The Moscow Raceway is an FIA Grade 1 circuit designed by the famous Formula 1 track architect Hermann Tilke as Moscow's number one racing facility and opened in 2012 in Volokolamsk, at an hour and a half road trip west from Moscow, Russia. The venue has not received the chance to host the Russian Grand Prix yet, but it regularly hosts high-profile events such as the Russian Circuit Racing Series, or the Russian Race for the World Touring Car Championship, to mention only two. The cold and snowy Russian winter means special preparations need to take place to race in Moscow from October to April.
There are two different configurations for racing on the Moscow Raceway, both counterclockwise-oriented and starting from the easternmost straight segment of the track. The FIM variation is the layout of choice when hosting motorcycling competitions because of its long back straight with no chicane. The GP10 variation includes that chicane on the back straight but eliminates turn eight to even out the technical difficulties of both layouts. The Moscow Raceway is a state-of-the-art race track in all of its configurations and will be a world-class venue for the Russian Grand Prix when the opportunity comes in the future.
The FIM version of the Moscow Raceway is the fastest configuration, as it includes the longest straightaway where high-performance vehicles can develop velocities up to 250 km/h (155 mph). The average speed on this layout is 79 mph (127 km/h), and the average lap time 1:52.3.