Last Sunday, 22 September, the IB Translations team celebrated the World Car Free Day by participating in the last classic rally of the season – Mercedes-Benz Classic Day 2013 – and ranked 31st out of 34 participants in its category (preliminary results). Our crew included Stanislav Chetverikov (driver and accountant), Konstantin Golota (observer and IB Translations founder), Ivan Bogachev (Twitter feed translator), Alexander Golota (passenger and red tapist), Maria Kudinova (fan and admin) and her team, and Yulia Golota (fan and lawyer). 
Take a look at the photos from the race at: http://www.ridus.ru/news/109743/, http://mir24.tv/news/auto/8022691

This autumn, the route swerved through the most sinuous and mazelike streets of Moscow. The race featured 41 teams, two of which competed in the special Veteran category (for cars manufactured before 1946). Of the remaining 39 cars, four competed in the Young Timers group (cars manufactured after 1969), and one raced out of competition. The IB Translations crew ranked 31st among the 34 competing cars. The outcome could have been better and we blame the smaller number of participants and those missing who could have otherwise ended up behind us. The results are still preliminary, and we are waiting for the official press release.

Stanislav Chetverikov, driver and chief accountant, first-time participant: 
The results are a little disappointing, and we know we are good enough to be higher up the table. The route was not an easy one – the seemingly plain parts turned out to be tricky, while the tricky ones were easy to get through. You would have to be a taxi driver – and a great one – to beat the hidden strengths of our competitors. Our little ZAZ looked jolly compared to its solemn and pompous rivals. It was a little whimsical on the day but, thankfully, didn't really give us a lot of trouble.
 
Кonstantin Golota, co-driver (navigator) and IB Translations founder, commented on his third rally of the season: 
The odds were not in our favour from the very start – the organisers prepared a nasty surprise and kept changing the route all through the race by providing additional directions. The first one caught us off guard, keeping the crew puzzled for about ten minutes. It did not really affect the result as we failed to find the finishing line of the first stage anyway. The organisers threw us another curve – a roundabout with no further direction indicated in the road book. The roundabout turned out to be not a single circle but a number of minor roads crossing the main one, which was the one to be followed. We did not expect such a twist, and, admittedly, lost our way. Having lost quite a bit of time, we decided to skip the second stage altogether and headed to the third section of time control, which we had correctly identified to be near the Moscow State Variety Theatre. There we could have a break and a pizza pit stop. Back on track, we continued the competition but have lost all hope for the podium. The crew gracefully handled technical troubles, push-starting the car that refused to go at all, but received two penalty minutes for being late for the start of the third stage. Towards the end of the race, things started to brighten up. We made it through the rest of the route successfully and crossed the finishing line at exactly the right time. Unfortunately, the pitfalls in the early part of the race dragged us down to the end of the table. And being 31st is a real bummer, as even a slightly better score would have taken us right into the Top 30. On the bright side, the car was able to cross the finishing line without any more bumping for the first time this season. The crew is getting more seasoned and will keep fighting next year.
 
Ivan Bogachev, Twitter commentator and translator, joined the team as a passenger for the first time:
The race is now over. The results are below our expectations, but it is not the end of the world. Our key focus was on solving all the tricky puzzles that the organisers had in store for us. From my observation deck in the back of the vehicle, I did my best to give an unbiased account of the race, the vibe onboard, the rises and falls of our confusion, and the strain of a relentless search for the answers. I hope I did a good job, but it's up to our readers to judge.

Alexander Golota, passenger and first-time participant:
I just loved the race. It allowed us to knit closely together as a team and was very exciting both in terms of competitive spirit and educative value as we could get to know the city better and see some of the cars manufactured in the 20th and even 19th centuries. 
 
Мaria Kudinova, admin and first-year fan, and her team: 
Fan 1: I did not expect to see so many oldtimers in Moscow – the number of the finest cars per square kilometre was astounding.
Fan 2: It’s great to see how the owners cherish their beloved classics – the cars shine and sparkle on the outside and the interiors are impeccable.
Maria Kudinova: I was fascinated by the details: wooden dashboards, bonnets with leather straps, boots with suitcase buckles, taxi meters, headlight grills, a single-spoke steering wheel and a lot more.
It’s a little sad that the IB Translations crew was not among the race winners, but it's not the winning that counts, but the inspiring moments that the participants and the audience enjoyed. We are looking forward to the next season!

Live updates from @usolt can be found on Twitter @golota82 (http://twitter.com/golota82). 


The video will be released within a week along with the official results.

The current racing season is over. The IB Translations team joined it midway, participating in the L.U.C. Chopard Classic Weekend Rally, the Night Moscow rally and the Mercedes-Benz Classic Day 2013 rally. Even though we are still far from the top (34th out of 48, 29th out of 42, and 31st out of 34, respectively), we have delivered stable performance and will try to do our best next year. We will train hard between the seasons to make our fans proud and happy going forward. The next race is slated for 20 April 2014.
 
On to victory!