Sergei Kariakin plans to sign up for a World Rally-Raid Championship race in the near future. While the FIA’s restriction on Russian drivers remains, he has increased confidence that it will be lifted after a meeting between FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem and Vyacheslav Yarin.

Yarin is the Minister of International and Foreign Economic Relations for the Sverdlovsk Oblast. He had been visiting the United Arab Emirates to attend the International Defence Exhibition before connecting with Sulayem, who’s in the UAE for the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge. Yevgeny Kuyvashev, the oblast’s governor, had arranged the meeting between the two.

Kariakin did not provide specifics of their conversation, but called it a “very important meeting” both “for me personally (and) for motorsport as a whole.” Although not competing, he is also at the ADDC leading a guided tour of the race.

The former Dakar Rally Quad winner has not done a W2RC race since the 2022 Dakar, where he was involved in a crash. Russia invaded Ukraine a month after, prompting the FIA to require Russian and Belarusian drivers to condemn the war and agree not to use their countries’ emblems if they wish to race under the federation’s sanction.

A staunch supporter of Vladimir Putin, Kariakin quickly objected to the policy and has frequently lobbied to Sulayem to reconsider. In December, he said he had spoken to the FIA president and was “promised that next year he would look into the situation.” Kariakin has also found racing opportunities in the UAE in the Abu Dhabi Baja Challenge, where he is allowed to race with his Russian license without penalty.

He hopes for the rule to be lifted in time for him to enter the 2026 Dakar Rally. The South African Safari Rally, a new date on the W2RC, has also piqued his interest.

“Following the meeting, we plan to register for a stage on the World Rally-Raid Championship and see what opportunities have opened up for us,” wrote Kariakin.

Featured image credit: SNAG Racing