It is the first time that Karelia hosts the celebrated series of FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies, the first round of which is to take place in the heart of the republic’s territory from 20 to 22 of February.
A meeting of the baja’s organizing committee presided by the Deputy Head of Karelia for social issues Valentina Ulich took place on January, 28.
“We are on the threshold of a most significant event, a highest-level motorsport competition. And our goal is to undertake all necessary actions to ensure its flawless organization,” Ulich declared.
Sergey Lebedev, Tatyana Lutsko, Victor Sokolov, and Olga Sivacheva represented the organizers of the race. The members of the organizing committee discussed the matters of the organization process and running of the race as well as security measures for competitors and spectators and other questions.
Aleksandr Voronov, the Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports of the republic of Karelia, underlined that the Head of the Republic and the Chairman of the State Committee set the task of organizing large-scale sports events as a part of the celebration of the 100-th anniversary of Karelia. Baja Russia – Northern Forest 2015 is going to become the first of many events planned, and its implementation will decide whether the race will become an annual fixture in the Republic’s calendar.
FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies is a multiple-stage racing series, different rounds of it taking place in various countries – in the United Arab Emirates, in Qatar, Egypt, and Morocco. Russian round of the series is a unique one-of-the-kind winter cross-country race that runs on snowy and icy terrain.
As Aleksandr Voronov reported, the race is going to welcome the competitors from more than 25 countries, among them the representatives of Russia, Belorussia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Portugal, Spain, Germany, the Czech Republic, Saudi Arabia, Poland, Brazil, Latvia, and Italy. Celebrated racers and important guest have been invited to attend the competition. For instance, the Head of the Republic of Karelia will be present at the ceremonial opening of the baja to award the winner of the super-special stage with an individual cup.
“Russia – Northern Forest” is the event traditionally organized in the form of a short cross-country rally. The competitors will cover more than 350 km within the three days of the race. The routes of the Northern Forest 2015 will run through the secluded nooks of Sortavala and Suoyarvi regions, the narrow roads there notable for their complicated 3D relief making the winter race even more challenging.
Having hosted a number of national motorsports competitions, Karelia is to become the venue for such a high-status international race as the first round of FIA World Cup for the first time ever. The Government of the Republic of Karelia offered all the support to the project and asserted the highest priority of the race preparation as this event will refine Karelia’s image, make it more attractive to tourists and will help promote the Republic’s motorsports.
