Rally-raid crews have in excess of 10,000 reasons to be excited. Following the ceremonial departure in Moscow’s Red Square on 08 July, the Silk Way will set off for more than 10,000 kilometres of competition, adventure and pure pleasure.
Details of the route will be announced by the organizers during a presentation, to be held on June 9 in Moscow. A large and exuberant crowd will fill the Kazan city centre for a prologue to determine the start order for the first proper stage (Kazan-Ufa) on 10 July. Then the rally will exit ‘Mother Russia’ and enter Kazakhstan on 11 July.
The ‘land of wanderers’ will host three stages, with a stop in the futuristic metropole and capital Astana and a much-deserved rest day in the former first city, Almaty.
On 16 July the raiders will see the vast plateaus, steep canyons and rolling tracks disappear from their rear-view mirrors with the ‘Red Dragon’ straight ahead. Bortala will host the first bivouac in China.
Then, the massive Gobi takes centre stage. With Mongolia to the north and the Qilian Shan to the south, the rally heads east for a week-long battle, reaching the capital of Inner Mongolia, Hohhot, before the final stage and finish line in Beijing on 24 July.
After painstaking attention to detail and weeks of reconnaissance, the route is set .No matter their ambitions or means, all who accept the challenge are in for the rally of a life time !
Quotes:
Vladimir CHAGIN Silk Way Rally Project Director : “With the help of the local authorities, we were able to validate our route. It is going to be an intense battle in rarely travelled regions consisting of deserts, mountain landscapes, and immense steppes, which will be complemented by the discovery of forgotten cities and incredible scenery. From Moscow to Beijing, the 2016Silk Way Rally will be a huge challenge and it all gets underway in Red Square on 8 July!
Zhan Guojun, Chinese Motor Racing Federation President: «The Silk Way Rally is not only a competition; it is a bridge of friendship between the Russian and Chinese Motor Racing Federations that will make every effort to ensure a successful event this summer. We will warmly welcome our friends and competitors from around the world to Beijing!”
Frederic Lequien Silk Way Rally Deputy Director : “We have done an incredible amount of work and I am convinced that we have come up with the best possible route. Everything has been done on each special stage so that the competitors can enjoy themselves to the fullest. The end result surpasses all that we could have imagined.”
Luc Alphand Silk Way Rally Ambassador and Sporting Director : “This route is balanced for all the categories, just until the very last kilometres, a lot of things could happen! The co-drivers will play an essential role, the drivers will have to maintain the pace, it promises to be an exciting race.”
THE ROUTE:
15 stages, 10,780 kms*
RUSSIA
07 July Administrative checks and scrutineering Moscow
08 July Ceremonial Start Red Square Moscow
09 July Stage 1 Moscow –Kazan 853.35kms
10 July Stage 2 Kazan-Ufa 622.17kms
KAZAKHSTAN
11 July Stage 3 Ufa-Kostanay 812.46kms
12 July Stage4 Kostanay-Astana 855.69kms
13 July Stage 5 Astana-Balkhash 821.10kms
14 July Stage 6 Balkhash-Almaty 855.88kms
15 July Rest Day Almaty
CHINA
16 July Stage 7 Almaty-Bortala 610.40kms
17 July Stage 8 Bortala-Urumqi 829.35kms
18 July Stage 9 Urumqi-Hami 767.32kms
19 July Stage 10 Hami-Dunhuang 484.33kms
20 July Stage 11 Dunhuang-Jiayuguan 589.69kms
21 July Stage 12 Jiayuguan – Alashan 678.46kms
22 July Stage 13 Alashan-Wuhai 734.98kms
23 July Stage 14 Wuhai-Hohhot 774.47kms
24 July Stage 15 Hohhot-Beijing 490.48kms