The true story behind Moscow’s new big-budget racing movie: How Imperial Russia’s first Monte Carlo Rally team crossed Europe in 1912 without a windshield

On October 8, Ilya Malanin’s film “Bitva motorov” (“Battle of the Motors”) opened in Russian theaters. Starring Yura Borisov and Ivan Yankovsky, it tells the story of a Russian team that competed in the 1912 Monte Carlo Rally in a Russo-Balt car. The historical adventure drama draws heavily on real events, though its creators emphasize that it takes plenty of artistic liberties. Writing for Meduza, history educator Andrey Aksenov, creator of the podcasts “Zakat imperii” (“Twilight of the Empire”) and “Vremya i dengi” (“Time and Money”), explains how the race actually unfolded.