Motor sports have been popular in Lithuania for many years. Its history dates back to the interwar period. It became most popular in our country during the Soviet era, when state propaganda announced the mass and accessibility of all sports to working people. This made it possible for motorists and motorcyclists to distance themselves from direct, active contact with Soviet propaganda and engage in their favorite "extracurricular" activities. Thanks to propaganda, it became possible to officially obtain any equipment, spare parts, hold competitions and not be accused of anti-Soviet activities, propaganda of capitalist ideology.
6th century In the 7s and 1961s, Lithuanian motorsport was dominated by the people of Kaunas. Therefore, Kaunas motorsport enthusiasts, with the help of sympathetic officials, were able to establish the "Kačerginė ring" (later named the "Nemunas ring"), which quickly became even a track for union competitions. The first official match in "Kačerginė ring" took place in XNUMX.
A small circle of Vilnius motor sports enthusiasts and city officials, not wanting to fall behind the people of Kaunas, looked for opportunities to establish a similar car circuit in or near Vilnius. Such an opportunity appeared in 1963, after the completion of the road reconstruction and asphalting works in the Vilnius resort district - Valakampii. One of the most active creators and "chief architect" of the "Valakampia Ring" was Vikis Oleka, the chairman of the recently established republican motor sports federation. He appeared in the newspaper "Vakarinės novėnais" 1963 No. 04, describing the current state of Lithuanian autosport, he wrote; "Although motor sports in Soviet Lithuania gained wings just three years ago, it has already won quite strong positions. Last summer, the Soviet Lithuanian team became the USSR car rally champions, and this year they won in the all-union winter rally competitions in sports societies, sports clubs and inter-republican competition. Soviet Lithuanian go-karts won the third and second places in the all-Union microliter car race. Twelve motorists of our republic fulfilled the standards of master of sports last year.
In 1962, for the first time, amateurs of circuit car racing in our republic received their baptism of fire, starting in the USSR championship rounds in Tallinn and Beautiful. Here they also achieved their first victories. In Tallinn, the driver of the Kaunas taxi park, A. Kurdzikauskas, won the standard car class. The Federation of Soviet Lithuanian Motor Sports, in order to raise the excellence of our athletes and increase their experience in circular races, has planned to organize a republic-wide circular car race in Vilnius in April of this year to win the prize of the "Vakariņių novų" newspaper.
"Evening News" 1963 No. 05. After fixing the streets of Valakampiai and laying a good asphalt surface, a real opportunity arose to establish a car racing circuit in the resort area very close to the city, which is popular with the residents, which starts at the intersection of the current Valakampiai and Svajonii streets and goes along Svajonii st. towards Valakampii, further along Vaidilutė and Lizdeika streets to Valakampii st. and ends at the intersection of Valakampiai and Svajonii streets. The length of the ring is 04 km. The organizers of the race were LDAALR (Voluntary Society for the Support of Army Aviation and Navy) Auto-moto club and the republican motor sports federation. On that occasion, the Vilnius daily "Vakarinės novijenos" established a transitional prize for the winning team and dedicated the competition to the Day of Press Recovery, Speech and Book, which was then called simply to celebrate the day of the press. It's interesting how this idea got past the censorship, because everyone did it at the beginning of May events were supposed to be dedicated to Victory Day - the 9th of June. Guests from Moscow, Leningrad, Minsk, Riga and Tallinn were invited to participate in the competition.
The competition regulations were strict. The team had to consist of at least two cars. Drivers of individual cars who did not form a team could fight for the title of Vilnius city champion. All participants of the competition had to have completed the second division of motor sports. With the permission of the panel of judges, athletes with the third division of motor sports could participate in the competition, but they were allowed to participate in the competition only after checking their abilities during training and control starts. All new motorsport enthusiasts who wanted to try their hand at this circuit race had to fulfill the norms of figure driving in the third division.
Even before the race, the journalists of the newspaper "Vakariņių novų" heated the atmosphere and 1963 04 08 No. 83 published the article "Kaunians are getting ready": "Great revival is now noticeable among motor sports enthusiasts in Kaunas. The city's best racers are actively preparing for the "Vakariņių novų" prize competition.
Who will participate in the race and how do they prepare for it? J. Marculanas, chairman of the LDAALR Auto-moto club council, answers this question.
