On the picture left to right: head of the Bosco di Ciliegi group Mikhail Kusnirovitch, LEAD Consulting partner Alexander Linnikov, Chairman of the Central Elections Committee of Russia Vladimir Churov, actor Leonid Yarmolnik
The classic Soviet cars’ rally GUM – Gorkyclassic – 2014 took place on July 26, 2014 in the center of Moscow. The rally dedicated to the anniversary of Russia’s main department store – the legendary GUM – was actively supported by the LEAD Consulting Law Firm. In accordance with the good tradition developed in the recent several years the LEAD Consulting was represented by the classic cars from the collection of the Linnikov family and their friends. It is important to note that in 2014 the event featured not only the GAZ classic cars but also other legendary Soviet automobile brands – VAZ (LADA), RAF, ZAZ, and MZMA/AZLK (Moskvitch).
The rally started from the very heart of the City of Moscow – the Iliynka Street – and ran through the most beautiful historical sites of Russia’s capital. Head of the Bosco di Ciliegi group Mikhail Kusnirovitch took off the start in the «Pobeda» under number 28 with his wife Ekaterina and son Iliya.
The Linnikov family team started with 1979 GAZ-24 «Volga» under racing number 29. Well-known expert on restoration of Russian cars Dmitri Istomin joined Alexander, Diana, and Yuri Linnikov as the navigator. Many of the classic cars featured at the rally run well and look great thanks to Dmitri’s remarkable work as a restorer.
The LEAD Consulting team put forward two more crews. Associate Andrei Mironov (driver) and LEAD Consulting partner (navigator) Sergei Sadovoy crossed the finish line with the 1965 GAZ-21 «Volga» under racing number 31 (which coincides with the number of the car in the Registrar of the Classic GAZ Cars). Senior Associate Leonid Karpov driving the 1959 Moskvitch-407 headed his own family crew. The event was attended by numerous celebrities. Famous actor Leonid Yarmolnik participated in the rally at the wheel of his own rare 1954 «Pobeda» convertible.
The rally culminated in a colorful awards ceremony at the GUM hosted by the famous singer Valery Siutkin and the Soviet movie star Svetlana Svetlitchnaya. The crew number 29 – Alexander, Diana, and Yuri Linnikov and Dmitri Istomin – was awarded the Fair Play Prize for courteous behavior and support to other participants of the rally. The black «Volga» of the Linnikov family made several stops on the road to help other teams that encountered technical difficulties and helped the number 28 «Pobeda» to make it to the finish line.
On the picture: Vladimir Churov, Yuri Linnikov, the Linnikov family 1979 «Volga»
On the picture: Yuri, Alexander, and Diana Linnikov and actress Svetlana Svetlishnaya at the GUM
