SHOW RACE IN MOSCOW: MOTORSPORT LEGENDS, SPORTS STARS AND PLAYMATES GO HEAD TO HEAD IN THE SCIROCCO R-CUP

July 8, 2014 by Volkswagen Motorsport

Renowned circuit experts take on famous rally aces

◾Football star Dudek and Olympic ski-jumping champion Hannawald in action

◾Playmates Seidel and Tushkanova add a little glamour

◾Fans can follow the race via live stream

The show race in the Volkswagen Scirocco R-Cup in Moscow features an attractive mix of motorsport legends, sports stars and playmates. The environmentally-sound one-make cup will line up in Russia for the first time when its natural gas-powered cars appear on the programme for the DTM race weekend at the Moscow Raceway on 11 and 12 July. This first is being made possible by Gazprom, a partner of Volkswagen, which has been the sole provider of the fuel for the Cup-Scirocco since last season.

The show race promises to be extremely entertaining, with 16 drivers from six different countries and a wide range of fields all going head to head on the outskirts of the Russian capital. Mika Salo (FIN), Jan Lammers (NL) and Nicola Larini (I) became familiar names around the world on the back of their appearances in Formula One, the pinnacle of motor racing. Larini, 1993 DTM champion, goes into the show race as the hot favourite. He won the first race of the 2013 Scirocco R-Cup in Hockenheim as a guest starter in the Legends competition. Another man who has tested in Formula One is Roman Rusinov (RUS), who is probably the best-known Russian racing driver. He now races for Audi in the World Endurance Championship (WEC), having previously claimed a class victory at the 1000km of Le Mans and enjoyed success in GT racing over the course of his motorsport career.

Drivers from F1, DTM, Le Mans, WRC, Dakar and WTCC in the starting grid

Another man well capable of winning in Moscow is DTM legend Manuel Reuter (D), who won the title in the International Touring Car Championship (ITC) in 1996. Reuter has also won the iconic Le Mans 24 Hours on two occasions. At the start of this season he took on the role of mentor in the Volkswagen Scirocco R-Cup, and is thus more than familiar with the 285-hp racing car. The list of motorsport stars in the field also includes rally legend Markku Alén (FIN), two-time Russian Rally Champion Andrey Sevastyanov (RUS), and Andrey Karginov (RUS). Karginov won the Truck class at this year's Rally Dakar with the Russian Kamaz Team. Another of the hosts' great hopes is Mikhail Kozlovskiy (RUS), who has been racing in the World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) with Lukoil Racing since 2013. He joins the grid as well as F3 driver Nikita Zlobin (RUS) and WEC pilot Viktor Shaitar (RUS) from the Russian team SMP.

A driver with rallying experience is Inessa Tushkanova (RUS), who drives in the European Championship, but has also made a name for herself away from motorsport as a Playboy model. Doreen Seidel (D) was Playmate of the Year in 2008. The attractive blonde from Munich is the only regular driver in the Volkswagen Scirocco R-Cup who has also travelled to Moscow. Seidel has already scored ten points this year, and will take on the likes of Sven Hannawald (D) at the Norisring on the last weekend in June. The 2002 Olympic ski-jumping champion is looking to go on the attack in Moscow.

The same goes for goalkeeping legend Jerzey Dudek (PL), who is demonstrating his driving ability as a regular in this year's Volkswagen Castrol Cup Poland. Dudek won the UEFA Champions League with Liverpool in 2005, before joining Real Madrid, where he played from 2007 to 2011. After 60 appearances for the Polish national team, Dudek swapped the football pitch for the racetrack. The show race in the Volkswagen Scirocco R-Cup promises to be another highlight in his already illustrious career.

Since making its debut in 2010, the Volkswagen Scirocco R-Cup has become a real crowd favourite on DTM race weekends. The identical cars used in the series are looked after centrally. Only air pressure, anti-roll bar and the position of the seat and steering wheel can be adjusted. A mixture of talented youngsters, old hand and prominent guest starters provides the necessary spice and guarantees thrilling racing. The 2014 season consists of ten races spread over six events. On top of this comes the additional show race for the first time, which will be held in Moscow.

A brief rundown of the motorsport legends in action in the Volkswagen Scirocco R-Cup in Moscow

Nicola Larini (50): The Italian contested 75 Formula One Grands Prix between 1987 and 1997, making one appearance on the podium. He won the DTM title in 1993 and raced in the World Touring Car Championship from 2005 to 2009. In 2013, Larini won the season-opener of the Volkswagen Scirocco R-Cup in Hockenheim.

Jan Lammers (58): The Dutchman made the step up to Formula One after winning the title in the Formula 3 European Championship. He then contested 41 Grands Prix between 1979 and 1992. Further highlights from his motorsport career include victories at the 24-hour races in Le Mans and Daytona.

Manuel Reuter (52): With 203 races under his belt, the German is regarded as a DTM legend. He was crowned International Touring Car Champion (ITC) in 1996 and won the Le Mans 24 Hours for the second time (after 1989) in the same year. The 2003 winner of the Nürburgring 24 Hours took on the role of mentor in the Volkswagen Scirocco R-Cup at the start of this year.

Markku Alén (63): The Finn is one of the most successful rally drivers in the history of the sport. In 1978 he was crowned unofficial world champion. For a long time he held the record for the greatest number of stage wins, with 801 to his name. Alén has also lined up in the Rally Dakar, the DTM and the International Touring Car Championship.

Photo credit: Volkswagen Motorsport
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