Last year, ATK-6 drivers Algis Klimaitis and Foma Segalis built two sports cars, which they used in the race in Minsk. A. Klimaitis then took fifth place. It is completely understandable that these athletes do not want to perform badly in Vilnius. Therefore, A. Klimaitis and F. Segalis can be found on the highway almost every day. They train confidently.
Last year, ATK-6 drivers Algis Klimaitis and Foma Segalis built two sports cars, which they used in the race in Minsk. A. Klimaitis then took fifth place. It is completely understandable that these athletes do not want to perform badly in Vilnius. Therefore, A. Klimaitis and F. Segalis can be found on the road almost every day. They train confidently.
Last year, a group of automotive enthusiasts from the construction-installation board of the peat industry created a sports car from the scrapped "Pobeda". With it, driver Aloyzas Jorudas took eleventh place in the USSR championships, which took place at the Kacherginė ring. Now this team has created a new sports car with a beautiful body and a powerful engine. A. Jorudas hopes that his new car will be able to show a good result in the race in Vilnius.
ATK-3 driver Lazaris Lipovskis prepares the machine "Estonia-2" for the race.
Maybe, the fans of Vilnius motor sports will see the absolute rally champion of the USSR in 1961, sports master Povilas Šatas and his friend, taxi driver, sports master Bronių Balčiūnas, at the Valakampii ring.
The race for the prize of "Vakariňi novovets" promises to be interesting. This is the opinion of the Kaunas racers and numerous sympathizers. A. Huge."
The creation of another circular race track in Lithuania was an important event not only for Lithuanian motor sports. In the Soviet Union of that time, there were only a few circuit racing tracks, and the existence of two racing tracks in small Lithuania was akin to a miracle.
"Evening News" 1963 No. 05 wrote: "The cup is waiting for the hosts": "The engines of racing and sports cars were already roaring on the new track of the Valakampia ring today - the training of the athletes competing for the "Vakariņių novų" prize took place here. And the results of the training are especially important - they determine the starting place for Sunday's race.
Tomorrow at 11 a.m. spectators will have the opportunity to see a number of the best racers of the republic - sports masters V. Olekas, L. Šuvalova, J. Olekas, V. Janikovskis, J. Vaitėnas and others. Guests from the cities of Riga and Gorky also came to compete with our athletes.
As we know, all-union car races have been held in Kaunas for two years now, and Vilnius spectators were "abused". According to experts, the Valakampii road ring is equal in terms of quality and sports performance to the best tracks in the country ("Nemunas ring" in Kačerginė, "Piritos ring" in Tallinn). Therefore, Vilnius residents will be able to watch interesting races not only tomorrow, but also in the future".
On May 1963, 5, Sunday, a new car racing circuit - "Valakampiiu žinų" - was ceremoniously opened in Vilnius. 20 participants gathered to fight for prizes. Among them were guests from Riga and Gorky. As planned, at 11 a.m. the chief judge of the competition - Vilnius crew chief B. Dzozijev - called 10 sports cars to the start. Among them was only one from Vilnius - ATK-1 driver Vytautas Aksionaitis with sports car "Estonia". The weather was not the most favorable for the race, as the sky had been overcast since the morning, and it was raining. Despite the bad weather, thousands of Vilnius residents came to watch the exciting race that will be held for the first time in Vilnius.
The start is given, the number of engines, the race has begun. One of the favorites, Kaunas athlete A. Jorudas (No. 78), started last. He overtook even four competitors on the starting line, and after the first lap he was already third. Kaunas ATK-6 representatives A. Klimaitis (No. 80) and V. Daunys (No. 79) drove in front. After four laps Jorud was already second and it seemed that after a few more laps he would be first, but a treacherous turn at the start and Jorud in the ditch. The race was over for him. A. Klimaitis won the 20-lap distance for sports cars first, V. Daunys second.
An interesting story happened with V. Aksionaitis. After the first lap of the race, his car did not appear, but after the athletes passed one more lap, he was back on the track. After passing all the competitors one lap ahead, the tenacious racer managed to break into the leading ranks and take the third place.
"Evening News" 1963 No. 05 wrote: "The cup is waiting for the hosts": "The engines of racing and sports cars were already roaring on the new track of the Valakampia ring today - the training of the athletes competing for the "Vakariņių novų" prize took place here. And the results of the training are especially important - they determine the starting place for Sunday's race.
Tomorrow at 11 a.m. spectators will have the opportunity to see a number of the best racers of the republic - sports masters V. Olekas, L. Šuvalova, J. Olekas, V. Janikovskis, J. Vaitėnas and others. Guests from the cities of Riga and Gorky also came to compete with our athletes.
