Autodrome Chaika

This article has multiple issues. Please help or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these template messages) This article includes a list of general references, but it remains largely unverified because it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (September 2020) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources:  –  ·  ·  · scholar · JSTOR (July 2020) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

Chaika Automotive Sport Complex

Autodrome Chaika, Chaika Ring
Location	Chaiky, Kyiv Oblast, Ukraine
Coordinates	50°26′16″N 30°17′54″E / 50.4379°N 30.2983°E / 50.4379; 30.2983Coordinates: 50°26′16″N 30°17′54″E / 50.4379°N 30.2983°E / 50.4379; 30.2983
Capacity	3000
FIA Grade	4
Owner	Society of Assistance to Defense of Ukraine
Broke ground	1973
Opened	June 27, 1975
Major events	UTC Chaika Rally
Bigger track (auto racing)
Surface	asphalt
Length	2.8 km (1.7 mi)
Turns	7
Smaller track (karting)
Surface	asphalt
Length	1.16 km (0.7 mi)
Turns	9
Drag racing strip
Surface	asphalt
Length	0.75 km (0.4 mi)
Off-road track
Surface	dirt
Length	0.9 km (0.5 mi)
Motorcycling track
Surface	asphalt
Length	0.003 km (0.001 mi)
Website	kievring.com

Chaika Automotive Sport Complex (Ukrainian: Автомобільний спортивний комплекс «Чайка», romanized: Avtomobilnyi sportyvnyi kompleks «Chaika»), also known as Autodrome Chaika (Ukrainian: Автодром «Чайка», romanized: Avtodrom «Chaika»), is a motorsport racetrack in Ukraine, situated in Chaiky village, near the capital city Kyiv. The circuit was built in 1975.,^[1] when the country was a part of Soviet Union, since the foundation of Fédération Automobile de l'Ukraine (FAU) in 1993, it hosts various regional racing series, such as Ukrainian Touring Championship and Superbike Ukraine.

History[]

Soviet era[]

The development of the circuit began in 60's by Soviet DOSAAF, a society for cooperation with army, aviation and navy, which also built an airport next to the track, carrying the same name. The configuration was based on various similar autodromes of that time, the project was finished in 1971. The construction began in 1973, and when it was finished, it became the best circuit in USSR.

Chaika was very popular due to very fast sectors of the 'big ring' and corners 2-4, that were known as so-called 'ears'. The track was pretty difficult and dangerous, there was no runoffs, very close Armco barriers, poor quality asphalt and bad landscaping.

June 27, 1975 circuit saw its first touring races,^[2] after that the dirt speedway was added to complex as a second construction phase.^[3] Later that year the circuit began to host the USSR Circuit Racing Championship, that included formula racing.^[4]

Next year the circuit hosted its first international series, called Socialist Nations Friendship Cup,^[5] becoming the traditional season opener. After Polish driver Christian Grochowski's fatal crash^[6] it was decided being unsafe and the series moved to Biķernieki Complex Sports Base in Riga.

Without the famous championship racing organization quality fell, there were a rare races with usually small amount of spectators. There were several attempts to change the bad asphalt, but they've made the situation even worse. In 1989 it was planned to invite an Austrian company to hold a reconstruction of the complex to raise the level of the track and to attract more tourists, but that never happened.^[7]

Independent Ukraine[]

After the dissolution of the USSR, the Defense Assistance Society of Ukraine became the circuit's owner. They've had no money to take a good care of it and began to sell all the equipment to private owners. In 1994 the track begin to host the Ukrainian Circuit Racing Championship. The safety standarts of the track were very low and the asphalt state kept getting worse, so after 1998 the circuit was excluded from calendar.

In 2001 Ukrainian Karting Federation reconstructed the karting circuit and it began to host races.^[8] The main circuit remained unused.

The head of the circuit was a Ukrainian racer Leonid Protasov. After the championship faced troubles due to bad economical state of the country and a lack of circuits, he got an agreement with Sergiy Malyk, the head of Kyivan Automotive and Motorcycle Club to host a full season on Chaika in 2004, but the track needed a reconstruction, so it was started immediately, but it took so much time, that the works passed deadline and whole season was cancelled.^[9]

Racing on Chaika was renewed in 2005, now it was a smaller ring, yet with a poor asphalt quality, and now without the pitlane, but now it had a bleachers for spectators, cafe and hotel. Later, the new pitlane was built alongside the new final corner with an entrance to it, it made an already hard track even more tricky.

References[]

External links[]

• kievring.com