February 24, Minsk /BelTA correspondent/. The winner of the Jaf Tea winter rally-sprint cup will be determined on February 25 in Braslav, the competition's press secretary Danila Dolmatov informed BelTA. 13 crews are expected to start. In addition to Belarusian athletes, participants from Lithuania and Russia are registered. The participants are already on their way to Braslav: administrative control awaits them this evening, and Saturday morning will begin with familiarisation with the track. The rally-sprint route runs near the settlements of Kardelishki, Gireyshi, Ilgaytsy and consists of two special stages, 6 and 7 km long. With three passes, participants will cover a total of 39 km of timed distance. For the first time in Belarusian rally-sprint, a one-minute interval between participants will be used at the start, which will make the race even more dynamic for spectators. The official start of the race will be at 12:40, and the arrival of the first crew at the finish is expected at 17:00. Traditionally, the organisers will take care of the fans, for whom spectator areas have been prepared near the track. Following the results of the first winter race, the standings are led by Andrey Goloborodko from Borisov in a Subaru Impreza. He is followed by Boris Lukomsky from Minsk, and the top three is completed by the capital's pilot Anatoly Shimakovsky. However, almost all participants have equal chances of winning. Therefore, to win on the winter tracks of the Braslav district, an athlete needs not only driving skill but also luck. The Braslav race will be a good warm-up for the "Slavianskiy Kubok" international rally. The Braslav district will host it in May. -0-

BelTA