Rally raid silk road results. Gerard de Roy - about the Silk Way Rally, Dakar and the truck. Scorching heat of the Gobi

HOHHOT (China), July 23 - R-Sport, Sergey Smyshlyaev. The Silk Way rally-raid 2016, which began not in the most successful way for Russian drivers, eventually ended with the victory of Airat Mardeev from KAMAZ-master in the truck category and the podium of Vladimir Vasiliev in the off-road vehicle category.

The 2016 Silk Road rally-raid started on July 8 on Red Square in Moscow, and the finishing ceremony will take place on July 24 on Tiananmen Square in Beijing. The Silk Road ran from 2009 to 2013. The race did not take place in 2014 and 2015. In 2009, the race took place across 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 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 described as a show for the audience, was the French Peugeot driver Stéphane Peterhansel, the record holder for the most victories at the Dakar, while the Dutchman Martin van den Brink from Mammoet Rallye Sport took the lead among the trucks.

Looking ahead, it can be noted that it is this athlete who will form the main competition for KAMAZ-master at subsequent stages of the Silk Road. “The competitors are ready one hundred percent,” Dmitry Sotnikov said then. “Everyone is making progress, both Renault and the MAZ team. They will be the closest competitors at this rally.”

Weather adjustments

However, the weather had its own plans for the coming stage. Unfortunately for Russian fans, the second special stage, located between Kazan and Ufa, was canceled - heavy rain made the track unsuitable for racing, so the racers went to Bashkortostan in a non-competition mode. “We are already accustomed 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 comes first. The organizers decided that this was dangerous, but we We just support them."

Already from the first stages it was clear that the mood of the crews was simply exorbitant; at each finish one could hear dissatisfaction with the unsportsmanlike behavior of their opponents or direct clarification of relations between the pilots. There was a difficult path ahead, so the nerves of the participants sometimes gave way. However, the rains continued to cool the athletes’ ardor, and already at the 4th stage they again influenced the plans of the organizers - the special stage was shortened by a third due to the river flood.

Minus Peterhansel

But then more serious problems began - during the fifth stage it became known that the race leader Peterhansel had a serious accident, turning over in his buggy. The driver himself was not injured, but the car was, to put it mildly, battered. To the team's credit, the car was recovered overnight, but the incident itself ruined the Frenchman's chances of fighting 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 laptop, I knew it, but I didn’t reduce the speed, I was too fast, so I speed stuck into the track and turned over two or three times. The car was not completely destroyed, 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, but when we crashed. I was first. And now I didn’t look at the results because overall result It's already decided for me."

While Despres continued to confidently lead in the overall standings, KAMAZ-master began to have its first problems. By this point, the race had moved to Chinese territory, and Eduard Nikolaev lost his leadership in the overall standings, falling back into the third tenth 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. Now we're in first place overall standings and are truly happy about it. The second week of the race will be very difficult and long, it’s too early to predict anything. But we will attack and see what happens,” van den Brink told reporters.

Scorching heat of the Gobi

In the SUV category, the main attention of Russian fans was focused on the G-Energy Team pilot Vladimir Vasiliev, who completed the top three in the fight with Despres and Sebastien Loeb. The sweltering heat of the Gobi Desert became another test of strength for all participants of the Silk Road, and it was not easy for the Russian.

“Back then (in Kazakhstan) there was a special stage of 560 kilometers, but it was not as tough as today, when we drove more than 200,” Vasiliev told reporters. “Very hard, very hard, hot, the car overheats and the air conditioning does not work. In general, These are the things. The special stage in the sand itself is difficult, and the air conditioners turned off at the very beginning. And it didn’t turn on anymore, I had to cool the engine, let off the gas, I think it was definitely +45 outside the engine. heated 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 engine belt and Al-Rajhi’s victory brought the Saudi to third place, dropping the Russian to fourth. Meanwhile, Mardeev gradually took the lead in the truck classification.

