REC: "Battle of the Motors" and the return of the legend

      On Saturday, May 24, the first stage of the Russian series of endurance races REC 2025, the Grand Prix of Auto Mail, will take place at the Moscow Raceway near Moscow.

       

      Thirty-five crews will take part in the race: sports prototypes and GT class cars will be presented in the race, from the iconic Mini Cooper F56 to Mercedes GT3 and Lamborghini. The marathon will last four hours and will traditionally end with headlights at night.

      For the first time in the program of Russian auto racing, there is a spectacular start behind historical cars, symbolizing the connection between times and the sporting spirit of generations. These include replicas of cars from the early 20th century.:  Russo-Balt C24/55 is a participant in the Monaco race in 1912, racing BlitzenBenz and racing Russo-Balt, also known as the Russian Cucumber. The machines were created according to historical drawings for the filming of the large-scale film "Battle of the Motors" produced by the Central Partnership film company and the Kinoslovo company with the support of the Cinema Foundation.

      The cars were built by the design bureau of Igor Ermilin, one of the best Russian car designers, who created, among other things, the famous Marussia racing car, which also participates in the Russian Endurance Racing Series.

      The painting "Battle of the Motors" is based on a true story. The plot focuses on the fate of Andrei Nagel, an enthusiast and pioneer of the Russian automotive industry. Despite the skepticism of others and fierce competition with foreign manufacturers, he undertakes an ambitious project — the development and production of the first Russo-Balt cars. Dmitry Bondarev, a talented engineer, becomes his ally, and the main challenge is the legendary Monte Carlo Rally and survival in a world dominated by European automotive giants. The main roles were played by Ivan Yankovsky (Andrei Nagel), Yura Borisov (Dmitry Bondarev), Paulina Andreeva (Lydia) and others.

      Igor Ermilin, designer: "A unique and fascinating work, made practically from photographs, which allowed us to feel the beauty of these cars and plunge into the world of that time of the "firsts". I am grateful that my team can participate in a project that reveals an instructive page in the history of Russia. Participating in the work on cars allowed us to be behind the scenes of a large-scale, complex and incredibly beautiful project. Touching the "magic of cinema" is an incomparable pleasure, and it gave us an understanding of how difficult but inspiring this work is for all participants of the project."

      Ilya Malanin, director: "It is a great success that we were able to recreate these unique cars from scratch especially for our painting. This is a very meticulous and high-quality job, and we are very pleased that the audience of the event will see this beauty in action."

      The audience will be able to take photos against the background of the participants' cars and historical replicas of the "Battle of Motors" in the paddock. The entrance to the autodrome will be open for spectators from 14:30, the Battle of Motors retro car race will take place at 16:30, and the endurance race itself will start at 17:30.

      A free indoor children's area with animators and entertainment from Rosgosstrakh Life is provided for children and their parents.  Find out all the details of the spectator activities and purchase tickets for the first stage of the REC Grand Prix Auto Mail.Ru – it is possible on the website. Details about the participants are available on the website and in the VK group.