As we know, all-union car races have been held in Kaunas for two years now, and Vilnius spectators were "abused". According to experts, the Valakampii road ring is equal in quality and sports performance to the best tracks in the country ("Nemunas ring" in Kačerginė, "Piritos ring" in Tallinn). Therefore, Vilnius residents will be able to watch interesting races not only tomorrow, but also in the future".
On May 1963, 5, Sunday, a new car racing circuit - "Valakampiiu žinų" - was ceremoniously opened in Vilnius. 20 participants gathered to fight for prizes. Among them were guests from Riga and Gorky. As planned, at 11 a.m. the chief judge of the competition - Vilnius crew chief B. Dzozijev - called 10 sports cars to the start. Among them was only one from Vilnius - ATK-1 driver Vytautas Aksionaitis with sports car "Estonia". The weather was not the most favorable for the race, as the sky had been overcast since the morning, and it was raining. Despite the bad weather, thousands of Vilnius residents came to watch the exciting race that will be held for the first time in Vilnius.
The start is given, the number of engines, the race has begun. One of the favorites, Kaunas athlete A. Jorudas (No. 78), started last. He overtook even four competitors on the starting line, and after the first lap he was already third. Kaunas ATK-6 representatives A. Klimaitis (No. 80) and V. Daunys (No. 79) drove in front. After four laps Jorud was already second and it seemed that after a few more laps he would be first, but a treacherous turn at the start and Jorud in the ditch. The race was over for him. A. Klimaitis won the 20-lap distance for sports cars first, V. Daunys second.
An interesting story happened with V. Aksionaitis. After the first lap of the race, his car did not appear, but after the athletes passed one more lap, he was back on the track. After passing all the competitors one lap ahead, the tenacious racer managed to break into the leading ranks and take third place.
After a short break, racing cars with standard bodies - "Volgas" and "Moskvits" - lined up at the starting line. The weather improved, the sun appeared.
In this class, it is not known why cars of obviously different capacities competed together, although according to the new classification they should have been racing separately.
The honor of Vilnius was defended by the masters of sports of the teams of the taximotors car farm and the LDAALR republican Auto-moto club: J. Vaitėnas, V. Janikovskis, L. Šuvalovas, V. and J. Olekos. The Gorki automobile factory was represented by sports master A. Ščerbakov, and Riga by first-classman V. Sala.
From the very beginning, two Vilnius taxi drivers - J. Vaitėnas and the first passer J. Vizgardijskis - came forward. The race is tense, lap after lap the speed increases. L. Šuvalova and V. Janikovskis withdraw from the competition. After 11 laps, Vaitėnas (No. 10) is leading, Vizgardijskis (No. 12) is second. These racers change positions several times, but Vizgardijski, who broke into the lead in the 27th lap, won the race in a 40-lap race. The third place was taken by a guest from Gorky, A. Shcherbakov.
The first race in the "Valakampii Ring" has ended. Athletes, organizers and spectators were satisfied. The transitional prize-cup of the newspaper "Vakarinės novijenos" was awarded to the sports team of the Vilnius Taxi Motors Auto Farm. Athletes of Kaunas ATK-6, who showed the same result, received a commemorative cup. Kaunas ATK-6 mechanic A. Klimavičiis and Vilnius taxi driver J. Vizgardijskiis were named Vilnius champions.
"Evening News" 1963 No. 05: “[…] – What is your opinion about the track, the organization of the competition, the race itself? - we asked some participants and spectators. A. Shcherbakov (Gorky): The track is good. By widening it a little, the biggest races could be held here. I would like to take this opportunity to wish Lithuanian athletes to build faster and more beautiful cars and drive them faster.
V. Sala (Riga): The whole team will come to your great track next year.
J. Margulanas, Chairman of the Council of the LDAALR Kaunas Automoto Club: I have also seen rings on other highways - Minsk, Kačerginė, Luzhniki. The Valakampii ring does not yield to them. It is very convenient in that it is close to the city. The most important thing about this race is that it will help to further develop motor sports in Vilnius and in the republic as a whole.
L. Šuvalova, master of sports, V. Izotovas, judge of the all-union category: Along with a number of positive factors of the first circular car race in Vilnius, some shortcomings should be noted. First of all, the fact that the spectators were not informed about the progress of the race, which significantly weakened their interest in the race. The exact location of the technical support was not identified, which made it difficult for the racers to carry out minor repairs. All these shortcomings must be taken into account when organizing the next circular race in which sports lovers and race participants showed great interest."