“Exhausting heat, a lot of off-road conditions, just like our extra, a lot of sand,” Mardeev noted. “On the first ridge they already rolled up the Renault, on the second ridge they already drove around it, and that’s it. We drove and saw almost no one. Only standing jeeps drove around. We drove smoothly and steadily. It’s difficult, of course, to assess the pace when you can’t see anyone physically; in the end we drove like in a bathhouse. On the street the gauge showed about 55 degrees, inside the cabin it was even higher.”

But then the weather began to make its adjustments again. A severe 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 supported the race could not take off. The bivouac was practically destroyed, and the journalists were evacuated to the hotel. But, fortunately, these disasters were the last in the rally raid.

Mardeev's leadership

If in the SUV category Despres took leaps and bounds towards the title, leaving no chance for competitors, then in the truck category the struggle was life and death. And after the 12th stage, the leader van den Brink, who faced a number of serious technical problems, fell back to third place. But Mardeev, pursued by Sotnikov, topped the overall standings.

“Mardeev caught up with us, and until the three hundredth kilometer, to the dunes, we walked together, and then we had a puncture (of the tire). We lost time changing the tire and while we were accelerating, we also gradually fell behind. Today we were prey, but on Friday we will hunters and will chase the KAMAZ-master. We are losing more than twelve minutes, but the race is not over yet,” said van den Brink.

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

Titles of Depre and Mardeev

As a result, the final victory among the trucks was won by Mardeev’s crew, who was in first place with a result of 39 hours 23 minutes 18 seconds, Sotnikov took second place, and van den Brink took third.

“Indeed, today it was not easy, there was a lot of off-road, small stones, it was possible to puncture a tire. We walked 70 kilometers purely on sand, it’s really impressive. We couldn’t relax for a second, we understood that we were delivering results. The most important thing was not to make a mistake and get there to the finish. Thanks to everyone, thanks to the mechanics, to our entire team who prepared the car. We understood that (Martin) van den Brink had to win back 28 minutes, and it was impossible to do this purely by moving, so the main thing was not to make a mistake, which is what we did. done,” Mardeev said after the final special stage.

In the SUV category, the expected victory went to Despres, Al-Raji became second, and Vasiliev was third. “We reached the finish line, the podium,” Vasiliev said at the finish. “We drove the last special stage well, we even finished first. The whole race was fast, the roads were for buggies, so there was nothing strange in their victory. Overall, I liked everything. I hope that the organizers will accept my wishes in the future. The rally needs to be shortened somehow, because on such long liaisons we get more tired than on special stages.”

RESULTS:

1 place, crew No. 306 pilot A. Mardeev; navigator A. Belyaev; mechanic D. Svistunov

2nd place, crew No. 300, pilot D. Sotnikov; navigator R. Akhmadeev; mechanic I. Romanov

ABOUT THE RACE:

ROUTE

3 countries crossed

15 stages

1 day of rest

PROGRAM

CARS/TRUCKS

The long-awaited trophies of the Silk Way rally raid were received by the crews of 306 Airat Mardeev and 300 Dmitry Sotnikov for winning the race. Now the collection of the “blue armada” will be replenished with bronze heads of white tigers. New symbol It was not chosen by chance for the race. The white tiger is found in both Russia and China. In the mythology of the Celestial Empire, the tiger symbolizes courage and a strong inner spirit. And this talisman should inspire and protect the race participants throughout the exciting adventure.

The award ceremony took place in the Beijing Olympic Park against the backdrop of the famous national stadium, known as the “bird's nest”. A storm was predicted in the capital of China, so the organizers rushed to congratulate all the winners and participants as soon as possible. But the ceremony dragged on for more than three hours.

According to tradition, when the winner of the race in the cargo category was awarded - the crew of Airat Mardeev (navigator Aidar Belyaev, mechanic Dmitry Svistunov) and the crew of Dmitry Sotnikov (navigator Ruslan Akhmadeev and mechanic Ivan Romanov), who took second place, the whole team joined them on the podium to congratulate and take a photo. In order for the KAMAZ-master crews to become leaders of the marathon, a lot of effort was spent.

