and Anton Ladygin used in the 2014 Le Mans 24h Zlobin began racing in 1996 at the later age of 26, and took part in several competitions, such as Danian Cup in
rallycross. In 1998, he made a switch to single-seater racing, initially competing in
Russian Formula Three Championship and
Euro Formula 3000 for several years. In August 2002, Zlobin was announced as a test driver for the
Minardi Formula One team, becoming the first Russian to test a Formula 1 car. His signing was a part of the sponsorship deal that Minardi made with
Gazprom, brokered by
Oksana Kosachenko. However, Gazprom paid only 2 million dollars out the promised 9 million during the season, which led to the contract breaking down. After a one-year hiatus, Zlobin returned to motorsport in 2004, and continued the testing programme with Minardi. Zlobin competed at Le Mans twice, in 2005 and 2014. He competed in a number of GT and Endurance racing series, including the
FIA GT Championship,
Blancpain Endurance Series and
European Le Mans Series. ==Personal life==