Alexander wan2ted EvsinAt the circuit outside Rustavi, 20 kilometres from Tbilisi, around twenty cars of the same model line up on the grid five times a season: BMW 3 Series built between 2005 and 2010. This is the Georgian circuit racing championship, and two rounds of the 2026 season are still to come: 25 October and 8 November.
In this article we explain what the championship is, how it has changed since 2012, which Georgian drivers started out at Rustavi and how to attend a round as a spectator.
A one-model championship: the BMW 3 Series
The Georgian Circuit Racing Championship (in Georgian «საქართველოს ჩემპიონატი წრიულ რბოლაში») is run by the Georgian Automobile Sport Federation. The federation's documents call it GTCC, the Georgian Touring Car Championship. The round regulations state that it is the only circuit car racing event in the country with the status of a national championship.
Every driver races a BMW 3 Series: a 325i, 328i or 330i. The model and year of each car are listed in the points table on the federation's website. In 2026 between 18 and 22 drivers entered each round, and some of them race for teams: BITANICA Racing, SARDA Racing, K Racing and GTP Racing.
Each round consists of two races of 12 laps. The 4,122-metre circuit runs anticlockwise and has 12 corners. According to the results of the May 2026 round, the fastest lap took about two minutes, at an average speed of about 124 km/h. Two drivers may share one car: the first drives race one and the second drives race two.
From Formula Alfa to BMW: how the championship changed
The Rustavi circuit opened in 1978, and from 1979 to 1989 it hosted rounds of the Soviet championship. In the 1990s the track fell into disrepair. In 2009 a company owned by businessman and racing car designer Shota Abkhazava bought it at a state auction, and after reconstruction the circuit reopened in April 2012 as Rustavi International Motorpark.
Shota Abkhazava driving a Legends car at the Rustavi circuit, 2011. Photo: Eldarmarchenko, Wikimedia Commons
From 2012 the Georgian championship was organised by the circuit's management. According to Worldsport.ge, the first season had seven rounds and four classes: Legends, Formula Alfa, unlimited GT and Touring 1500. Mevlud Meladze, the circuit's director at the time, said that no other country in the South Caucasus had such a championship:
«საქართველო ამიერკავკასიის ერთადერთი ქვეყანაა, რომელსაც ფორმულას კლასის ნაციონალური ჩემპიონატი გააჩნია».
"Georgia is the only country in the South Caucasus that has a national championship in the formula class."
Worldsport.ge, 26 October 2012
By 2016 there were still four classes, but different ones. They were listed in the season preview on the circuit's website:
- Formula Alfa: open-wheel single-seaters with a two-litre Alfa Romeo engine and a top speed of up to 250 km/h;
- Legends: scaled-down replicas of American cars from the 1930s and 1940s with a Yamaha motorcycle engine;
- Touring Light: production cars with 1.4 and 1.5-litre engines;
- BMW Compact Cup: the BMW 318ti on ordinary road tyres.
Touring Light was the cheapest class. The same preview estimated that preparing a car and racing for one season cost about 5,000 dollars, and recommended the class to beginners.
Since 2025 the championship has been run by the Georgian Automobile Sport Federation, and it now has a single class, the BMW 3 Series. The first season in the new format had four rounds. The last of them took place on 9 November 2025, and Setanta Sports Georgia broadcast it live. In the final standings Sandro Tavartkiladze finished first with 141.5 points and Giorgi Bezhitashvili second with 91. In the same year the FIA, the International Automobile Federation, nominated the championship for its FIA President's Award in the Europe category.
From Rustavi to NASCAR
The best-known Georgian racing driver is Davit Kajaia. In 2013 he became Georgian circuit racing champion, and in 2015 he won the European Touring Car Cup (ETCC) in the TC2T class in a BMW. After that win he gave an interview to Fortuna.ge and described how he learned to race:
«21 წლის ვიყავი როდესაც რუსთავის ავტოდრომზე მივედი და ეს დიდი ასაკია ავტოსპორტისთვის. […] ჩვენ ძველები ყველანი თვითნასწავლები ვართ. „იუთუბზე" ვუყურებდით ვიდეოებს და ყოველი რბოლის შემდეგ ერთმანეთს გამოცდილებას ვუზიარებდით».
