Silk Way Rally
The Silk Way Rally is an annual rally raid type of off-road race. The first Silk Way Rally was raced in 2009 from Kazan, Russia to Ashgabat, Turkmenistan. From 2010 to 2013, the race has taken place in Russia. The 2016 edition had a Moscow-Astana-Beijing route, the 2017 edition starts in Moscow and finishes in Xi'an, China. From 2009 to 2011, the rally was part of ASO's Dakar Series. The rally compete in three categories - moto, cars and trucks.
About The Rally
Silk Way Rally is a rally raid that goes both through off-road spaces and by public roads. Each crew, which usually consists of a driver and a navigator, must complete the Selective Sections of the itinerary indicated in the Road Book and pass through all compulsory Waypoints. The crew with the shortest total time on all specials of rally route becomes the winner.Road sections between the specials go on public roads and highways and must be covered within the target time, observing Road Traffic Code. The failure to respect the target time incurs a penalty, which is marked on the control card and is taken in account during the calculation of total results.
Since 2012 any competitor that fails to complete a special stage is allowed to continue the race with a penalty of 50 hours, added to the total time. This option can be used only one time and must be performed on the next day after the failed stage. Such significant penalty usually puts the competitor in the end of general classification but enables the crew to use the remaining race as a training before Dakar Rally.
Silk Way Rally Organization address each year’s event as "an edition". The edition of 2016 was exceptional due to the involvement of China, covering more than 6,500 km and lasting more than 10 days, and therefore becoming a rally marathon.
Russian Rally Championship
In previous editions several stages of Silk Way Rally also constituted a part of Russian Rally Championship so the results obtained on Silk Way Rally route were accepted for the registered competitors of RRC. For example, in 2016 it concerned the SWR stages from Kazan to Almaty.Rally Logo
For the 6th edition, which involved China, Rally Organization engaged a famous Russian fashion designer Denis Simachev into organization process as a new Creative Director, who gave rally a new design based on the image of the White Tiger.The main SWR trophy is the White Tiger Cup.
Rally history
On 16 April 2009, Silk Way Rally presentation was held in the Paris residence of the Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of Russia to France in order to attract the attention of global audience and international media. On 26 May the rally was presented in Berlin.From 2009 to 2011 the rally was co-organized by KAMAZ-master Team and ASO, the organizer of such well-known events as Dakar Rally and Tour de France. The involvement of ASO encouraged famous drivers and professional teams as well as racing amateurs and private teams all over the world to join the rally. In first three years after its foundation Silk Way Rally was a part of Dakar Series.
In 2014 Organizers postponed the rally to 2015 and on 7 March 2015 once again announced the cancellation of that year’s edition.
In 2016, after two-year break Silk Way Rally took a fresh start: China joined the organization process and hosted the most part of rally stages. Such changes upgraded the rally raid to the rally marathon on the international arena.
In 2017 SWR was conducted in the form of a marathon. The route distance exceeded 6,500 km and totaled in 9,599.60 km. Rally crossed three countries: Russia, Kazakhstan and China, taking off from Moscow and finishing in the ancient Chinese city of Xi’an.
The exceptional level of rally organization in 2017 was by the Russian President Vladimir Putin. The President emphasized the significance of this competition for the strengthening of international humanitarian cooperation, friendly relations and mutual understanding between people.
For the 2019 edition, it was announced to add the motorcycle category.
Eligible Categories
Along with the division into basic categories of moto, cars and trucks, each of them having its own overall classification, all vehicles that participate in Silk Way Rally are split into separate competition groups as required by FIA. Each group refers to a certain type of vehicle, type of engine and other characteristics.Apart from group classifications the rally also establishes independent challenges that encourage, for example, eco-friendly vehicles or female drivers to join the rally.
