The first legal street racing contest has taken place in Moscow. After years of disagreement between racers and the city authorities, the latter finally gave their approval with the intent to make the sport less dangerous.

The young car-owners have been a headache for local authorities for years. The illegal contests usually took place on quite roads close to villages, with the residents suffering the crowds and deafening noise. Pedestrians were also at risk.

Most people are sure the war between the road police and the high adrenalin speed-lovers is over.

“We tried to settle our differences and to find the solution that would satisfy both parties. I think it's a good sign that this kind of sport has come out of the underground – and it's been finally acknowledged by the authorities,” says Igor Koloskov, road police representative.

Instead of chasing the fast and the furious, the police are now assisting them. They've closed down a road in a less populated area not to disturb the residents and set up road blocks to protect spectators.

“Of course, there were a lot of clashes with the road police. We had to drive from one place to another to get rid of them,” recalls one of the racers. “But thankfully it's been legalized and we can avoid these problems.”

With the support of Moscow authorities races are expected to take place every week. However, some participants say the legalization of the sport might remove the thrill of the backstreet contest.