Top Gear Russia () is a Russian motoring television series that ran on Ren-TV, and was based on the British program Top Gear produced by the BBC. It premiered on 22 February 2009. The show was cancelled due to low ratings and aired for the last time on 25 October 2009.
Presenters The hosts of Top Gear Russia were: Nikolai Fomenko, former musician (as part of the band Secret), former race car driver, theater actor and TV presenter. He is also involved in the creation of the Russian supercar Marussia. Mikhail Petrovsky, actor, automotive journalist and blogger. Oskar Kuchera, ex-MTV Russia presenter and actor. The Stig, a local version of the mysterious driver from the original British show.
Segments Power Lap Similar to the original UK series, Top Gear Russia features a Power Lap segment, in this case held in an abandoned airfield in Mnyovniki. To inaugurate the track and populate the lap board in the first episode, the hosts invited numerous local celebrities to participate and treated them to a picnic with shashlyk and a smoking samovar.
Lap times Pos Time Car Conditions 1 1:12.00 Porsche 911 Turbo Cabriolet damp 2 1:12.96 Nissan GT-R wet 3 1:13.16 1985 Porsche 911 Turbo damp 4 1:13.88 Bentley Continental GT Speed damp and icy 5 1:14.00 Alpina B3 moist 6 1:14.83 Lamborghini Gallardo some snow+summer tyres 7 1:16.85 Aston Martin V8 Vantage Roadster damp 8 1:17.85 Aston Martin DB9 wet 9 1:19.00 Ferrari 550M 10 1:21.01 Range Rover Sport damp 11 1:22.12 Mazda MX-5 damp 12 1:22.27 Fiat 500 13 1:49.17 Volvo XC90 snow 14 2:08.71 Land Rover Defender 90 SVX soft top ice+snow 15 2:15.93 UAZ 469 Off-Road modified ice+snow 16 2:23.25 Audi R8 snow 17 DNF Ferrari F430 snow
Star in a Reasonably Priced Car The Star in a Reasonably-Priced Car segment are mirrored with Russia's own version. The car used is a race-prepped Lada Kalina. Unlike in the UK version of Top Gear, the lap format for this segment is different from that of the Stig's power laps.
Cool Wall Introduced in episode 2 of season 1, the Cool Wall mirrors the popular segment from the UK original.
References
External links 'Top Gear' format heads to Russia