It was a very difficult race for everyone - both the crews and the mechanics,” says team manager Sergei Savostin. - We made some mistakes, but overall I rate the team’s work very well. The mechanics did a great job. During this race, due to the long liaisons, there was almost no time left for sleep - we slept only 3-4 hours. The guys were tired, but did their job flawlessly. Our cars overturned several times during the marathon, and they were restored overnight so that the next morning the crews could start at a new stage.

The entire race in the truck category was a struggle for a place on the podium between the crews of the “blue armada” and the Dutch pilot Martin Van den Brink, who tested a new Renault bonneted truck at the race. And this confrontation had a good effect on the mood of the Russian team.

Brink has third place, and this indicates that our opponent is very serious,” says Savostin. - He is well prepared, he has excellent technique. The hood has an automatic transmission and a new transmission. No one had driven an automatic at the race before. But he did it. When there are such rivals at a race, intrigue arises and a desire to conquer other heights appears.

During the Silk Road, the KAMAZ-master team also tested a new bonneted vehicle. The crew 310 of Eduard Nikolaev (navigator Evgeniy Yakovlev, mechanic Vladimir Rybakov) was driving an unusually black “nosed” truck. Despite the fact that Eduard did not manage to make it to the podium, the crew completed their primary task - to test the car in harsh conditions.

We tested it before, but not in such an extreme mode,” says Sergei Savostin. - We wanted to see its advantages and disadvantages and compare it with our previous cars. It’s too early to draw final conclusions about what we succeeded and what we didn’t. One thing is obvious - we still need to master driving a hooded car. As Edward says, he experiences discomfort in the dunes due to the lack of visibility. Therefore, you will have to develop different techniques. I am sure that we will soon forget about this shortcoming.

This race did not go so well for the crew of 303 Anton Shibalov (navigator

Robert Atych, mechanic Almaz Khisamiev) and crew 314 Andrey Karginov (navigator

Alexander Kupriyanov, mechanic Igor Leonov). Shibalov finished the race in 8th position, Karginov - in 16th.

At the last stage, Andrei Karginov, as the last one, had to help restore Eduard Nikolaev’s car after a breakdown, after which Andrei’s own car broke down. But the day didn't end there. Andrey saw Anton Shibalov’s truck lying on its side in the sand and helped lift it.

Shibalov’s crew went to the race in a new car, but he had breakdowns that dropped him to eighth place, says the team manager. - After the revolution in the sands, Andrey Karginov had the mission to help the organizers rescue SUVs stuck in the dunes. To the detriment of his time, he helped the athletes, and returned to duty only after the organizers, according to the regulations, allowed him to do this, imposing a large fine. Despite the results, neither Anton Shibalov nor Andrey Karginov retired, they survived and completed this race, which they will surely remember forever. It was a good experience for all our guys.

- 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. This is a very important moment for me. Secondly, we built a new truck, so just finishing the Silk Road will be a tough test. The rally will be a test for the truck. I think it is good in terms of speed, but the marathon rally should be tested for reliability. I'm ready to attack every day, trying to win the special stages. I don’t think we will be able to achieve an overall victory, because there will certainly be technical problems.

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

- Why are you expecting problems with reliability? Was there not enough testing?
- We started work on the new truck in November 2016, and during the Dakar we received all the spare parts for it. After returning from Dakar, we immediately began building the truck and tested it in Morocco. Then we didn't have serious problems, local only. Tests are good, but as the race progresses there are always more problems, because you go faster and want to overtake your rivals. In a real race, with strong competitors, 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 one, Torpedo, appeared in 2012, so this project is already six to seven years old. That's why he's so reliable. I think it will take at least a year for the new truck to become reliable. Least.

I generally love dune racing, finding the right route to get over 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 the only parts of the previous parts are the cabin and the engine.

- Where is the secret? Maybe in a pendant?
- Yes, the suspension has become independent. This makes the chassis look completely different. We took some small parts from the previous truck, but all the large 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 won't show the 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 issue 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 they are definitely reliable. For example, Renault has a very good truck, but there are technical problems. You can't beat these kinds of problems now: you need a truck that keeps going and doesn't let you down on special stages.

