Top Gear Russia
Encyclopedia
Top Gear Russia was a Russian motoring
television series on Ren-TV
, based on the British program Top Gear produced by the BBC
. It premiered on 22 February 2009.
.
. Unlike in the UK version of Top Gear, a different lap format is used for the Star in a Reasonably-Priced Car segment to that of the Stig's power laps.
Driving
Driving is the controlled operation and movement of a land vehicle, such as a car, truck or bus.Although direct operation of a bicycle and a mounted animal are commonly referred to as riding, such operators are legally considered drivers and are required to obey the rules of the road...
television series on Ren-TV
Ren-TV
REN TV is one of the largest private federal TV channels in Russia. Founded by Irena Lesnevskaya and her son, Dmitry Lesnevsky, who had been running REN TV as a production house for other national Russian television channels, it has broadcast since 1 January 1997. Its target audience is a young to...
, based on the British program Top Gear produced by the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
. It premiered on 22 February 2009.
Presenters
The hosts chosen for Top Gear Russia are:- Nikolai FomenkoNikolai FomenkoNikolai Vladimirovich Fomenko is a Russian musician, comic actor, motor racer, president of Marussia Motors and engineering director of Marussia Virgin Racing.- Music career :...
, Pop star, 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 RussiaMTV RussiaMTV Russia is a Russian language free-to-air 24 hour entertainment and music service seen in 22 million households in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Omsk, Voronezh, Novosibirsk, Chelyabinsk and Yekaterinburg, among other cities.-History:...
presenter and actor. - The local version of the mysterious StigThe StigThe Stig is a character in the British motoring television show Top Gear. The character plays on the anonymity of racing drivers' full-face helmets, with the running joke that nobody knows who, or indeed what, is inside the character's racing suit. The character was the creation of presenter Jeremy...
who appears in the British show.
Power Lap
Similar to both the original UK series and its Australian spin-off, Top Gear Russia features a Powerlap segment, in this case held in an abandoned airfield in Mnevniki. 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 samovarSamovar
A samovar is a heated metal container traditionally used to heat and boil water in and around Russia, as well as in other Central, South-Eastern, Eastern European countries,Kashmir and in the Middle-East...
.
Star in a Reasonably Priced Car
The Star in a Reasonably-Priced Car segment and the Australian "Star in a Bog Standard Car" are mirrored with Russia's own version. The car used is a race-prepped Lada KalinaLada Kalina
The Lada Kalina is a supermini produced by the Russian automaker AvtoVAZ and sold under the Lada brand. It began production in November 2004 as the 2004 year model in Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Belarus, although dealership availability for foreign markets started only in September 2005.The...
. Unlike in the UK version of Top Gear, a different lap format is used for the Star in a Reasonably-Priced Car segment to that of the Stig's power laps.