7th Silk Way Rally Into High Gear As Drivers Head East To China

Off-road racing fans are revved up as drivers for the seventh Silk Way Rally are making their way through the Caspian and Central Asia regions and on their way to China over the next two weeks for what is the world’s longest road race.

The 2017 Silk Way Rally consists of 14 stages and has been modified from previous versions to become the largest racing route in the world, stretching 9,599 kilometers and running through Russia, Kazakhstan and China.

The American off-road racing champion Bryce Menzies and his co-driver Pete Mortensen are racing for Red Bull, while Russia is being represented by Victor Khoroshavtsev from ASPEC Motorsport Team, the Kostorukov brothers from GAZ Raid Sport Team, and the all-women crew of Maria Oparina and Taisia Shtaneva.

Current rally champions Cyril Despres and David Castera from France are competing this year, along with Stephane Peterhansel and Sebastien Loeb, also Peugeot Sport Team. Their main rivals are Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Vladimir Vasiliev, silver and bronze prize winners respectively in the sixth Silk Way Rally, which ran from Moscow to Beijing in 2016.

This year’s race started on July 7 in Moscow’s Red Square and wraps up on July 22, in China’s Xi’an city, considered the starting point of the Great Silk Road, once the world’s largest trade route that linked Asia and Europe.

The 2017 rally is getting coverage from some of the world’s biggest pan-regional broadcasters.

“Motorsport TV and Euronews have signed a media partnership agreement with the event. Media coverage will be also given by Fox Sports Latin America, Fox Sports Europe, Fox Sports Asia, Fox Sports Australia, Sony Entertainment India, Velocity USA and Dubai Sports in UAE,” Silk Way Rally Deputy Director Frederic Lequien said.

“This extensive coverage, will enable Silk Way Rally to reach not only the motorsport fan community, but also a larger base of new audience and further boost its brand awareness and interest worldwide.”

Now in its seventh year, the rally has traditionally included Russia. In 2009, when the race was first launched, the route incorporated Turkmenistan. By bringing together some of the world’s best drivers from 40 countries, the event is meant to shed light on the natural, cultural and historical heritage of the host countries.

Starting from the Red Square on Friday, drivers have already road 726 km and passed through the Russian city of Nizhny Novgorod, which lies on the western banks of the Volga River. After passing through cities like Cheboksary, Kazkan and Ufa, drivers made their way to Russia’s border with Kazakhstan, and arrived in the capital Astana on Tuesday, where EXPO 2017 – a modern-day version of the World’s Fair – is currently underway.

After passing through Kazakhstan’s vast steppes on their way to Semey (Semipalatinsk), the oldest city in Kazakhstan, drivers will traverse the ridges of the Tien Shan Mountains and head into China, where they will cross the Gobi desert before arriving in Xi’an on July 22.