Chechnya: car race postponed for a week because of rain

The first legitimate night car race in Chechnya appointed for the night of March 7 was postponed for a week because of rains which made the track dangerous for fast driving, as reported by Ibragim Dzhamaldinov, president of the Federation of Motor Racing of Chechnya.

"It's raining these days in Grozny, the track is unsafe for fast driving, and, to exclude any risks, we postponed the race for a week. It will take place at night of March 14," explained the organizer.

Before, Chechnya held no legal street races; however, amateurs of fast driving periodically organized night car races in Grozny at low-traffic suburban streets, mainly in the section running to the airport.

Now, the races are coordinated with the city mayoralty and regional Ministry for Emergencies (MfE), as Mr Dzhamaldinov explained.

The race will take place in a one-kilometre section of the Bogdan Khmelnitskiy Street outside the inhabited districts, not to disturb townspeople. Any driver with a working car is eligible.

The "Gazeta.Ru" reports that the organizers will demand that the cars undergo technical and the drivers medical examination.

Safety will be ensured by over 50 employees of the Chechen MIA; ambulances and MfE crews will be on duty all the time, as reported by the official website of the President and the Government of Chechnya.

President of Chechnya Ramzan Kadyrov is known as a great fan of fast driving and luxurious cars. His personal garage keeps a Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead, Ferrari, Audi R8, Porsche Cayenne, Mercedes-Benz SL of the new generation and a super rarity - Lamborghini Reventon (only 20 cars were made). Early last year, video records appeared in the Internet showing Kadyrov's cortege of 56 elite foreign cars running at full speed, the RBC writes.