Finished the rally-marathon "Silk Way"-2016. Gerard de Rooy talks about the Silk Way Rally, Dakar and the truck Winners of the Silk Way Rally in the Production category

HUH-HOTO (China), July 23 - R-Sport, Sergey Smyshlyaev. The 2016 Silk Way rally-raid, which started not in the best way for Russian racers, ended with the victory of Airat Mardeev from KAMAZ-master in the truck classification and Vladimir Vasiliev's podium in the off-road category.

The 2016 Silk Way Rally started on July 8 at Red Square in Moscow, and the finishing ceremony will take place on July 24 at Tiananmen Square in Beijing. "Silk Road" was held from 2009 to 2013. The race did not take place in 2014 and 2015. In 2009 the race passed through the territory of Russia, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan; in other years - only on the territory of Russia.

Prologue on Kazanka

The ceremonial start on Red Square in Moscow fully corresponded to the essence and grandeur of the upcoming rally-raid, all the crews drove through a special podium, heading for Kazan, where the first special stage, about two kilometers long, located on the banks of the Kazanka River, awaited the participants.

The winner of the prologue itself, which the racers still described as a show for spectators, was the French driver of Peugeot Stefan Petransel, the record holder for the number of victories in the Dakar, while Dutchman Martin van den Brink from Mammoet Rallye Sport took the lead in trucks.

Looking ahead, it can be noted that it is this athlete who will be the main competition for KAMAZ-master at the subsequent stages of the Silk Road. “Competitors are ready for everything,” Dmitry Sotnikov said at the time. “Everyone is progressing, both Renault and the MAZ team. They will be the closest competitors in this rally.”

weather corrections

However, the weather had its own plans for the next stage. Unfortunately for the Russian fans, the second special stage, located between Kazan and Ufa, was canceled - heavy rain made the track unsuitable for racing, so the riders went to Bashkortostan in an out-of-competition mode. “We are already used to this after Dakar 2016, where the first two special stages were canceled. This is a normal phenomenon,” Mardeev told reporters. “No one can guess the weather conditions, and safety is above all. We just support them."

Already from the first stages, it was clear that the mood of the crews was simply outrageous, at each finish one could hear dissatisfaction with the unsportsmanlike behavior of rivals or direct showdowns between the pilots. Ahead was a difficult path, so the nerves of the participants sometimes could not stand it. However, the rains continued to cool the ardor of the athletes, and already at the 4th stage they again influenced the plans of the organizers - the special stage was reduced by a third due to the flood of the river.

Minus Peterhansel

But then more serious problems began - during the fifth stage it became known that the leader of the race, Peteransel, had a serious accident, turning over on his buggy. The rider himself was not injured, but the car was, to put it mildly, battered. To the credit of the team, the car was restored overnight, but the incident itself deprived the Frenchman of all chances to fight for the podium.

“Yesterday there was a stupid mistake,” Peterhansel told reporters after the sixth stage, which, by the way, was also shortened due to weather conditions. “I made a mistake, the information was in the speed stuck in the track and rolled over two or three times.The car was destroyed.Not completely, of course, but we had to work on it for two or three hours, after which we moved very slowly to complete the special stage.This is the reality, and when we crashed, I I went first. And now I didn’t look at the results, because the overall result has already been decided for me.”

While Despres continued to confidently lead in the overall standings, KAMAZ-master began to have its first problems. By this time the race had moved to the territory of China, and Eduard Nikolaev had lost his leadership in the overall standings, having rolled back to the third ten of the table due to an oil leak and a broken bottom. Van den Brink came out on top.

"We drove fast and didn't make any mistakes. We are now in first place overall and are really happy about it. The second week of the race will be very difficult and long, it's too early to think anything. But we will attack and see what happens ", Van den Brink told reporters.

The scorching heat of the Gobi

In the SUV category, the main attention of Russian fans was riveted to the pilot of the G-Energy Team Vladimir Vasilyev, who closed the top three in the fight against Despres and Sebastien Loeb. The sweltering heat of the Gobi desert became another test of strength for all participants of the Silk Road, and the Russian had a hard time.

“Then (in Kazakhstan) there was a special stage of 560 kilometers, but it is not as hard as today, when we drove more than 200 kilometers,” Vasilyev told reporters. “Very hard, very hard, hot, the car overheats and the air conditioner does not work. In general, things like that. The special stage itself is not easy in the sands, and the air conditioners turned off at the very beginning. And it didn’t turn on anymore, I had to cool the engine, turn off the gas, go into coasting. I think that it was +45 overboard for sure, and the engine warmed up to 120 degrees.

