There were plenty of high-octane thrills as top racers, including Russia's Formula One driver Vitaly Petrov, came together at the invitational tournament in Moscow.

Motorsport fans willing to brave sub-zero temperatures in the capital were rewarded with a high-powered spectacle.

The who's who of Russia's racing world on hand at the 22nd Stars Race hosted by one of the country's premier automobile magazines.

2011 Dakar runner-up Firdaus Kabirov and Formula 1 Lotus Renault test pilot Roman Grosjean some of the more recognizable names taking part.

Russia's first-ever F1 driver Vitaly Petrov was also on hand to witness the event, but did not participate in the race. That was after his Lotus Renault teammate Robert Kubica suffered serious injuries during a rally event earlier this month. The 26-year-old is now preparing for the Formula 1 season opener on March 27.

“It's unfortunate that I'm not allowed to participate here due to the Kubica situation, but it's always great to be back in Russia. As far as the Formula 1 season, we have no problems with the Bahrain Grand Prix being cancelled. That just means we have more time to prepare for the Australian Grand Prix,” Petrov explained.

The first qualifying race saw teams fit winter tires on their cars and Kirill Ladygin took full advantage of the extra traction to win. Regular tires were used for the next race where LADA Revolution star Ladygin finished only seventh. Those results were enough though, to qualify the 32-year-old for the final three races.

Ladygin's Russian expertise served him well in the final stages as he edged Grosjean by 1.6 seconds, with Kabirov finishing third. Dmitry Bragin finished second and last year's winner Timur Sadredinov was third.