"I was 21 when I came to the Rustavi circuit, and that is a late age for motorsport. […] Those of us from the older generation are all self-taught. We watched videos on YouTube and shared our experience with each other after every race."
Fortuna.ge, 22 October 2015
Davit Kajaia in a Legends race, August 2012. Photo: Levan Gokadze, Wikimedia Commons
In the same interview Kajaia advised people who like driving fast to come to the circuit rather than race around the city:
«ვისაც ენერგია მოზღვავებული აქვს, ყველას ვურჩევ ავტოდრომზე ჩამოვიდეს და იქ დაიხარჯოს. თანხა იმდენად მიზერულია, რომ ჯარიმის ღირებულება ბევრად აღემატება რუსთავში ჩამოსვლის დანახარჯებს».
"I advise everyone who has energy to spare to come to the circuit and spend it there. The money is so small that a fine costs far more than a trip to Rustavi."
Fortuna.ge, 22 October 2015
Davit Kajaia on the NASCAR Euro Series podium at Brands Hatch in the UK, June 2025. Photo: BWard 1997, Wikimedia Commons
In 2025 Kajaia won the Challenger Trophy in the NASCAR Euro Series, the European championship of the American NASCAR series. In March 2026 he and Mariam Davitidze of the new Georgian team Kolkhi GRT ran the first test of a NASCAR Euro Series car in Georgia, at Rustavi.
Sandro Tavartkiladze on the NASCAR Euro Series podium at Brands Hatch, June 2026. Photo: BWard 1997, Wikimedia Commons
In 2016 Sandro Tavartkiladze won the Georgian championship in the Formula Alfa class, and in 2025 he won the GTCC season. Also in 2025 he raced in the NASCAR Euro Series and finished fourth in the OPEN standings. For the 2026 season the Dutch team Team Bleekemolen signed him together with another Georgian driver, Sandro Kajaia.
Kajaia's home win in TCR
The 2017 season of the TCR International Series, an international series for touring cars, opened at Rustavi on 2 April. A journalist from the Russian magazine Autoreview called that round Georgia's first serious international race. According to the Motorsport.com report, Davit Kajaia won the wet first race from pole position in an Alfa Romeo Giulietta for the GE-Force team. The second race was won by Spain's Pepe Oriola in a SEAT León. A highlights video of both races is on the series' YouTube channel.
After the race Kajaia told journalists:
«Я счастлив выиграть свою первую гонку в TCR здесь, дома, слыша, как меня приветствуют трибуны».
"I am happy to win my first TCR race here, at home, hearing the grandstands cheer me."
Autoreview, 4 April 2017
The grandstands were full that day. The Autoreview journalist talked to spectators, and one of them admitted he had come almost by chance:
«Я услышал по радио, что вчера наш Дато Каджая выиграл, стало интересно — решил приехать… Я слышал, что у нас есть мототрек, но не знал, что в Грузии есть гонки».
"I heard on the radio that our Dato Kajaia won yesterday, I got curious and decided to come… I had heard we had a motorcycle track, but I didn't know there was racing in Georgia."
Autoreview, 4 April 2017
Bezhitashvili vs Tavartkiladze: the 2026 season
All five rounds of the 2026 season take place at the Rustavi circuit. The dates come from the federation's calendar:
| Round | Date |
|---|---|
| 1 | 5 April |
| 2 | 31 May |
| 3 | 12 July |
| 4 | 25 October |
| 5 | 8 November |
In the first round Sandro Tavartkiladze won both races, and Giorgi Bezhitashvili finished second both times. In the second round Tavartkiladze won race one again, and Bezhitashvili won race two. In the third round Bezhitashvili scored the most points, 45, while Tavartkiladze scored only 8, and Bezhitashvili took the championship lead.