Saudi Yazid Al-Raji from XRaid Team, also one of the leaders, ended up in the bivouac infirmary that day due to severe dehydration. But already at the ninth stage, Vasiliev's broken motor belt and Al-Raja's victory brought the Saudi to third place, dropping the Russian to fourth. In the meantime, in the standings of trucks, Mardeev was gradually breaking out into the lead.

“Exhausting heat, a lot of off-road, just like our extra, a lot of sand,” said Mardeev. “Renault was already rolled on the first ridge, they already drove around it on the second ridge, and that’s all. We drove and almost didn’t see anyone. Only standing jeeps drove around. We drove smoothly, steadily. It is difficult, of course, to assess the pace when you don’t see anyone. Physically, it was very difficult, in the end we drove like in a bathhouse. Outside, the sensor showed about 55 degrees, inside the cabin - even more. "

But here again the weather began to make adjustments. The strongest sandstorm that broke out in the area of ​​the cities of Dunhuan and Jiayuguan led to the cancellation of the 11th special stage - the aircraft that provided the race could not take off. The bivouac was practically destroyed, and the journalists were evacuated to the hotel. But, fortunately, these cataclysms were the last in the rally-raid.

Mardeev's leadership

If in SUVs Despre went to the title with leaps and bounds, leaving no chance for competitors, then in the category of trucks the struggle was not for life, but for death. And after the 12th stage, the leading van den Brink, who faced a number of serious technical problems, rolled back to third place. But Mardeev led the overall standings, pursued by Sotnikov.

“Mardeev caught up with us, and up to the three hundredth kilometer, to the dunes, we walked together, and then we had a puncture (wheel). We lost time changing tires and while accelerating, we also gradually lagged behind. Today we were prey, but on Friday we will hunters and chase after KAMAZ-master. We lose more than twelve minutes, but there is still time. The race is not over yet," said van den Brink.

But, having smelled the smell of victory, Mardeev was not going to lose such a chance, but the Dutchman was haunted by problems with unenviable frequency. Although not as serious as those of Loeb, who missed two waypoints and, due to a 4-hour penalty, immediately rolled back far from the leading group. And this played into the hands of Vasiliev, who rose to third place, which he eventually retained.

Titles of Despres and Mardeev

As a result, the trucks won the final victory of the crew of Mardeev, located on the first line with a result of 39 hours 23 minutes 18 seconds, Sotnikov took the second place, and van den Brink became the third.

“Indeed, it was not easy today, there were a lot of off-road, small stones, it was possible to puncture a wheel. 70 kilometers were walking purely on sand, it’s really impressive. We couldn’t relax for a second, we understood that we were taking the result. to the finish line. Thanks to everyone, thanks to the mechanics, thanks to our whole team that prepared the car. We understood that (Martin) van den Brink had to play 28 minutes, and it’s impossible to do it purely with a move, so the main thing was not to make a mistake, that we and done,” said Mardeev after the final special stage.

In the SUV category, the expected victory was for Depre, Al-Raji became the second, and Vasiliev - the third. “We got to the finish line, to the podium,” Vasilyev said at the finish line. “The last special stage was not bad, we even finished first. The whole race was fast, the roads were for buggies, so there is nothing strange in their victory. In general, I liked everything. I hope that the organizers will accept my wishes in the future. The rally should somehow be shortened, because on such long liaisons we get tired more than on special stages."

The final high-speed special stage connecting Wuhai and Hohhot, which is called the "Blue City", has set the final points in the general classification of the Silk Way Rally Marathon.

Cyril Despres successfully held the lead in the SUV category, while the crew of Airat Mardeev retained the first line among trucks.

Starting at the Yellow River, the riders walked 261 kilometers along the Ordos desert plateau, returning to the right bank of the Yellow River. The taxiways at the beginning of the special stage, where the pilots were able to demonstrate all their skills, to the north gave way to dunes - not very high, but extremely difficult to pass.

In the off-road category, Yazid Al-Raji in a Mini was the fastest on the final special stage. Sebastien Loeb, a Peugeot driver, came second with just over two and a half minutes back, followed by Garry Hunt and Vladimir Vasilyev in third and fourth place. This couple was separated by only ten seconds. An excellent sixth time was completed by the Dutch athlete Cornelius Kulen, ahead of Cyril Despres.

