(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) When the event gets under way in the uae capital on saturday five top russian drivers and riders go into action under the guidance of a ukrainian team manager their cars and bikes given daily care and attention by support crew from kiev
The flags of ukraine and russia are being proudly flown together by the vvi rally team taking part in the abu dhabi desert challenge. — supplied photo
The flags of ukraine and russia will be proudly flown together by a team in this week’s abu dhabi desert challenge powered by nissan as motor sport unites two countries at the centre of world attention in the ongoing crimean crisis.
When the event gets under way in the uae capital on saturday five top russian drivers and riders go into action under the guidance of a ukrainian team manager their cars and bikes given daily care and attention by support crew from kiev. dubai-based ukrainian vadim pritulyak general manager of the vvi rally team says: “what is happening now on the ukrainian border is very sad. all ukrainians and russians share the same languages and culture.
“my brother was a colonel in the russian army and i was a company leader in the special forces of the ukrainian airborne regiment and there is no way we would ever fight against each other. it’s politics that makes war not people and we are proud to fly the russian and ukrainian flags together in solidarity in the abu dhabi desert challenge. “all our drivers and riders are russian yet all the mechanics and support crew are from ukraine. we have all known each other for more than ten years.” starting with a super special spectator stage beside yas marina circuit at 3pm tomorrow (saturday) the abu dhabi desert challenge is the third round of the 2014 fia world cup for cross country rallies for cars and the opening round of this year’s fim cross country rallies world championship for bikes.
Pritulyak who contested the event on a motor bike in 2011 and 2012 launched his own company in dubai six months ago and since then has been building a powerful team to compete in the desert challenge for the first time.
The team’s two russian drivers are anton grigorov who drives a t1 nissan prototype and has competed in the dakar rally three times and andrey rudskoy current leader of the production category in the fia world cup series in a t2 nissan patrol.
The three russian riders are aleksei nikishin an individual russian enduro champion renat valiullin who rode alongside him in a russian enduro championship-winning team and one of the handful of lady competitors taking part anastasiya nifontova a russian supermoto champion and rally raid russia vice champion. supporting the five competitors this week are four car mechanics from kiev three correspondents two of them ukrainian and the other a russian as well as the team’s ukrainian co-founder vladislav kushchynsky.
“we’re very happy to welcome competitors and other members of the same team proudly flying the flags of russia and ukraine” said rally founder mohammed ben sulayem president of the automobile and touring club of the uae and fia vice president. “this shows the power of sport to unite people even in the most difficult circumstances.”
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