In the mysterious Siberia, the 9th Silk Road Rally in 2019 welcomes all participating drivers. From Irkutsk to Dunhuang, the 10 stages with a journey of more than 5,000 kilometers run through the vast regions of Russia and Mongolia, and finally reach the Gobi Desert in China. There is no doubt that this is a very challenging stage, and for two-thirds of the road, the drivers also need to face the challenge of jet lag. Compared with previous events, the motorcycle group will make its debut in the Silk Road Rally, and will produce its first motorcycle champion after fierce competition. The two-day administrative and technical vehicle inspection will be held at Irkutsk University on the 5th and 6th, and the grand departure ceremony will be held in the center of Irkutsk at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday.
As the starting city of the 9th Silk Road Rally, Irkutsk has a population of 600,000 and is an important city in northeastern Russia. Its average temperature in summer is 19 degrees Celsius, and the temperature in winter can drop to minus 19 degrees Celsius! Irkutsk is the only way to Lake Baikal, and is loved by tourists from all over the world because of its beautiful scenery. Motorcycles, cars, trucks and support teams from all over the world first conducted an administrative inspection at Irkutsk University on the morning of the 5th, including competition licenses, vehicles and driving licenses. Afterwards, the technical vehicle inspection will be carried out at the Anlaga River, 300 meters away from the administrative inspection center. The technical inspection will be carried out in strict accordance with the standards of the International Motorcycle Federation and the International Automobile Federation.
Like all top races in the world, safety will always be a top priority for the Silk Way Rally. Each participating vehicle is equipped with IRITRACK equipment. This system can monitor the racing car in real time, so as to ensure that the organizing committee can keep abreast of the racing dynamics in a timely manner, and it is also convenient for drivers to contact the control center. The vehicles of the backup team, organizers and journalists are equipped with the Tripy system to ensure their safe driving.
In order for the participating drivers to make the final vehicle adjustments before the race, the organizer arranged a test drive by the Anlaga River. The test run time is from 9:00 to 18:00 local time. In order to facilitate different groups of vehicles, the organizing committee has arranged two test runs. The test run distance is 1.2 kilometers for motorcycles and 1.6 kilometers for cars and trucks.
Chinese elements shine again
At 19:00 on the evening of July 6, the contestants will drive from the closed area to the starting platform of Speransky Square in Irkutsk to participate in the starting ceremony, and the ninth Silk Road will officially kick off.
No matter in terms of the number or quality of participating drivers, the 9th Silk Road Rally has reached a new high. A total of 97 racing cars in the three categories of motorcycles, cars and trucks will appear on the grid, and 181 registered drivers from 36 countries will gallop this event. As one of the host countries of the Silk Road Rally, of course Chinese elements are indispensable in the lineup. Chinese teams and drivers once again showed great enthusiasm for participating in this Silk Road Rally. A total of 19 car groups from 9 teams participated in the competition. They will once again use Chinese red throughout the event.
In addition to the participating drivers, there are 521 support team members who will follow in 175 service vehicles. If the members of the organizing committee are included, the total number of people in the 9th Silk Road Rally will reach 702, a huge camel caravan on the ancient Silk Road!
