REC: The finale of the 2026 season will be the "500 versts MRW" race.

      Organizers of the Russian Endurance Racing Series have decided to change the format of at least one race in next season.

      "500 versts MRW" — that will be the name of the REC series' final round next season, which will take place at the Moscow Raceway circuit near Moscow. This race, which used to last four hours, will no longer be time-based but distance-based: crews will have to cover 500 versts, which is roughly equal to 535 km.

      In practice the marathon's duration will depend on the weather and many other factors.

      Anastasia Bendikova, REC's chief organizer: "We wanted to introduce a certain element of surprise into the season finale. The October round in 2026 could be unpredictable, because the race will be run not according to how long the drivers spend on track, but according to the distance covered.

      Under safety car conditions the marathon could be prolonged by more than an hour, whereas in dry weather and with a track configuration without a chicane it would last less than four hours.

      We chose versts (not kilometers and not miles) as the unit of length to, first, emphasize the national character of the event, and, second, because we believe it's still too early to hold races lasting more than five hours, so this distance is optimal in every respect. The crews also liked that the distance is given in versts."