- Is the new truck faster on all surfaces? And dunes and fast surfaces?
- Everywhere. Especially in the dunes. The difference there is incredible. All the mechanics who drove the old truck with me noted the difference. You know, I generally love driving in the dunes, finding the right route to overcome any dune, but with the new truck it feels like I can just go straight!

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

Considering your impressions, it’s especially a pity that we won’t 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 Race.

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

- Can you explain in more detail what doesn’t suit you anymore about Dakar?
- In the last three or four years, I had the feeling that our performances in South America similar to the WRC, not the Dakar that it was in Africa. These three or four years my partners Petronas and Iveco were only interested in the Dakar - because of the brand, because of its popularity in the world, but this season we made a great deal and they allowed me to go to Africa with a minority of the team. Iveco and Petronas are increasingly present in the African market, so they want to increase their own popularity in both Africa and South America. So three trucks will go to Dakar, and two, including me, will go to Africa. One service truck will go with me, we will have a small team.

– Are the three riders already known who will represent you at the Dakar? Will Arthur Ardavichus be among them?
- We will discuss everything with Arthur after the Silk Road, for now 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 compete on the previous generation bonnets.

- Do you follow Formula 1?
- Well, now there is one interesting guy there 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 are going to Max, and not to you?
- No, no, such a problem does not exist. If we talk about sponsorship contracts, then when talking about Formula 1 you can add one or two zeros! Without a doubt, it is good that we now have a driver in F1, because it generally raises interest in motorsport.

Our problems are different: 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, real struggle, like in Africa. Now in winter we will have a very interesting television schedule: the first week the diary will talk only about “Africa Race”, the second - about two races at once, and the third - only about “Dakar”. I think this will be interesting for a lot of sponsors.

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

You know, I competed in 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 on Africa Flight. I think in 2018 there will be more participants and more sponsors. There are approximately 25 participants in the cargo competition 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 Dakar organizers what you are not happy with about 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 happen. I don't care what the reasons were. It’s the same thing at Dakar 2017: 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 I would not have been at the Dakar.

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

- Which race do you think 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 from the first race and from the Transoriental. For trucks there it is not as difficult as in Morocco - in terms of suspension performance. If we talk about maintaining concentration, then it will be more difficult on the Silk Road: the race lasts two weeks, the surfaces change all the time, there are many strong competitors. 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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Once again, bad weather interfered with the Silk Way Rally. “Due to a storm warning in the city of Almaty, emergency helicopters could not take off, so the organizers had to shorten the sixth special stage. Initially, the racers had to cover 111 kilometers of the qualifying distance, then go through about 70 kilometers of neutralization and go to the second part of the special stage, 224 kilometers long. Unfortunately, under storm warning conditions, it was impossible to guarantee the safety of participants in the second high-speed section; it was cancelled.”

This was the final special stage where the fate of the awards at the Russian Championship stage was decided. The information about the significant reduction of the special stage was felt most painfully by those pilots who planned to win back. First of all, this concerned the crew of Aldis Vilcans/Vladimir Makarenko (Mitsubishi), which, to win in the Raid-Sport category, needed to close the gap of 21 minutes with Mikhail Kostrukov/Oleg Nezhnov (GAZelle NEXT). Despite the 2/3 shortened route, the Latvian-Russian crew attacked, as they say, “all the money”, but for so much short distance managed to win almost only 10 minutes. When the racers go to the start, they are wished good luck, today it was on the side of the crew of the GAZ Raid Sport team.

Prize-winners of the Silk Road Rally in the Raid-Sport category

1. Mikhail Kostrukov/Oleg Nezhnov (GAZelle NEXT)
2. Aldis Vilcans/Vladimir Makarenko (Mitsubishi)
3. Alexander Kostrukov/Ramil Zamaletdinov (GAZelle NEXT)

No less interesting was the fight for third place in the Production standings between the Italian Pietro Fogliani (Toyota) and the Australian-Russian crew Adam Martin/Alexey Kuzmich (Ford). Before the decisive round, the opponents were separated by only 8 minutes in favor of the international duo. In such tense situations, as a rule, the loser is the one who makes a mistake first. This time, Fogliani, competing without a navigator, had stronger nerves - a 25-minute advantage at the finish line is a significant result.
Few people doubted the victory of Alexander Terentyev/Alexey Berkut (Ford). The country's champions put a fine point by winning the final special stage, proving to everyone that at the moment they have no competitors in the category of serial SUVs.