Regarding the races of that time, I would like to add that in the Soviet era, especially in the 6th century. 7-XNUMX - in that decade, motor sports enthusiasts only had the only sponsors - the companies they worked for, and that only if the head of the company was interested in motor sports or he liked it. The approval of the company's Communist Party leader was also required. Travel expenses to competitions in other cities and republics were usually paid by the same companies. Sportsmen would receive written-off company cars from which they would build sports cars in their off-time (very important) using company equipment and resources. Only units could afford to race their own car, as it was almost impossible to legally obtain car assemblies. But people did not want to be fed up with Soviet propaganda alone. They tried, worked, constructed in order to realize themselves and show what they are capable of. That is why company names are often mentioned in quotes from newspapers. The achievements of the athletes were used by the functionaries of the Communist Party committees to praise themselves.
in 1963 Results of the "Valakampii ring" car race:
Sports car class:
A. Klimaitis (Kaunas ATK-6).
V. Daunys (Kaunas).
V. Aksionaitis (Vilnius ATK-1).
Class of sports cars with production bodies:
J. Vizgardijskis (Vilnius taxi engine park).
J. Vaitėnas (Vilnius taxi park).
A. Shcherbakov (Gorky).
After the first race of the "Valakampii Ring" went very well, one could expect the further existence and development of the "Valakampii Ring". in 1964 in May, in the circular race held for the second time, more participants than last year gathered to win the Cup of "Vakariņių novų" newspaper. More than 50 athletes from Vilnius, Kaunas, Šiauliai and Tauragė, Moscow, Viliandis, Riga registered. The race is officially recognized as the first stage of the championship of the Republic of Lithuania ring car races. This was a very important achievement.
The race was prepared very responsibly, a 16-page program was published for the spectators in Lithuanian and Russian languages, the race organizing committee and the chief panel of judges consisted of 13 high-ranking representatives of various city institutions and organizations. car racing regulations.
on Saturday, May 9 At 17:7, there was a propaganda car parade of race participants through the streets of Vilnius city. Newspapers wrote: "Vilnius citizens can go to the race venue by transport to the Antakalnis trolleybus ring, and continue on foot." The start is at the intersection of Turniškių and the ring road. The place for individual transport to park is near the post office, in the 11th kilometer of the Nemenčinė highway. In connection with the race from XNUMX a.m. in the morning, all types of transport and pedestrian movement along the Valakampii Ring is prohibited.".
in 1964 on May 10, Sunday, thousands of Vilnius residents gathered to watch the competition. At 12 o'clock, the champions of the republic of 1963, masters of sports, A. Smaldžiūnas and V. Aksionaitis raised the flag of the republic. The participants of the competition were greeted by the chairman of the LDAALR republican committee, General J. Žiburkus. A few minutes later the race started. Moskvičiai were the first to start. The course of the competition was described in detail by newspaper journalists. "Vakirinės najienos": "...Having just started, car No. 113, driven by Jurgis Olekas, a master of sports from Vilnius, burst forward. She was followed by master Levas Šuvalova from Vilnius (No. 4). Next, first runner-up R. Charūnas and master of sports Vikis Oleka (both from Vilnius). And if Mr. Oleka, having perfectly prepared his car, confidently led until the end, there was a sharp fight for the second and third places. Shuvalov was second for seven laps. It seemed that nothing would prevent the engineer of the Vilnius electric meter factory from winning the prize place. However, a breakdown (for once!) forced him to leave the track.
The young racer R. Charūnas, who started in his own car, performed well. He finished the entire distance in third place. In the fourth round, Viki Oleka was sixth. He had to use all his skill and courage to rectify the situation. He overtook several competitors and finished second. Only his younger brother was never able to catch up.". J. Oleka's average speed was 99,57 km/h and the best lap speed was 105,16 km/h.
"Sportas" newspaper: "The starter's flag bridge sent 15 cars of two classes ("G" and "D") and two formulas (II and IV) to the distance. The machines of the "G" and "D" classes had to complete 40 laps each, while the small "reptiles" of Formula II and IV - only 10 laps. The cars made by the drivers themselves smoked into the distance. Each of them is not only of a different color, but also of a different shape, with the exception of "Estonia 3" and two cars of the Moscow Likhachiov Automobile Plant - "mustangs" with fiberglass bodies of the distinguished master of sports B. Kurbatov and his younger friend G. Zharkov.