Despres, who was confidently leading in the overall standings, went through the stage in a calm mode and tried not to take risks at the last stage - victory was at stake. Cyril's plan worked and, despite not the best result of the day, the Frenchman retained the first line in the general classification. The gap between the winner and the second place was more than 25 minutes. For Despres, this is the first victory in such a major competition behind the wheel of a car.

“We came to complete the marathon, gain experience and experience an amazing journey from Moscow to Beijing,” commented Despres. - During these 17 days, I fulfilled all my plans - we achieved victory and tomorrow we will receive the well-deserved Champions Cup in the form of the White Tiger. Therefore we are happy. I have known the race management for a long time, and Vladimir Chagin is an outstanding professional in organizing competitions. He did his best to make the rally great and I can only imagine how difficult it was.”

A brilliant third place in the Silk Way Rally was won by the Russian crew of the G-Energy Team consisting of Vladimir Vasiliev and Konstantin Zhiltsov. In 2013, Vasiliev took second place in this race and the current result is the second finish of the rider in the top three.

“We got to the finish line, to the podium,” Vasiliev shared his impressions. – The last special stage was not bad, we even finished first. The whole race was fast, the roads were for buggies, so there is nothing strange in their victory. In general, I liked everything.”

Gary Hunt, a rising rally-raid star from the UK, took fourth place in the race, while Kazakhstani driver Aidyn Rakhimbayev was in fifth place in the final classification. The famous Chinese athlete Han Wei was sixth, and Sebastien Loeb finished seventh in the overall.

In the truck category, the final special stage was best driven by Airat Mardeev, the only driver who covered the qualifying distance in less than four hours. With the second time, the additional was completed by the silver medalist of the race, Dmitry Sotnikov, as well as Mardeev, speaking at KAMAZ. The Blue Armada, thus, took the top two lines of the final protocols and won the fifth victory at the Silk Way Rally. Martin van den Brink took third place both in the overall standings and in the 14th special stage.

“Today was not easy, a lot of off-road, small stones, it was possible to puncture the wheel. 70 kilometers went purely on sand, it's really impressive, - Mardeev summed up the day. - It was impossible to relax for a second, we understood that we were bringing the result. The most important thing was not to make a mistake and reach the finish line. Thanks to everyone, thanks to the mechanics, to our entire team that prepared the car. It is a great joy that, despite the breakdown, when there was already such a backlog that they thought that everything was lost, we managed. The main thing is to never give up.

Eduard Nikolaev, driving the latest bonneted KAMAZ, ran into problems on the last day of sports and broke through the radiator. Nevertheless, having lost about 40 minutes, the crew held on to the fourth position of the general classification.

“The last special stage was not successful for us,” he said after the finish. Nikolaev. - When we reached the middle of the distance at a good speed, the shock absorber broke. The fragments hit the fan. And the fan just thrashed. In addition, the radiator was pierced. I had to stop and get up for repairs. It took 45 minutes to fix the breakdowns, but even after such a downtime, we managed to win back decently. We caught up with almost every truck that passed us.”

Fifth place before the start of the final stage was occupied by Anton Shibalov, but his truck fell on a dune, which cost the crew two lines in the overall standings.

Hou Hongning, the pilot of the Russian-Chinese One Belt, One Road Team, created on the initiative of PJSC Gazprom, the general partner of the Silk Way Rally, rounded out the top five as a symbol of friendship and cooperation between the two countries. For Hou Hongning and his co-driver Shen Xin, this was the first international race behind the wheel of a truck, to which the Russian mechanic Andrey Mokeev helped the athletes to adapt.

Sergei Vyazovich, the most experienced driver from the Belarusian team MAZ-SPORT-auto, finished sixth in the overall standings of the Silk Way Rally. Seventh place was taken by Anton Shibalov from KAMAZ-Master, and the eighth place was taken by the Dutchman Pascal de Bar, who, together with van den Brink, plays for Mammoet Rally Sport. Behind him, two more MAZ drivers were classified - Alexander Vasilevsky and Alexey Vishnevsky.

Despite the fact that the sporting part of the rally has come to an end, the rally caravan has yet to make the final push from Hohhot to Beijing. Early in the morning on July 24, the participants of the race will begin to leave the bivouac in order to reach the very center of the capital of the Celestial Empire through 507 kilometers of the liaison. There, the participants of the most difficult marathon will have a solemn finish ceremony and awarding the winners. 16 days of racing and over ten thousand kilometers of distance are already behind, and now the last step remains for the athletes - to solemnly honor the participants in the Beijing Olympic Park.

off-road vehicles

Truck classification

On Sunday at the National Stadium "Bird's Nest" in Beijing, the rally-raid "Silk Way-2016", which started in the Moscow "Luzhniki" on July 8, officially ended. In fact, however, the results were summed up on Saturday, when the last high-speed special stage took place, since the final stage was only one liaison from the town of Hoh-Khuto to the capital of China.