List of Winners
Rallies
Summary
2009
Edition 1 of the Silk Way Rally set off from Kazan in Tatarstan and headed to Ashgabat in Turkmenistan. The nine days, 4,500-km rally featured 3,900 km of special stages. Carlos Sainz won his 1st international Rally-Raid. A perfect rehearsal for "El Matador" who the following January won the Dakar Rally in his 4th attempt. In the truck category, Kamaz dominated with two-time Dakar winner Firdaus Kabirov taking top honours in what was his last major international victory.PARTICIPATING COUNTRIES - 25
TOTAL ROUTE LENGTH - 4628 km
62 CARS AND 20 TRUCKS ENTERED THE MARATHON
34 CARS AND 16 TRUCKS FINISHED THE MARATHON
113 MEDIA ACCREDITED - 347 JOURNALISTS
753 TV-BROADCASTS WITH TOTAL DURATION OF 2,260 MINUTES
3,167 PUBLICATIONS IN MEDIA
TEAM SERVICE CARS - 96 CREWS
17 CREWS PRESENTED THE RAID CATEGORY
60 Т OF PETROL, 210 Т OF DIESEL FUEL AND 325 Т OF AVIATION KEROSINE WERE USED
ESCORT PROVIDED SUPPORT TO 160 VEHICLES OF PARTICIPANTS AND 120 VEHICLES OF
ORGANIZATION COMMITTEE]
526 VIPS FROM FOUR STATES VISITED THE RALLY
2010
Following the North-South route for the first time, edition 2 of the Silk Way Rally remains in the annals of motor racing history for its departure from Saint-Petersburg and the passage of the caravan in front of the winter palace of the "Venice of the North" and the finish in Sochi, which went on to host the 2014 winter Olympic Games. When the eight stages, measuring 4,500 km, with 2,014 km of special stages were run and it was Carlos Sainz taking his second consecutive victory in the car category, while Kamaz protégé, Eduard Nikolaev defeated veterans Gerard De Rooy and Alès Loprais for his first international triumph.PARTICIPATING COUNTRIES - 22
TOTAL ROUTE LENGTH - 4859 km
48 CARS AND 16 TRUCKS ENTERED THE MARATHON
29 CARS AND 13 TRUCKS FINISHED THE MARATHON
168 MEDIA ACCREDITED - 507 JOURNALISTS
918 TV-BROADCASTS WITH TOTAL DURATION OF 3,660 MINUTES
4,015 PUBLICATIONS IN MEDIA
TEAM SERVICE CARS - 96 CREWS
12 CREWS IN CARS AND MOTOBIKES PRESENTED THE RAID CATEGORY
51,675 L OF PETROL, 289,912 L OF DIESEL FUEL AND 160 Т OF AVIATION KEROSINE WERE USED
586 VIPS FROM SEVEN STATES VISITED THE RALLY
2011
First departure from Moscow for the Silk Way Rally, which saw its number of entries rise, to the delight of the thousands of Muscovites who came to Red Square for the ceremonial start. Ahead of the competitors, seven days of racing and 3,983 km, with 2,366 km of special stages. After the week of hard fought action it was Poland’s Krzysztof Holowczyc scoring the biggest win of his career, ahead of the disciplines greatest driver, Stéphane Peterhansel, while in the truck category, Alès Loprais got revenge from the previous year.PARTICIPATING COUNTRIES - 28
TOTAL ROUTE LENGTH – 3,940 km
95 CARS AND 35 TRUCKS ENTERED THE MARATHON
50 CARS AND 26 TRUCKS FINISHED THE MARATHON
138 MEDIA ACCREDITED - 605 JOURNALISTS
969 TV-BROADCASTS WITH TOTAL DURATION OF 3,983 MINUTES
4,518 PUBLICATIONS IN MEDIA
TEAM SERVICE CARS - 153 CREWS
50,000 L OF PETROL, 551,700 L OF DIESEL FUEL AND 160 Т OF AVIATION KEROSINE WERE USED
587 VIPS FROM SEVEN STATES VISITED THE RALLY
2012
The start once again from Red Square for the Silk Way Rally, which the number of entries is on the rise. On the programme, a completely new 4,000-km route to Sochi. Storms that battered southern Russian forced the race to stop at Gelendzhik. Boris Gadasin became the first Russian driver to win in the car category, while Kamaz returned to its winning ways thanks to another of its young hopefuls, Ayrat Mardeev, the future winner of the 2015 Dakar!PARTICIPATING COUNTRIES - 25
TOTAL ROUTE LENGTH – 3,550 km
118 CREWS: 93 JEEPS AND 25 TRUCKS ENTERED THE MARATHON
TEAM SERVICE CARS - 143 CREWS
270 MEDIA ACCREDITED - 581 JOURNALISTS
712 TV-BROADCASTS WITH TOTAL DURATION OF 2,074 MINUTES
4,312 PUBLICATIONS IN MEDIA
360 000L OF MOTOR FUEL ARE USED
2013
For edition 5, the Silk Way Rally solidified its place in the landscape of international rally-raids and was back in Moscow for the start from Red Square. The rally headed towards the Volga and Astrakhan that greeted another rally-raid superstar who won at the end of a 4,000-km route, which included 3,000 km of special stages. In his second participation, two-time Dakar winner and six-time victor on the Africa Race, Jean-Louis Schlesser entered the Silk Way Rally record books becoming the first driver to win with a two-wheel drive vehicle. Kamaz stamped its authority in the truck category with Dimitry Sotnikov taking the victory.2016