The top four after three of five rounds, according to the points table on the federation's website:
| Position | Driver | Car | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Giorgi Bezhitashvili | BMW 330i 2005 | 130 |
| 2 | Sandro Tavartkiladze | BMW 330i 2005 | 87 |
| 3 | Shalva Tsikhelashvili | BMW 328i 2007 | 78 |
| 4 | Davit Khelkhelauri | BMW 330i 2010 | 56 |
The gap between first and second is 43 points, with two rounds left in the season.
The race day timetable
The federation has not yet published the timetable for round 4. In rounds 2 and 3 of 2026 the timetable was the same:
| Time | What happens |
|---|---|
| 11:00 | Practice |
| 11:45 and 12:10 | Qualifying in two groups |
| 13:20 | The starting grid opens to spectators |
| 13:50 | Round opening ceremony |
| 14:10 | Race one |
| 17:10 | Race two |
At 13:20, before race one, spectators are allowed onto the starting grid, where the cars line up before the start. The break between the races is about two and a half hours.
Entry to round 3 on 12 July 2026 was free. The Tegeta Fest festival ran alongside it, with rest areas, food and a children's area, and there was also a VIP terrace overlooking the track. Whether entry on 25 October will be free has not been announced yet. You can ask the federation on +995 557 911 663 or check the round 4 page.
The federation streams the rounds live on YouTube. The recording of the round 1 broadcast of 2026 runs for several hours and includes both races.
By the end of October the daytime temperature in Rustavi drops to about 17 °C, and to about 7 °C at night. The sun sets around 18:00, so race two finishes shortly before sunset.
Getting to kilometre 21
According to the circuit's website, it is located at kilometre 21 of the Tbilisi – Red Bridge highway, on the right bank of the Mtkvari river, about 20 kilometres from the historic centre of Tbilisi. The route runs along the Mtkvari embankment, then along the Rustavi highway, which becomes the Tbilisi – Red Bridge highway. Without traffic the drive takes about half an hour.
Bus N20 runs from Isani metro station to the entrance to Rustavi, and the fare is 1.5 lari. The timetable has no stop at the circuit, so you will need a taxi to get to the gates.
On ordinary days you can drive laps of the circuit in your own car or ride in a race car with an instructor. Prices for these sessions and for karting are collected in our article about the Rustavi circuit.
Frequently asked questions
When is the next round of the Georgian racing championship? Round 4 takes place on 25 October 2026, and round 5, the last of the season, on 8 November. Both rounds are held at the Rustavi circuit.
How much is a ticket for the races at Rustavi? Entry to round 3 of the championship in July 2026 was free. The federation has not yet announced anything about 25 October; you can check on +995 557 911 663.
What time do the races start? At previous rounds race one started at 14:10 and race two at 17:10. The timetable for round 4 has not been published yet.
What cars race in the Georgian championship? BMW 3 Series cars built between 2005 and 2010: the 325i, 328i and 330i. Since 2025 this has been the championship's only class.
Can I watch the race online? Yes, the federation streams the rounds live on YouTube.
How do I get to the Rustavi circuit without a car? Take bus N20 from Isani metro to the entrance to Rustavi and then a taxi: there is no bus stop at the circuit.
Can I drive on the Rustavi circuit myself? Yes, on ordinary days you can take your own car onto the track. Three laps cost 50 lari according to the circuit's price list.
The Tbilisi fleet includes a 2022 BMW 3 Series, the same model that races in the championship, as well as a BMW M3 Competition and a BMW M4 CS. Cars are delivered anywhere in Tbilisi in about half an hour; the terms are on the delivery page. If you would rather not drive after the races, you can book a car with a driver.
The concierge answers on WhatsApp and Telegram at +995 557 437 034 and by email at concierge@autohub.ge. Name the model and dates; documents and the deposit are checked before delivery.
Cover photo: a Formula Alfa car at the Rustavi circuit, driven by Sandro Lomadze, 2014. Eldarmarchenko, Wikimedia Commons