For 15 days (taking into account the day of rest on July 15), the participants had to overcome 10,735 km, but in fact the distance turned out to be slightly less. The organizers had to cancel two special stages due to bad weather - the second stage Kazan-Ufa due to heavy rains that turned dirt roads into a swamp, and the 11th Dunhuang-Jiayuguan due to a dust storm. In addition, some SS had to be reduced. Nevertheless, the participants unanimously call this Silk Road one of the most difficult in history.

In the passenger car category, as expected, the Peugeot factory team car finished first. The surprise, however, was the name of the winner - it was the former motorcycle racer Cyril Despres, who noticeably lost to his teammates at the last Dakar. This time, however, Cyril acted very confidently, demonstrated high speed, and, unlike his colleagues, did not make mistakes.

Cyril Deprez: “We came to complete the marathon, gain experience and experience an amazing journey from Moscow to Beijing. During these 17 days, I did everything I wanted - we achieved victory and received the Champions Cup in the form of the White Tiger. Therefore we are happy. I have known the race management for a long time, and Vladimir Chagin is an outstanding professional in organizing competitions. He went above and beyond to make the rally great and I can only imagine how difficult it was."

As for the 12-time Dakar winner Stefan Petransel, he had a serious accident while still in Kazakhstan - his Peugeot 2008 DKR hit a hole at high speed, after which it rolled over six times. The crew was not injured, the car was also eventually restored, but too much time was lost, so that Petransel lost any chance of a high result. However, he made it to the finish line of the rally raid, losing nine and a half hours to Despres.

After Petransel's accident, his partner, nine-time world rally champion Sebastien Loeb was considered the favorite of the race, but he was not destined to win the Silk Way 2016 either. At the 12th stage, Loeb finished first, reduced the gap from Despre to two minutes, but then he was punished with a four-hour penalty for missing two control points on the course. After that, Loeb lost his chances of winning - he got to Beijing, but only in seventh place. Interestingly, at the finish line, he lost four hours and two minutes to Depres.

In the absence of two favorites, Yazid Al-Raji in a MINI moved up to second place - after a two-week race, he lost only 26 minutes to Depret. The third place was taken by the Russian crew Vladimir Vasiliev - Konstantin Zhiltsov, who also drove MINI. Their final backlog was 50 minutes.

Representatives of KAMAZ-Master were the obvious favorites in the trucks standings, but the race turned out to be very difficult for them too. At first, Eduard Nikolaev was the leader in it on a new bonnet version of KAMAZ, but at the seventh stage, Alma-Ata - Bortala, he broke through the engine sump and lost more than an hour. Marten van der Brink took first place in a Renault truck with a surprisingly fast pace. He was pursued by the KAMAZ-Master crews of Anton Shibalov, Airat Mardeev and Dmitry Sotnikov.

Even in the first half of the distance, at the fifth stage, Mardeev lost about 40 minutes due to a turbine failure. However, by the end of the marathon, thanks to stable and confident aerobatics, Airat managed to win back the gap and come close to van der Brink. And when he ran into problems, Mardeev took the lead. The KAMAZ-Master racer retained his advantage right up to the very finish line, having outstripped Dmitry Sotnikov, who took second place in the same KAMAZ, by 15 minutes at the end of the race. Van der Brink ended up finishing the rally raid in third place, 33 minutes from the winner.

Airat Mardeev: At the last stage, we slowed down a little, drove calmly, because we did not see anyone behind us in the mirrors. There was an opportunity to admire the views of beautiful dunes. Believe me, such an opportunity falls quite rarely. Thanks to the mechanics for preparing a good car. Navigator Aidar Belyaev and mechanic Dmitry Svistunov worked flawlessly. This is our common victory. And it is a great joy that, despite the breakdown, when there was already such a backlog that they thought that everything was lost, we managed. The main thing is to never give up.

