The press conference of the 2019 Silk Road Rally was held in Moscow on May 30
The 2019 Silk Road Rally Moscow press conference was successfully held in Moscow on May 30. Government representatives, partners, driver representatives and media from China, Russia and Mongolia attended the conference. The race route of the 9th Silk Road Rally was officially announced at the press conference for the first time.
As a high-profile cross-country rally event this year, the 2019 Silk Road Rally will kick off in 36 days. The 9th Silk Road Rally will start from Irkutsk along Lake Baikal on July 6, cross Mongolia from north to south and arrive in Dunhuang, China on July 16, completing a 10-day race. This year’s race has a total of 5008 kilometers, including 2593 kilometers of special stages. The brand-new route across 3 countries will bring brand-new experiences and challenges to the participating drivers. From the coniferous forests of Eastern Siberia to the endless grasslands of Mongolia to the majestic sand mountains of the Gobi, the 2019 Silk Road Rally is not only the most challenging event this year, but also presents a great journey of exploration for the participants.
Gathering of well-known drivers
Motorcycle group: 5 official teams
This year the motorcycle group will make its debut in the Silk Road Rally. As a stop of this year’s FIM World Motocross Rally Championship, the motorcycle group that will debut this year will welcome 5 official car groups to participate. Sam Sunderland, the British driver who won the Dubai Grand Prix and the 2017 Dakar Rally champion, will lead the Red Bull KTM factory team to participate; the American driver Andrew Short, who won the motorcycle super championship championship, will join the ROCKSTAR ENERGY Husqvarna Factory Adrian van Beveren hopes to win the first place for his Yamaha “Blue Man” tank on the brand new track; also wants to make a big splash with the MONSTER ENERGY Honda team, the team will use speed Famed Catalan Juan Barede and recent Chilean Juan Ignacio are on the team, while Indian team HERO MOTORSPORTS, making their debut this season, will be pinning their title hopes on the Portuguese On Paul Gonsalves.
The quad bike group will also make its first appearance in the rally, led by five-time World Championship winner and former Dakar champion Rafal Sonic on a Yamaha Raptor 700.
Auto Group: Al Attia is looking forward to winning the championship, and the Chinese team is in full swing
For Al Attia, the Silk Road Rally is one of the few cross-country rallies in the world that he has not conquered. He was runner-up in the Volkswagen Touareg in 2010 and runner-up in the Toyota Hilux last year. He will continue to participate this year, and the three-time Dakar champion hopes to realize his journey to the Silk Road Rally Championship. The challenge he faces this time is likely to come from his teammates in the OVERDRIVE team. These include 2018 Silk Way Rally champion Alaghi, Dutch driver Bernhard Tann and Russian driver Vladimir Vasilyev. There are also drivers who are expected to sprint for the championship, such as the American driver Menzies who drives the Peugeot 300DKR MAXI and the Chinese driver Han Wei who drives the SMG car.
China Power will usher in a new climax in this rally. In addition to the Geely Hanwei Racing Team, which once created the best results for Chinese drivers, there are also Shaanxi Yunxiang Racing Team, Jiujiang Racing Team, Longxingtianxia Racing Team, Zhengzhou Nissan Sailun Tire Racing Team and Giti Tire Racing Team, whether it is racing cars or drivers , both in terms of quality and quantity, represent a relatively high level of an international competition of Chinese elements.
In addition, in the all-terrain vehicle group that has attracted much attention recently, a wonderful contest will be launched between Russian driver Sergey driving Maverick X3 and Spanish driver Pena Campo driving Polaris RZR.
Trucks: Kakinov’s road to title defense
In the truck group, the Kamaz team will continue to be the favorite to win the championship. The exciting championship battle will be staged between Kakinov and teammate Martiff. In addition, Dutch driver van den Blake driving Renault trucks and Sugawara Teruhito driving Hino racing cars will also challenge for the championship.
Adding up the drivers of different groups, there will be nearly a hundred drivers standing on the grid in Irkutsk on July 6th. In addition to manufacturers and popular drivers, many amateur drivers also joined the competition to meet the challenges initiated by the 2019 Silk Road Rally. For all the drivers, they have only one goal: to accept the challenge, and after 10 stages of fierce competition, successfully board the car receiving platform in Dunhuang!
Vladimir Chakin, Event Director of the Silk Road Rally, said at the press conference: “The Silk Road Rally has always been committed to exploring new routes and regions. This will not only keep the competition diversified, but also promote the awareness of the people of participating countries. The understanding of the rally. The Mongolian domestic route introduced to you today was chosen under the initiative of President Khaletma Battulga himself; the Russian section of Lake Baikal is the dream of many people, where you can feel the beautiful nature; China Duan’s sand hill has always been a reserved item of the Silk Road Rally. I think such a route is not long, but it is very interesting, and the participants and all the guests will like it. I hope more drivers will participate in this year’s competition.”
Boris Grishin, Head of the State Sports and International Cooperation Management Department of the Ministry of Sports of the Russian Federation, said: “On behalf of the Ministry of Sports of the Russian Federation, I welcome all distinguished guests, organizers and major drivers to Moscow. The full support of the Ministry of Sports of the Government of the Russian Federation Make the Silk Road Rally continue to be one of the most attractive and meaningful events in the world. Motor sports is one of the most splendid and spectacular sports in the world, and the “Silk Road Rally” is the most difficult in the world One of the motorsports events in the country. This event is a remarkable example of effective cooperation in the field of culture and sport among countries along the Silk Road, which once again demonstrates that sport will unite peoples and peoples of the world across language and cultural barriers. Russia The sports department will provide sufficient information and support for this event, and wish all drivers a victory in the race.”
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Mongolia to the Russian Federation, Mr. Ochirbat Ochirbat said: “This ambitious project is under the auspices of Mongolian President Khaletma Battulga. The Mongolian side is very sure that this The importance of a sports event. We believe that this will not only be a successful event, but also a shining symbol of the friendly and good-neighborly relations between our peoples, especially Russia, Mongolia and the Chinese people. I wish all participants a pleasant journey and all the best As one wishes.”
Game schedule:
Competition Dates: July 6-16, 2019
Technical inspection: July 5th and 6th, 2019
Departure ceremony: Irkutsk (Russia) on July 6
Car collection ceremony: July 16 in Dunhuang
Stages: 10
Russia-Mongolia-China
Irkutsk – Ulaanbaatar – Dunhuang
