Marvellous Makarov

Former European Autocross champion shows winning pace in Rallycross debut.

It’s around a year since Rolf Volland casually mentioned that a Russian Autocross driver wanted to buy his Super1600 Škoda. When the German engineer explained that this driver was former European Autocross champion Vadim Makarov who he thought would be good, it sounded like an interesting move.

Makarov finally showed up for his first Rallycross event in last month’s Belgian ERC round. Having gone to the A final in his first start he returned to the stage in Austria last weekend and repeated the trick, this time qualifying fourth in the A final and going on to stand on the podium at the end of an event in which he had consistently challenged the fastest drivers in the class. So, who is this man?

The bare facts are that Makarov is a 45-year-old property developer from Ekaterinburg who, alongside his move into Rallycross, also drives in Russian rallies with a Mitsubishi Lancer.

His sensational form in Rallycross is not without precedent and it is clear that Makarov is not only very fast, but equally determined to succeed. “I won the European Autocross Championship in 2009, I won, I think, nine races and it was only my second year of driving; I raced in 2008 to learn about the championship and then won in 2009,” he says.

Makarov is working with Volland whose own background in Autocross has earned him the respect of several Russian drivers. “He [Makarov] is very good. He is willing to learn and also able to use the advice and knowledge that I can give him,” said Volland, “He has never driven a front-wheel drive car before this and we did only one test before going to Belgium, but he listens and learns. If I tell him to brake one metre later he can get back in the car and brake one metre later, that’s good, you can work with that.”

The Russian newcomer’s presence in a Super1600 car is also an idea of Vollands. “He came to me and asked about doing Rallycross in a Supercar but I said he should do a year or two in Super1600 and learn the championship and the tracks, then try a Supercar,” Volland explained. Makarov admits he still harbours Supercar ambitions – his Autocross title was won in the equivalent class – but will not be drawn on any timescale for a move. “What I wish for, what I want, and what is possible must fit together!” he says, agreeing that time and money are considerations in future plans.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.