- Gerard, what is your mood for the next Silk Road?
- First of all, I want to enjoy the race. The last time I really enjoyed a rally was a year ago in Morocco. For me, this is a very important point. Secondly, we have built a new truck, so just finishing on the Silk Road will be a difficult test. The rally will be a test for the truck. I think it is good in terms of speed, but the rally marathon should be tested for reliability. I am ready to attack every day, trying to win special stages. I do not think that we will be able to win overall, because there will certainly be technical problems.

In general, I consider Transoriental 2008 the best race of my career, when we passed more or less the same places that we will overcome now. I think people will enjoy the rally, I'm looking forward to it.

- Why do you expect problems with reliability? Was there not enough testing?
- We started working on a new truck in November 2016, during the Dakar we received all the spare parts for it. After returning from the Dakar, we immediately started building the truck and tested it already in Morocco. We didn't have any serious problems back then, only local ones. Tests are good, but during the races there are always more problems, because you go faster, you want to overtake rivals. In a real race, with strong opponents, you drive closer to the limit of what is possible. In my opinion, the truck is reliable enough to participate in a rally marathon, but it is unrealistic to prepare a new car in just a year. My old truck is very reliable, but it is many years old. The first - "Torpedo" - appeared in 2012, so this project is already six or seven years old. That's why he's so reliable. I think it will take a new truck at least a year to become reliable. Least.

I generally like to drive in the dunes, find the right route to overcome any dune, but with the new truck it feels like I can just go straight!

- Is the new truck more of an evolution or a revolution?
- It looks about the same as the previous one. But from the previous parts there is only a cabin and an engine.

- Where is the secret? Maybe in suspension?
- Yes, the suspension has become independent. This makes the chassis very different. We took some small parts from the previous truck, but all the big components are different. With the last truck, we made small changes every year. Every season you can do one or two big tests - with a new truck they will not show a real level of reliability, so it's like a new adventure. I believe that the new truck is already faster than the old one, the question is reliability.

This year we have only one new truck, the rest of the old project vehicles are also good and reliable. Yes, they are not the fastest in the standings, but definitely reliable. For example, Renault has a very good truck, but there are technical problems. You can't win with problems like this now: you need a truck that keeps going, doesn't let you down on special stages.

- Is the new truck faster on all surfaces? And dunes, and fast coverings?
- Everywhere. Especially in the dunes. There's an incredible difference. All the mechanics who rode the old truck with me noticed the difference. You know, I generally like to drive in the dunes, find the right route to overcome any dune, but with a new truck, it feels like I can just go straight!

"Positions cannot be lost." What's new is being prepared by KAMAZ-master

The head of the KAMAZ-master team, Vladimir Chagin, spoke about the 2017 Silk Way Rally, new engines and an automatic transmission.

Given your impressions, it is especially a pity that we will not see this truck at the next Dakar. You haven't given up, have you?
- I didn't refuse. No Dakar. I will not change my plans and will participate in Africa Flight.

Two years ago they promised me to go to Peru, but two months before the race they said: no, Peru will not. I don't care what the reasons were. The same is true for Dakar 2017.

- Can you explain in more detail what you are no longer satisfied with in the Dakar?
- In the last three or four years, I had the feeling that our performances in South America are similar to the WRC, and not to the Dakar, as it was in Africa. These three or four years, my partners Petronas and Iveco were only interested in Dakar - because of the brand, because of the popularity in the world, but this season we made a great deal, and they allowed me to go to Africa with smaller part of the team. Iveco and Petronas are increasingly active in the African market, so they want to increase their own popularity both in Africa and in South America. So three trucks will go to the Dakar, and two, including me, to Africa. One service truck will go with me, we will have a small team.

- Are there already three riders who will represent you at the Dakar? Will Artur Ardavichus be among them?
- We will discuss everything with Artur after the Silk Road, while there is an agreement only for this race. Villagra and Tom van Genugten will definitely go. We will discuss the third candidate, Arthur is among the options. I need good riders, a good team. At the Dakar, everyone will perform on the bonnets of the previous generation.

- Do you follow Formula 1?
- Well, now there is one interesting guy for me and for our whole country!

By the way, are you jealous of Max Verstappen? Before him, the Dakar was probably the number one motorsport discipline for the Netherlands, and now, perhaps, some sponsors go to Max, and not to you?
- No, no, there is no such problem. If we talk about sponsorship contracts, then when talking about Formula 1, you can add one or two zeros! Without a doubt, it's good that we now have a driver in F-1, because it raises interest in motorsport in general.

