Traditionally the day for celebrating cars is marked on the last Sunday of October. This year the event took place on Oct. 28 and, unlike in past years, it was held right on Khreshchatyk Boulevard.
So many splendid cars in one spot are seldom seen even in Kyiv. On the exhibition site were gathered cars representing the city’s various automotive clubs, each shiny and clean, carefully selected by color and festooned with club stickers and flags. Among the cars used for the driving skills competitions were Ukrainian Lanoses, Tavriias, and Zaporozhets as well as various models of Subarus, Hondas, Renaults, Nissans, Citroens, and Peugeots — 15 teams in all, representing nearly the entire spectrum of automobiles in Ukraine. The All-Ukraine Union of Motorists and the Ukrainian Automobile Alliance organized a special entertainment for the guests: an antique car exhibit. While the adults compared tuning technologies or passed each other in the slalom, the organizers staged a special program for children, a contest of sidewalk drawings and a children’s car race.
The column of participants in the main event stretched along Khreshchatyk Boulevard from the early morning. After the drivers and guests had their fill of taking pictures of themselves next to the beautiful cars, in addition to team spirit competitions and a beauty contest, sports driving took place in various categories and various models. There were also test car drives and Kyiv’s traditional motorcycle stunt show. There were more than enough contestants eager to defend their club colors in the slalom event and in every class, since mass competitions are not often held in Ukraine — at best once a year. Car races are usually organized by club members, who rely on their own resources to host an event on the Chaika sports grounds, whereas the asphalt on Khreshchatyk is among the best in the capital.
Visiting Kyiv that day were motorists from Belarus, although they had come to take part in another competition. Guests taking in the festivities of Drivers Day noted that seldom can one see so many fine cars at the same time. Dmitrii from Gomel, intrigued by the sight of such fine-looking Zaporozhets cars, was admiring a yellow beauty called the “Jeeporozhets.” These dinosaurs of the Soviet car industry, like the Tavriia and Lanos cars, looked nonetheless presentable beside the more expensive luxury models.
The driving contest was won by motorists from Kyiv’s Honda Club, popularly known as the Honda Mafia. There were fireworks after the competition to cheer up the other drivers.
