A Vitebsk resident became the winner of the Belarusian Autocross Championship and Junior Championship

Playing with toy cars in childhood, Vitaly Ododyuk from Vitebsk could not have imagined that his passion for cars would not weaken even at 17. True, now he is interested in transport much more seriously: the guy is not only studying to be a mechanic but also professionally involved in autocross. He already has decent results, though he prefers not to talk about them. And yet, Vitaly is the winner of the championship and the Belarusian junior autocross championship.

His passion for cars gained momentum when the young man entered the Vitebsk Technological College. Before that, he had already managed to study the internals of his father's car and gain serious practical skills related to its structure. Therefore, when he heard from acquaintances that he could try his hand at junior autocross, he didn't hesitate. With his parents' blessing, he joined DOSAAF and got behind the wheel under the guidance of experienced coach Viktor Grigoryev. One lap, another, and the mentor realized that the guy showed great promise. "It was clear that Vitaly didn't just want to drive. He felt the car, absorbed all the information on the fly, was passionate about it," Viktor Vasilyevich recalls how the young champion began his career.

After a few months of training, Vitaly reached such a level that he was entrusted to represent Vitebsk DOSAAF at last year's republican championship. At first, he was afraid to admit to his mother that he would participate in the races. So, he had to enter into a "criminal conspiracy" with his father, but all the deception was quickly revealed. His mother, of course, was shocked, but later attended all competitions as his most loyal fan. The young man did not make it to the prize-winners then – he lacked professionalism, but he did not let his mentor down, taking 4th place. And this was in an old DOSAAF car.

Seeing his son's serious intentions, the father bought the young man a personal "eight". Having decorated his "swallow" in his own way, the young man flew to the finish line first at the 2015 championship on its light wings. In general, the entire competition was held in five stages. The first in Vitebsk brought him "gold", then – Borisov, and he was again in the lead, then – Grodno and third place, Orsha – second, and at the final stage, Vitaly became first again. "I always had 7-9 rivals, the Orsha competitors seemed the most serious for a long time. Besides, I have perhaps the least experience: just over a year. There were those who have been doing autocross since 2011. But in the end, I beat everyone," – the young man says. By the way, at the last stage in the individual standings, the young man scored 70 points, while the next racer had 53.

Autocross does not bring profit, Vitaly admits. Rather, on the contrary, it places a significant financial burden on the family budget. For now, he plans to finish college and get a job as soon as possible to buy a more modern car. But he still needs to get a driver's license. Despite the fact that the young man is a champion, he will have to study for his license on the same basis as everyone else. But whatever the case, Vitaly looks confidently ahead. In September, he will have to compete for the Republic Cup in Borisov.

Tatyana Serebryakova, "Vitebskiye vesti". Photo by the author.