Our problems lie elsewhere: in the official Dakar diaries, almost no trucks are shown, so the sponsors do not see themselves. In addition, they want to see beautiful dunes, a real fight, like in Africa. Now, in winter, we will have a very interesting TV schedule: the first week the diary will talk only about the Africa Race, the second - about two races at once, and the third - only about the Dakar. I think it will be interesting for a lot of sponsors.

- And yet the Dakar brand is currently much more famous than Africa Flight.
- Yes, but I hope to attract more participants to Africa. And I think that every year the number of riders on the Africa Race will grow - and with it the number of journalists covering the race. Yes, it is difficult to reach the level of Dakar - the same applies to the Silk Road, by the way - but there is progress.

You know, I competed at the Dakar 10 times, so now I want to race for fun, for fun. I know that many good riders and teams have similar thoughts. I think in two or three years they will also go to Africa Flight. I think in 2018 there will be more participants and more sponsors. There are approximately 25 participants in the cargo classification in the Netherlands - and 7-8 of them will definitely go to Africa in 2018, and not to South America.

- Have you discussed with the organizers of the "Dakar" what does not suit you in the race?
- Certainly. Two years ago they promised me to go to Peru, but two months before the race they said: no, Peru will not. I don't care what the reasons were. At Dakar-2017, it’s the same: they were waiting for Peru, but a new government came there, and Dakar didn’t go there again.

The organizers know the consequences of my non-participation. But I told them the same thing for three or four years, and now I was able to convince my own sponsors. If they had agreed two years ago, then even then I would not have been at the Dakar.

If we talk about maintaining concentration, it will be more difficult on the Silk Road: the race lasts two weeks, the surfaces change all the time, there are many strong rivals.

- In your opinion, which race usually has the most difficult route - Africa Race, Silk Road or Dakar?
- "Africa Race" will be a difficult race, because it is always difficult in Morocco. It will also be difficult on the Silk Road - I know this both from the first race and from the Transoriental. It is not as difficult for trucks there as in Morocco - in terms of suspension work. If we talk about maintaining concentration, it will be more difficult on the Silk Road: the race lasts two weeks, the surfaces change all the time, there are many strong rivals. In this regard, the Silk Road will be more difficult. And for technology, the most difficult race is the Africa Race.

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Traditionally, the start of the Silk Way Rally on Red Square in Moscow. On July 8, the crews set off towards Kazan. The capital of Tatarstan hosted the first special stage of the race. Then the crews proceeded to Ufa - for the first time the Silk Way rally caravan passed through the territory of the Republic of Bashkortostan. From there, the athletes through the border checkpoint on July 11 got to the territory of Kazakhstan, where they drove to Kostanay, visited the capital of the republic, the magnificent Astana, after which they spent the night at the picturesque Lake Balkhash.
And so all the days - between cities, along country roads and impassable roads, through the majestic ranges of the Tien Shan, the enchanting desert landscapes of the Gobi, mighty rivers, sacred mountains, past the ancient monuments and megacities of Inner Mongolia Hohhot, northern China and other picturesque places of the Celestial Empire.

During the special stage, the riders covered 340 kilometers of distance. The special started with high-speed roads, leveling the problem of engine cooling, but later more winding and hummocky roads began, with a mass of stones and difficult sand sections. At the finish line, the riders again had a chance to sink the gas pedal to the floor and finish the stage at high speeds.

At the finish of the tenth stage of the Silk Way Rally, the participants of the race literally came close to ancient history. The final destination of the day's route was the city of Dunhuang, the cradle and key point of the Great Silk Road, which connected Eastern and Western civilizations many centuries ago. Today, this role is played by the Silk Road - many thousands of kilometers behind and dozens of crews have safely reached one of the oldest cities in the world - an oasis in the Jiuquan district. The Silk Way Rally is not just a competition, but a bridge of friendship that connects Russia and China, says Zhang Guojin, President of the China Automobile Sports Federation.

The route was described by Vladimir Chagin, Project Manager of the Silk Way International Rally: “The organizing team did a good job on the route of the Silk Way Rally. As a result of a lot of work, a "legend" was written - a "road book" of the sports track, as well as an auxiliary route for the escort caravan, bivouac sites were determined, and the necessary approvals were made. Uncompromising wrestling, little-known territories, deserts, dunes, mountains and steppes, ruins of ancient cities, landscapes of incredible beauty - this is what we have prepared for you this year on the way from Moscow to Beijing! Silk Road 2016 will be intense from start to finish. Respite will be short, and difficult sections of the course can expect participants in a variety of places. A balanced but tough route will be a serious test for both equipment and people.”