The President of Georgia declared the new Rustavi racing circuit open, where currently the Georgian national championship in circuit racing is taking place. Mikheil Saakashvili was the first one to personally test the Rustavi race track while driving a Formula 3 racecar.
Mikheil Saakashvili addressed the gathered audience and congratulated them on the opening of the first racing circuit of international standards in Georgia. He especially emphasized the merit and effort of Shota Apkhazave in this important affair and noted that the investor is planning to build such a circuit in Batumi as well.
“After the new airport we are practically building a new Batumi. 7 kilometers will be added to the coastline towards Gonio. Also a new stadium is being designed by a Georgian architect – Dato Gogichaishvili, which will be the second largest after the Dinamo Stadium. The construction will begin in 2 months. The construction of a racing circuit has already begun in the same place for carting enthusiasts. In the future we are planning to create a professional track similar to this one.” – noted Mikheil Saakashvili.
The President of Georgia wished luck to the participants of the competition as well as the Minister of Sport and Youth Affairs Lado Vardzelashvili in developing this sport. According to the Head of State, the new racing circuit will be a big part of rehabilitating the city and it will guarantee the creation of additional jobs.
“A very important thing has been happening in Georgia recently, which I consider a huge achievement of my government and myself. The death rate caused by road accidents decreased by almost 25% last year. This is an extremely important indicator in terms of being on the same page with modernity. This is a very high indicator, while we still have many reckless drivers. The decrease in road accidents was caused by the fact that we adopted seatbelts, which the public helped us a lot with. This is also a merit of the fact that we already have good roads. Additionally, the police patrol has become stricter, which people should not take personally because everything is being done for their safety” – stated the President and added that there is a lot more to do in this direction.
Mikheil Saakashvili personally awarded the winners of the circuit race and participated in a friendly circuit race with them in a Formula 3 racecar after the end of the award ceremony.
Shota Apkhazava took first place in the circuit race, a citizen of Russia Viktor Shatair, took second place, and Data Kajaia came in third.
The First Lady Sandra Elizabeth Roelofs and the President’s youngest son Nikoloz attended the opening of the racing circuit.
The new racing circuit with a length of 4122 meters was built through a private investment and it completely satisfies international standards.
This is the first time a circuit race national championship was held in Georgia in the last 20 years. The cars of “Legends,” “Formula Alfa,” “Touring -1500,” and “GT” type cars took part in the competition. The Georgian national championship consists of 8 stages and the final race will be held in November.