icon and Gipsy. Very good music but a bit all over the place with their vibe and their branding. You can swoop almost any type of girl here from high-heeled beauty to coked-up hipsters, provided they’re not too sober.

Afterparty: if by 5AM  you haven’t pulled, it’s time to move here.

Best afterparty spot in terms of trying to get girls. Pretty much no one is sober in there and savage gorilla game goes a long way. Lots of very hot and slutty-looking girls but it can be hard to tell apart who is looking for dick and who is just on drugs but not interested. If by 9-10am you haven’t pulled, it is probably better to surrender.

The hipster alternative for afterparties, where even more drugs are in play. Plenty of attractive girls there but you have to know how to work this type of club. A nicer atmosphere and better music but if you’re desperate to pull, you’ll probably go to Miks.

Weekday jokers: if you’re on the hunt for some sexy Russian girls during the week, here are two tips to make your life easier.

Chesterfield

Ladies night on Wednesdays means this place gets pretty packed with smashed teenagers and 6s and 7s. Don’t pull out the three-piece suit in here because it’s a “simpler” crowd. Definitely your best shot on Wednesdays.

If you haven’t pulled at Chesterfield, you can throw a Hail Mary and hit up Garage’s Black Music Wednesdays. Fills up really late but there are some cute Black Music groupies in here. Very small club. Thursday through Saturday they do afterparties and you have an excellent shot and swooping girls that are probably high.

Shishas Sferum

This is pretty much your only shot on Mondays and Tuesdays because they offer free or almost free drinks for women. A fairly low-class club where you should watch your drinks. As always the case in Moscow, there will be cute girls here on any day of the week but it’s nowhere near as good as on the weekend.

In a nutshell, that is all you need to know about where to meet Moscow girls in nightlife. There are tons of options, and it all depends on what best fits your style, based on the type of girls that you’re looking for.

Related Topics

• moscow girls
• moscow nightlife

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Moscow Raceway

• 2012 to date

Circuit Overview

Moscow Raceway owes its existence to Russia's desire to host a Formula One race but seems destined to lose out to Sochi and the Igora Drive circuits for the foreseeable future.

Boasting a full FIA Grade 1 Grand Prix layout and and FIM Grade B circuit, the track was initially successful at attracting a range of high-profile championships, from the World Superbikes to World Touring Cars, the DTM and the Blancpain World Series.  One by one these have dropped off the schedule, however, leaving the circuit to host mainly national level events, albeit the most important on Russian racing scene.

Circuit History

Plans for a street race in the Russian capital were first mooted in the 1980s and a Grand Prix of the Soviet Union did in fact make it onto the draft F1 calendar for 1983. However, bureaucratic barriers prevented the Grand Prix from being held, and the race was dropped.

Two decades later, new plans were advanced for a permanent circuit on an island in the Molzhaninovsky area in the north of the city. These received backing from the Moscow mayor, and F1 circuit designer Hermann Tilke was engaged to design the facility. Construction was due to start on November 30th, 2001. However, the mayor rejected the commercial contract offered by Bernie Ecclestone and construction was delayed. It was eventually abandoned altogether in January 2003 and the land turned over to a hotel, yacht marina and golf course instead.

By 2008 momentum had built again for a new project, intended to host both F1 and MotoGP events and located around 90 minutes from the capital. Hermann Tilke was again employed to design the permanent facility. Unlike previous attempts, this project became a reality and on October 1, 2008 a delegation including F1 driver David Coulthard witnessed the ceremonial laying of the first stone.

Construction continued throughout the next few years, supervised by Tilke. After initially signing a deal with Bernie Ecclestone in 2008, the project was dropped from the 2010 Formula 1 calendar in early 2009, and construction stopped. Work resumed in June 2010, with the new contractor agreeing to complete the road section of the track. By September 2011, all asphalt laying had been completed, and construction of the associated pit, support and medical buildings was being undertaken.

When the full circuit and all of its infrastructure was completed in July 2012, it had cost a total of 4.5 billion rubles. Tilke had designed a technical circuit featuring a 873 metres long back straight – among the longest allowable under modern track design guidelines – which would see Formula One cars achieve a theoretical 193mph.

When presented for inspection, the circuit achieved FIA 1(T) status, allowing for Formula One testing and all categories of racing below this. However, the FIM only granted Grade B status, one below the expected level for motorcycle. This still allows for the raceway's inclusion on the World Superbike calendar, though further work will be required before MotoGP could visit.  Subsequently, the track has achieved FIA Grade 1 status, allowing for full Formula One races to take place.

A total of 18 variations of the circuit can be run, from the full Grand Prix course, to shorter 'sprint' variations and a small 'club' circuit utilising the western end only. World Superbikes have utilised the FIM GP course, as has the Renault World Series and WTCC from 2013 onwards (the Renault series' had previously used GP1),  while the DTM makes use of the shorter Sprint Circuit 4.

Tragedy struck the circuit during the first visit of the World Superbike Championships in 2013. During the first lap of the supporting World Supersport race, Italian rider Andrea Antonelli lost control on a slick track during torrential rain. He fell to the ground where he was struck by fellow Italian rider Lorenzo Zanetti, dying from his injuries later the same day. Criticism was levelled at race organisers for beginning the race in such conditions, while the circuit fell under scrutiny for what some felt was inadequate drainage – both claims strongly rejected by championship promoters, Dorna.

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Plan a visit

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Planning a visit to Moscow Raceway? Find the best deals near to the circuit on hotels, apartments and rooms to rent from the map below.

Tip: You can also find the best local restaurants and deals on other nearby attractions by clicking on the logo in the top left of the map.

Moscow Raceway is located within 90 minutes drive of central Moscow and 20 minutes drive from Volokolamsk.  Moscow's three international airports are within easy reach of the circuit - Sheremetyevo and Vnukovo are both around a 60 mile drive, while Domodedovo is around 90 miles away.

Travelling by car from Moscow, take Novorizhskoye highway (M9) or Volokolamskoye highway and drive for 60 miles/95 km, and then follow the turn sign for Moscow Raceway.   The journey usually takes 90 minutes.

You can also travel by train from Moscow. Take a train from Rizhsky train station to Chismena (2 hours 10 minutes). During international events free shuttle buses are available from the station to the track and back.

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Wind: Light air, 3.49 m/s Direction: Towards S

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