At the Baikal Mile 2023 festival, held March 7–11, two innovations from AvtoVAZ marked notable speed milestones, according to the event’s press service. The latest generation Lada Vesta Sport wagon, piloted by Vladimir Sheshenin in a body racer configuration, reached 175.5 km/h. This marks the fastest recorded speed for production cars with engines up to two liters at the festival and stands as the top time across the new Lada Formula lineup in competition histories.
Meanwhile, the Lada Granta Sport, driven by Kirill Ladygin on ice, clocked 163.6 km/h, setting a festival record for stock cars with engines up to 1.6 liters. Both vehicles represent prototypes from the Sport range in active testing and development stages as of the event.
Overall, Baikal Mile 2023 drew participation from 90 pilots, 41 teams, and more than 60 different pieces of equipment. Other notable entries included the Moskvich 408, capable of 152.2 km/h, and the Volga M21 with a Chaika-derived engine achieving 156.4 km/h. A drifting-focused GAZ-31105 also joined the speed races, shrugging past the 187.5 km/h mark in its brisk opener.
The event’s fastest overall during Baikal Mile 2023 was Arkady Romanchuk, who drove a Toyota Mark II to 274.9 km/h in the touring car category across the five-year festival span. In the motor vehicle division, Mikhail Lyubimov topped the field with an MV Augusta F4 1000 that reached 239.8 km/h.
Earlier reports noted Vladimir Sheshenin, driving for Lada Sport Rosneft, claiming victory in the anniversary edition of the Race of Champions at the AvtoVAZ training ground, underscoring the ongoing competitive momentum of AvtoVAZ across major events [Festival press service].