Konstantin Ivanov/Alexander Gorkov (Toyota) should be happy with second place - they won it in a fair fight, which was not easy to do, because the crew is spending their first season in rally raids.

Winners of the Silk Road Rally in the Production category

1. Alexander Terentyev/Alexey Berkut (Ford)
2. Konstantin Ivanov/Alexander Gorkov (Toyota)
3. Pietro Fogliani (Toyota)

In the Overall classification, World Cup winners Vladimir Vasiliev/Konstantin Zhiltsov (Mini) are beyond competition in the recent history of domestic rally raids. Only the current champions of the country Evgeny Firsov/Vadim Filatov (Toyota) were able to come closer than the others to the World Cup winners, losing to them a little over 23 minutes. Unfortunately, due to technical problems, Viktor Khoroshavtsev/Roman Elagin was forced to stop for a long time today, which cost the fast crew the loss of third place, which they held throughout the rally. Andrey Dmitriev/Dmitry Pavlov (Toyota) did not fail to take advantage of this, running the race at a good pace. Due to errors and equipment failures, it was not possible to show good result, pilots included in the top six of the national championship - Andrey Rudsky (G-Force Proto) and Dmitry Ievlev (Nissan).

Winners of the Silk Way Rally in the Overall classification

1. Vladimir Vasiliev/Konstantin Zhiltsov (Mini)
2. Evgeniy Firsov/Vadim Filatov (Toyota)
3. Andrey Dmitriev/Dmitry Pavlov (Toyota)

Despite the fact that the leader of the truck classification, Eduard Nikolaev, had an impressive lead of 20 minutes before the final stage, today he made his fans worry by finishing only 12th. He lost to the stage winner Airat Mardeev by more than 11 minutes. It was all due to two broken wheels on the reinforcement, to which the race organizers attached a restrictive tape. Andrei Karginov also broke a wheel on the same fitting, the replacement of which cost him a lot - the crew lost not only second place, but also the prize podium.

Winners of the Silk Way Rally in the Trucks category

1. Eduard Nikolaev/Evgeniy Yakovlev/Vladimir Rybakov (KAMAZ)
2. Anton Shibalov/Robert Atych/Almaz Khisamiev (KAMAZ)
3. Dmitry Sotnikov/Ruslan Akhmadeev/Ivan Romanov (KAMAZ)

Congratulations to the crew Maria Oparina/Alexander Terentyev (Polaris) - the only finisher in the T3 category. It is not their fault that their opponents were unable to overcome the most difficult route, with whom they fought an uncompromising battle.

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

During the special stage, the racers covered 340 kilometers of distance. The additional stage began with high-speed highways, which eliminated the problem of engine cooling, but later more winding and bumpy roads began, with a lot of stones and difficult sand sections. At the finish line, the racers again had a chance to put 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 race participants literally came close to ancient history. The final destination of the day’s route was the city of Dunhuang - the cradle and nodal 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 are behind us and dozens of crews have safely reached from Red Square in Moscow to one of the oldest cities in the world - an oasis in Jiuquan County. The Silk Road rally raid is not just a competition, but a bridge of friendship that connects Russia and China, says Zhang Guojin, President of the Chinese Automobile Sports Federation.

The route was described by Vladimir Chagin, project manager of the International Silk Road Rally: “The organizing team did a good job on the Silk Way Rally route.” As a result of a lot of work, a “legend” was written - a “road book” for the sports route, as well as an auxiliary route for the escort caravan, bivouac locations were determined, and the necessary approvals were carried out. Uncompromising wrestling, little-explored 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. The respite will be short-lived, and difficult sections of the route can await participants in a variety of places. A balanced but tough route will be a serious test for both equipment and people.”