The sportsmen share with us their impressions after the morning run through the stages of Day1.

This year the start ramp was mounted further from the bank between two rows of trees in order to avoid strong wind from the water, and a performance stage was erected nearby so that artists could entertain the crowd. There was a bright hip-hop and break-dance show, which thousands of fans followed with fascination - the dark movements of dancers created phantasmagoric shades all round the square, and everything looked magical in this light, as the polished sides of rally cars threw colourful reflections upon the joyful faces.

However, the shakedown of "Novorossiysk Rally of Russia 2009" saw the event's first roll. It was performed by Igor Storchak, who is considered to be favourite in the N3 category. Nevertheless his car wasn't damaged, and neither was Mikhail Skripnikov's vehicle, which spent some time in a ditch.

Behind the light louvers of the Media Room laps the autumn-bloomed sea. Its seeming paleness is overcompensated with all the tinctures of golden and scarlet that covered the trees. And the first words we could hear from crews returning from the reconnaissance, were not about the route, but about the magic beauty of scenery and their desire to cast away the HANS and pace-notes in exchange for a photocamera and a few hours of free time.

For several years have people in unordinary overalls - wearing "cherkeskas" and "papakhas" (kind of hat) - been responsible for closure of special stages of the Novorossiysk rally. The organisers of the rally are 100% confident that these stages are always carefully guarded. It's because the Kuban Cossack know their business.

The weather forecast, promising rain on Monday and Tuesday, proved wrong, as the beginning of the rally week met sportsmen with a cloudless sky and comfortable air temperature of around 20-22 centigrade. Indeed there was a rain - but two days before, and it hasn't influenced the tests, which are now carried out close to Novorossiysk. 

This article concludes the series of articles about the participants of "Novorossiysk Rally of Russia 2009". Here you can read about the participants with start numbers 50-64.