Rally Raid
5 reasons not to miss this year’s Silk Way Rally
Get a taste of the two-week Trans-Eurasian rally with our clip of what to watch out for this year.
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5 reasons not to miss this year’s Silk Way Rally
The best rally-raid pilots on the planet are coming to test their skills at the 2017 Silk Way Rally.
There’s nothing quite like the prospect of a new adventure on the horizon to get the planet’s elite rally-raid pilots geared up for action.
That’s why the redesigned route of the 2017 Silk Way Rally has got offroad racers all over the world signing up to take part in the mammoth Trans-Eurasian contest.
The 14-stage behemoth starts on July 7, but we’ve got a list of reasons to get excited right now about what’s coming our way…
1. Amazing landscapes
The seventh edition of the Silk Way Rally will depart from Moscow’s iconic Red Square and for the first time ever it will finish in the Imperial City of Xi’an. From Russia’s most famous landmark to the home of China’s Terracotta Army the rally will pass stunning scenery including breathtaking canyons in Kazakhstan. Of course the job of the drivers will be to keep their eyes fixed firmly on the road ahead, but on the liaison routes connecting each stage they’ll be able to take in the amazing surroundings.
Return to the breathtaking scenery of Kazakhstan
© Florent Gooden/DPPI/Red Bull Content Pool
Cyril Despres and Stéphane Peterhansel celebrate
© Eric Vargiolu/DPPI/Red Bull Content Pool
Plenty of home support for Team Kamaz Master
© Eric Vargiolu/DPPI/Red Bull Content Pool
2. The best rally-raid drivers
3. A new route from Moscow to Xi’an
The 2016 Silk Way Rally concluded at Beijing’s Bird’s Nest stadium, but this year the chequered flag will fall in Xi’an – capital city of China’s Shaanxi Province. All three host countries of Russia, Kazakhstan and China are back onboard for 2017 and the race’s total distance remains in excess of 10,000km.
The Gobi Desert must be successfully navigated
© Eric Vargiolu/DPPI/Red Bull Content Pool
Ayrat Mardeev and his crew came out on top in 2016
© Sergey Shakuto/Red Bull Content Pool
Bikes join the Silk Way Rally from 2018 onwards
© Kin Marcin/Red Bull Content Pool
4. All the elements of rally-raid at its best
We’ve been promised plenty of all-new, untravelled routes through the Russian part of the rally this year that’ll feature speedy sections over open country. Then the Silk Way convoy moves on to the mountain plateaus and ravines of Kazakhstan that have seen competitors pushed to their limits in recent editions of the contests. The final challenges take place in China’s Gobi Desert where giant dunes must be navigated before thoughts turn to the finish line in Xi’an.
5. Great action
We were treated to some fierce inter-team rivalry last time out and it looks like more could be on the menu at the 2017 Silk Way Rally. Team Peugeot Total’s threesome will all fancy their chances of coming out on top, so the battle between Peterhansel, Loeb and Despres is well worth keeping an eye on. And then there’s sand racing specialist Al-Attiyah also in the mix, who could spring a surprise once the rally reaches the Gobi Desert. Over in the truck category it’s Kamaz’s Ayrat Mardeev who returns as reigning champion but will his team-mate and reigning Dakar champion Eduard Nikolaev be the one celebrating in front of the Terracotta Army?
The 2017 Silk Way Rally takes place from July 7-22 and you can follow all the action on RedBull.com.
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