Motorsport.com announces management team to lead strategic operations in Russia

MOSCOW (March 11, 2015) – Based in the company’s headquarters in Moscow, Mikhail Belkin has been appointed Chief Development Officer and Nikita Kiselev for the role of Chief Marketing Officer. Both appointments are effective immediately.

“The appointments of Mikhail Belkin and Nikita Kiselev serve as key pillars in our recent announcement of Motorsport.com – RUSSIA,” said Eric Gilbert, vice president of operations, Motorsport.com. “Mikhail is one of the most respected media executives in Russia. Through his leadership, he will bring world-class motor sports news content in native tongue to millions of Russian race fans and strengthen our international presence as the industry leader.”

We see the launch of the Russian version of Motorsport.com, the leading global online motorsport media, as very timely.

Mikhail Belkin, Chief Development Officer Motorsport.com - RUSSIA

Belkin, who was previously responsible for the development of F1news.ru website and several other online media belonging to Profmedia holding as Commercial Director, will now be oversee the development of the Russian version of Motorsport.com.

Increasing interest of local audience towards motorsports

“With the success of Russian teams and drivers in major racing series we can clearly see the increasing interest of local audience towards motorsports,” said Belkin. “Daniil Kvyat’s move to a top-tier F1 team together with the Sochi Grand Prix will be among the key factors that will definitely contribute to a further increase in the racing fan base.

“Thus, we see the launch of the Russian version of Motorsport.com, the leading global online motorsport media, as very timely. For me it’s a new exciting challenge and I’m looking forward to giving all my knowledge and skills to make Motorsport.com – RUSSIA successful and popular among the racing community”.

One of the brightest young marketing minds in all of Russia

Kiselev, previously a head of strategy in the Moscow office of Hakuhodo ad network and a managing director in Pole Motorsports Marketing Solutions will be responsible for Motorsport.com - RUSSIA marketing communications strategy development and execution.

“Nikita is one of the brightest young marketing minds in all of Russia,” added Gilbert. “His innovative approach and strategic thinking will help leverage both our B2B and B2C growth while positioning our brand as the “go to” source for all online motor sports content.

“Today it’s impossible to ignore the global popularity of motorsports and its increasing fan base in Russia,” said Kiselev. “This audience is unique in many ways, perfectly understanding the sport in smallest detail and is almost invulnerable to advertising in traditional media. It comes as no surprise that motorsport fans are the most-wanted clients for many advertisers. Ability to speak with this audience in the same language will become the pivotal factor of successful communication.

“We believe that interesting and unique content, created by the award-winning authors of Motorsport.com and presented in up-to-the-date manner on both the website and in social media, will not only help us win over existing auto sport fans, but will also involve new audiences, who haven’t been interested in racing before.”

About Motorsport.com

Established in 1994, Motorsport.com is an award winning, cutting-edge technology company featuring a world-class digital distribution, interactive multimedia and the largest motor racing photo database in the world. Based in the Miami Design District (FL), Motorsport.com is the global leader for online motorsports news content, in-depth, up-to-the-minute coverage on the full spectrum of motor racing which includes over 450,000 news articles.