Home hero Emil Sayfutdinov admits he would love to write another moment of speedway history as he goes for glory in the first-ever Togliatti FIM Speedway Grand Prix on Saturday.
The Motorcycling Federation of Russia stages its biggest-ever shale meeting this weekend, and two-time SGP bronze medallist Sayfutdinov would love to become the first rider to win a round in the world's largest nation.
His compatriot Artem Laguta is currently second in the SGP World Championship on 118 points "“ just three behind series leader Bartosz Zmarzlik, who has 121 with four rounds to race. The Bolshoy Kamen-born star could become his country's first-ever senior individual world champion.
But fourth-placed Sayfutdinov would love to add Togliatti SGP success to a long list of milestones. He became the first-ever two-time FIM Speedway Under-21 World Championship winner in 2007 and 2008. He then became MFR's first full-time SGP rider in 2009, winning his debut round in Prague.
Sayfutdinov and Laguta sealed their place in speedway folklore when they took their country to its first senior speedway world title of any kind at the 2018 Monster Energy FIM Speedway of Nations in Wroclaw, before retaining the trophy in Togliatti in 2019 and in Lublin last year.
While the duo have taken their country to new heights in the speedway world, only one rider can win the Togliatti SGP "“ and Sayfutdinov is out to write his name into the history books once again.
He said: "I am always happy when I win and to be honest, I like making history. I have written a few pieces of history into the book, and I have a chance to write another one this weekend.
"It would be great if that happens. I won't think about that for now, though. I will just try to enjoy my speedway.
"It is another round of the GPs and we need to be ready for all of them. We will do the best we can. I hope my bike will be fast and I will really feel good. Every point will be important."
Sayfutdinov has 91 championship points, placing him fourth overall "“ 30 behind leader Zmarzlik and five short of Sweden's Fredrik Lindgren in third.
While Zmarzlik and Laguta have established a big lead in the title race, Sayfutdinov is determined to fight for his place on the podium and win what would be a third SGP World Championship medal.
"Of course Bartosz and Artem are on a different planet this year," he said. "But I still have a chance to be on the podium.
"We still have four rounds to go and I will do the best I can. It is just about finding good speed, scoring the points and of course making finals.
"Believe me; we are trying to find some good speed to be faster. We still have time to score some important points and we will see what happens."
Salavat-born Sayfutdinov has not visited Togliatti since his 2019 Monster Energy SON triumph.
But he spent some of his formative years in the sport living in the city and he admits the biggest home advantage the Anatoly Stepanov Stadium offers him is the chance to reunite with old friends, including his former housemate "“ five-time ice speedway world champion Daniil Ivanov.
He said: "I have a lot of friends in Togliatti because when I started my career, I lived there and I started racing with my friends. Daniil Ivanov lives there still and he's a friend "“ we started together in Togliatti and lived together at the beginning of our careers.
"My life has changed a little bit because I live in Poland now. I don't have the chance to see my friends every day. If we have an opportunity like this, I really enjoy it. I am really happy I can meet my friends and speak to them before the meeting. It will be more motivation for me."
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS: 1 Bartosz Zmarzlik 121, 2 Artem Laguta 118, 3 Fredrik Lindgren 96, 4 Emil Sayfutdinov 91, 5 Maciej Janowski 83, 6 Tai Woffinden 73, 7 Leon Madsen 62, 8 Jason Doyle 61, 9 Max Fricke 59, 10 Robert Lambert 47, 11 Martin Vaculik 45, 12 Anders Thomsen 44, 13 Dominik Kubera 44, 14 Matej Zagar 31, 15 Krzysztof Kasprzak 16, 16 Oliver Berntzon 15, 17 Gleb Chugunov 8, 18 Jan Kvech 7, 19 Pontus Aspgren 1.
TOGLIATTI SGP LINE-UP (in ranking order with rider numbers): 95 Bartosz Zmarzlik (Poland), 108 Tai Woffinden (Great Britain), 66 Fredrik Lindgren (Sweden), 71 Maciej Janowski (Poland), 30 Leon Madsen (Denmark), 69 Jason Doyle (Australia), 222 Artem Laguta, 89 Emil Sayfutdinov, 575 Aleksandr Loktaev (Ukraine "“ substitute for 54 Martin Vaculik), 46 Max Fricke (Australia), 55 Matej Zagar (Slovenia), 105 Anders Thomsen (Denmark), 93 Oliver Berntzon (Sweden), 187 Krzysztof Kasprzak (Poland), 505 Robert Lambert (Great Britain), 16 Vadim Tarasenko (wild card), 17 Renat Gafurov (first track reserve), 18 Evgenii Saidullin (second track reserve).
