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So, enjoy the interview (below), or click to see the 1999 TPPT website.

This is the driver's profiles portion of TPTCC.com, where you can find out a little more about those guys you're banging fenders with each week!

This week we have Dmitry Nekryukov, driver of the feared black Hondas of Black Squirrel Racing. Black Squirrel Racing, Rudy de Wit ,Michiel Jagersma and Dmitry, have placed themselves second in the 1999 championship thus far, and Dmitry leads the points.

Jan: First off, Dmitry, what's your age, where do you come from (besides just "Moscow")? Likes, dislikes, girfriend, pet, whatever! ;]

Dmitry: I'm 19 years old (December 26, 1979). I was born at the place called "Chekhov" 50 km to south of Moscow, lived there till 16 years old. Now living and studying at "Financial Academy" (insurance/finance&credit specialisation) in Moscow. I like playing racing sims :-) and following real motorsports, I like different music (rock mostly), also like celebrating different holidays with my friends :-), and driving my father's old soviet car. I like cats, rain (but not when I'm racing ! ;-)), and aviation.

I try not to have a lot of dislikes... maybe studying...hehe. And the other problem that I still don't have a girlfriend :-), maybe I spend too much time for racing. Ok, now I have to win both TPTCC and NASS championships, retire, and concentrate on other things :-)

Jan: Who are your favorite groups, and what is your favorite holiday? Is it a Russian holiday?

Dmitry: Here are my favorite groups at this moment: Metallica, Black Sabbath, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Pearl Jam, Cranberries, Garbage, TequillaJazz (russian), Kino (russian).

Hehe... holidays... many of them :-) Someone's birthday or the New Year (russian main holiday now, not Christmas).

Jan: Why do you run TPTCC?

Dmitry: I find the league very fun. Generally, I like how those Nascar 2 based cars behave (that's why I'm also driving in a NASCAR league). They suit me and I have fun driving them, and if I'm competitive also - then why not ? :-)

Also, TPTCC has a great competition, very small margins between the drivers after 30-40 mins of racing still amaze me. Wins are very fun to have here, and when I get it I know I've done something and can be proud of it.

Jan: Who's your favorite "real" driver(s)? And why?

Dmitry: Many of them. I really respect almost all of them, but also have some favorites. Michael Schumacher, Ayrton Senna, Jacques Villeneuve, Jeff Gordon, Ricky Rudd, Dale Earnhardt, Tony Stewart, Alex Zanardi, Michael Andretti... All of them I respect for their great abilities and for enormous passion for racing.

Jan: In Moscow, what motorsports do you get to see on TV, and are there any racetracks near you?

Dmitry: A great problem... We have only F1 here, which is, honestly, pretty dull...I just dream of being able to watch NASCAR and CART... :-( The toppest level of motor racing here is very small group of F3 cars where two italians win almost anything :-) And the tracks are temporary mostly, and they are not very good... Well, it's better than nothing. But, just yesterday Moscow mayor signed a plan of building a world standart track near Moscow to bring F1 here in 2-3 years.

Jan: You mention a few drivers of NASCAR that you like, but since you don't get to see any races of them, how did you get to know about them?

Dmitry: Oh, I'm a big fan of NASCAR without watching it :-). I got hooked in 1995 I think since reading an article in a russian magazine. Then, a big boost to my interest to NASCAR added Nascar Racing 1 and later Nascar Racing 2 sims. With arriving of the internet in 1997 I could get know almost anything about this sport. So, untill now internet is the main and almost the only source of info about NASCAR. Though, I could get several small parts of 3 races from a friend who taped it on Eurosport channel - day Bristol, Richmond and Martinsville. Now, I know a lot about it, like to read about it's history, and even maintain maybe the only russian site dedicated to NASCAR. ;-)

Jan: What type of motor racing do you enjoy the most?

Dmitry: Currently, NASCAR is my main passion in racing. Though, I like almost all major motorsports: CART, IRL, F1, did like DTM and ITC, BTCC, GT...

Jan: What kind of car do you have, and if no car, what car would you like to have?

Dmitry: I don't have my own car yet, but I drive my father's car very often. It's soviet 8-years old "LADA-2107". Though, I would like to have Chevrolet Corvette or the latest BMW :-).

Jan: How much would a 'Vette or Beemer cost over there (in US dollars)?

Dmitry: Well, I tried to get known how much 'Vette would cost here, but couldn't get any info on this type of Chevrolet here. They don't sell it here at all. Maybe, if someone wants to get it here he has to order it directly from the USA. But they sell a lot of Beemers. BMW 750i for example is between 90,000-115,000 $, BMW 540i is 75,000 $. Oh, god, that's just a dream then...hehe :-).

Jan: With the internet, and the changing of political structure in Russia, do you see alot of different culture than you could a few years ago? Has it impacted motor racing in Russia any?

Dmitry: Yeah, the difference in culture is very big... And though it's still pretty difficult situation here, changes are for better. And it has impacted motor racing here for sure. Because at the time of USSR motor racing sport was meant as a "decaying influence of the Western culture". Though, the progress of racing in Russia is not fast now due to chronical lack of money everywhere.

Jan: And finally, what do you do in real life?

Dmitry: I've already answered up there :-). I'm a student and preparing to be an economist or an insurance specialist.

Jan: Thanks for the interview, Dmitry!