The machine of Kaunas sports master Aloyz Jorud stood out from the "G" group machines not only with its beautiful shape, but also with its excellent technical characteristics. After the training and control runs that took place the day before, many expected Aloyz to win. The athlete himself dreamed of her. He tried to get rid of his rivals as quickly as possible, but, starting the second lap, something happened that no one expected. The second lap begins with a sharp turn at the start-finish area. During the first 5 km, A. Jorud was not able to break away from his rivals and several cars broke away at the turn. Aloyz found himself on the outside of the turn. Cars screeched with brakes, wheels screeched. Cars changed direction. However, the fifty-seventh car, disobeying the athlete's will, shot to the right, into a tree. A whirlwind of dust, a blow... The uncalculated pursuit of the goal, chasing the leader on the right side of the carriageway in the left turn, ended tragically for A. Jorud.
The name of the winner of sports cars (the results of "G" and "D" classes were taken into account together) went to G. Zharkov from Muscovite, whose best lap result was 120 km/h.
A. Klimaitis from Kaunas finished third after B. Kurbatov, who together with the winner fulfilled the norm of a master of sports (at that time, sports divisions in all sports were very important in order to reach the heights).
V. Aksionaitis from Vilnius confidently took the lead in Formula IV cars ("Estonia 3"), managing to overtake his rivals in 10 laps.
A very persistent fight took place in "Volga". This year, J. Vizgardijskis, the first winner of the Valakampiai ring race, was not seen among the participants. Another driver of the Vilnius Taxi Park - V. Janikovskis - wins the first laps very nicely, but soon he has to retire from the race due to an engine failure. In the middle of the competition, the leaders are divided into two groups: Riga ambulance drivers V. Sala and A. Dambis, masters of sports, are fighting for the I and II places, and V. Vaišvila from Šiauliai and P. Šatas from Kaunas are fighting for the III. Povilas is an old "wolf" of motoring, an ex-champion of the USSR rally, and Valerijs ... a multiple motocross champion of the republic. But the debutant quickly proved that the steering wheel of the "Volga" obeys his hands. V. Vaišvila, who started with number three, finished the race third after Latvians V. Salas and A. Dambis. At the same time, he fulfilled the requirements of Section I and performed the best among ours, giving a good lesson to motorists.
The teams were won by the athletes of Moscow "Trudo", whose honor was defended by the foremen of the Lichachiov automobile factory, B. Kurbatov and G. Zharkov. They were awarded the crystal cup of the newspaper "Vakariņių news" newspaper. The second place was taken by the people of Riga.
The Ministry of Automobile and Road Transport of the Slovak Republic established several special prizes. The prize for the best performing guest team went to Moscow, and the prize for the youngest team went to the Šiauliai bus-taxi farm.
During the closing of the competition, drivers and spectators observed a moment of silence to honor their friend who died tragically."
in 1964 Results of the "Valakampii ring" car race:
Sports car class:
1. G. Zharkov (Moscow).
2. B. Kurbatov (Moscow).
3. A. Klimaitis (Kaunas).
Formula Class:
1. V. Aksionaitis (Vilnius).
2. ???
3. ???
Sports cars with serial bodies "Moskvich" class:
1. J. Oleka (Vilnius).
2. V. Oleka (Vilnius).
3. R. Charūnas (Kaunas).
Volga class of sports cars with serial bodies:
1. V. Sala (Riga).
2. A. Dambis (Riga).
3. V. Vaišvila (Šiauliai).
The second in 1964 The round of the championship of the Republic of Lithuania ring race took place in "Kačerginės ring" on June 14. The winning team was presented with a cup named after the athlete Aloyz Joruds, who tragically died in the "Valakampii žinje".
It's sad, but together with the young and promising athlete A. Jorudus, the "Valakampiai žinto" track also went to Anapilin. To this day, it is still said that racing in Valakampii was banned because of this tragic accident. In 1967, the circular road race in Tbilisi also claimed victims, so the Central Committee of the USSR LDAALR increased the safety requirements of the race tracks and banned the holding of competitions on many tracks of the country.
The press at the time did not write anything about the accident during the race and its consequences, only the newspaper "Sportas" 1964 No. 05 printed an obituary.
Author of the text: Curator of the Transport Exposition of the Museum of Energy and Technology Richard Žičkus
