Azernews.Az

By Nigar Orujova

The first Azerbaijani spectacular three-day motorsport event, City Challenge Baku 2012, ended in the Azerbaijani capital on Sunday. Winners of the final race were determined on October 28.

The first place winners were the Hexis team's drivers of McLaren MP4 GT3 car Frederick Makovieski and Steph Dusseldorf.

The second place was taken by the drivers of BMW Z4 Kechel and Lauda, ​​while Yelmer Burman and Nicholas Meyer-Melnhof driving the BMW Z4 car got third place.

Mark Thomas, a semi-professional Canadian driver, joined the race with the Muhlner Motorsport team on Porsche GT3R No. 8 car collaboratively with professional British Porsche driver Nick Tandy.

Mark was kind to share his impressions about the race with AzerNews.

"The city challenge event was really good. The track was really challenging as it was narrow, which means any mistakes may damage the car a lot. We had a parade through the city on Thursday night and there were many people who came to see us. I have to admit that Thursday night was the first time I drove so fast on the Baku Boulevard during my three-year stay in Azerbaijan," Mark said.

"During the individual practice on Friday, there was an accident. I put the car in the wrong place between a concrete barrier and another racecar, which did not see me, and they crashed into my left side, pushing me into the wall. But the car was repaired and in good condition the next morning," he said.

Despite some car accidents that occurred during the three-day race, no one received serious injuries, as the races took place with all the needed precautions. During the competition, all safety rules were observed, in accordance with the requirements of the local Auto Transport Federation and international standards.

Organizational work on the City Challenge car race in Baku was done on a high level, City Challenge Press Officer Rene de Boer said at a press conference on Saturday.

On the final day the race attracted the most spectators and it was the most entertaining day of the competition.

Mark said after the final race that he did enjoy the race, it was very challenging.

"You don't have a single moment for rest as you are always accelerating or decelerating, and you can't take your eyes off the road. We had a one-hour team race. I started the race, then half way through we had the drivers change at the pits and Nick finished the race. We finished ninth but still we are the 'fastest taxi' in Baku with SAZZ WiMAX Technologies, Milla and PASHA Bank support, which was a lot this weekend."

"Eventually, Nick did a great job, but unfortunately, we had some penalties for not spending enough time in the pits. If we have not had that, who knows, we could have been on the podium. But still, it is a good result. The car is in perfect condition and can go home in a good shape."

According to unofficial information, the City Challenge event is expected to be held in Baku next year again.

To this end Mark thinks that after such a success, it would be a shame not to come back to Baku for the next competition.

"The event was a good start for us. Now we understand what the track requires and next year we will do better. I believe there is some planning for next year's race. The number of people that came out to view the race was large. We had lots and lots of people in the grandstands, so it was fantastic. It is really popular with the people of Baku."

The extraordinary event

As promised, the show Baku witnessed during the holiday weekend included not only races, but also different types of entertainment, which attracted numerous spectators to the city's seaside park (boulevard) and the racetrack itself.

The track was built in the center of the city around the magnificent Government House. Race cars overcame the 2.1 km-long distance in about 65 seconds. The grandstands seated about 15,000 motorsport fans. Two cargo airplanes carried all the cars and equipment for the event from Germany.

The City Challenge started with a previously unseen car parade in the center of Baku on October 25 involving different car brands from the top sports car manufacturers -- BMW, Corvette, Ferrari, Lamborghini, McLaren, Mercedes-Benz and Porsche.

The car race started on Azadlig Square on October 26. CLASSIK GRAND PRIX and GYMKHANA CITY DRIFTING competitions of City Challenge were conducted. Motorcycle shows were demonstrated within the car races.

The Porsche 911, Aston Martin Vantage GT3, Audi R8 LMS, BMW Z4 GT3, Ferrari 458 İtalia GT3, Lamborghini Gallardo LP 600 +, and Mercedes Benz SLS AMG GT3 took part in the training session last Friday.

A qualifying session and a sprint race were held on October 27, while technical capabilities of the cars were presented at the parade, and the final part of City Challenge Baku 2012 took place on the last day of the competition -- October 28, with the participation of 24 drivers.

City Challenge earlier performed magnificent shows in Bucharest, Romania and Budapest, Hungary. In the capital of Azerbaijan, the third "B" city Baku event was held with the support of the Ministry of Youth and Sports and Motorsport Federation of Azerbaijan.

About 120 countries broadcast the show, which allowed 300 million people to watch the amazing sporting event.