In 2016, after a two-year break, the "Silk Way" got a second wind when China joined the rally organization, hosting most of the stages on its territory. Thus, the rally raid increased its status on the international scene to the rally marathon. The crew of Cyril Despres and David Castera secured the overall victory; the "KAMAZ-master" team crew led by Ayrat Mardeev won the truck standings10735 km - total route length
17 days - rally duration, 14 bivouacs
41 countries presented their participants
1,100 participants and team members
More than 2,500 people in Europe, Russia and China in the Rally organization
145 Russian and international journalists received permanent accreditation
560 media representatives received temporary accreditation
TV reports from the "Silk Way 2016" Rally were broadcast in 196 countries of Europe, North and South America, Asia and Africa
Bivouac hosted up to 2,200 people daily
550 vehicles arrived daily to the bivouac and went further along the rally route
125 sports crews entered the rally
192 "Assistance" crews
168 cars of organizers to ensure the necessary services operation
Up to 15,000 people visited the spectator areas along the rally route every day
16 aircraft
14 auto transporters moved along the rally route
2017
For the Silk Way Rally of year 2017 the Organization Committee prepared a new route project, which includes the best features of the 6th edition as well as some developments and surprises. The rally will once again take the form of marathon through Russia, Kazakhstan and China, which has proved itself successful last year.Rally caravan will take off to a thrilling and fascinating journey, starting from Moscow Red Square. After two weeks of uncompromising struggle the competitors will finish in Xi’an – the ancient cradle of Chinese civilization and the starting point of Silk Road.
Despite the rains that haunted the caravan of participants all the way, the finish in Xi'an took place! The winner was the French crew of Cyril Despres TEAM PEUGEOT TOTAL, and Dmitry Sotnikov won the truck's victory in the team "KAMAZ-master"
2018
The race was held from 15 July – 29 July 2018. The route was planned from Xian to Moscow, in fact, the competition took place only in Russia. From Astrakhan to Moscow – the route of 2018 will definitely set a challenge to each rally competitor. Russian off-road offers the full diversity of terrain: steppe, desert sands, forests and salines.
• The distance of the route of the Silk Way Rally 2018 - 5169 km, 3127 are special stages
• 94 crews took part
• Permanently accredited media - 214
• TV channels - 85
• 196 broadcast countries
• 3,500 people took rally bivouacs daily
• Up to 20,000 people were in spectator areas daily
• 13 aircraft of aviation support
The Chinese round of competition is about to start in the end of September. Chinese off-road has always attracted the racers, with the sands of Gobi desert, one the world’s highest fixed dunes, beautiful oases and small lakes. In four days rally competitors are to cover 1,600 km, including 800 km of challenging special stages among the boundless sands.
2019
On 6 July 2019 the Rally officially took off from Irkutsk. Racers were proceed for Lake Baikal, the deepest lake on Earth, where the first bivouac gave them shelter. The itinerary discover new exciting locations along the ten stages and special sections in Eastern Siberia, across the Russian taiga forests, Mongolian steppes, Chinese valleys and Gobi dunes. The Finish Ceremony took place on 16 July in the city of Dunhuang. The total distance of the race - 5003,5 kilometers, were covered by pilots in ten days. Priority in the itinerary planning was given to shortening road liaisons between special stages.Results
Moto
| Year | Place | Number | Crew | Team | Brand | Model | Group | Time |
| 2019 | 1 | 6 |  Sam Sunderland | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing | KTM | KTM 450 Rally | 450 | 26h12m47s |
| 2019 | 2 | 29 |  Andrew Short | Husqvarna | Husqvarna | Husqvarna Rally 450 | 450 | + 20m22s |
| 2019 | 3 | 10 |  Adrien van Beveren | Yamaha | Yamaha | Yamaha WR450F Rally | 450 | + 21m01s |
Quads
Cars
| Year | Place | Number | Crew | Team | Brand | Model | Group | Time |
| 2009 | 1 | 101 |  Carlos Sainz Lucas Cruz Senra | Volkswagen Motorsport 1 | Volkswagen | Race Touareg 2 | T1.2 | 24:12:21 |
| 2009 | 2 | 103 | Mark Miller Ralph Pitchford | Volkswagen Motorsport 1 | Volkswagen | Race Touareg 2 | T1.2 | 24:34:13 |
| 2009 | 3 | 100 | Gianielle Villiers Dirk von Zitzcewitz | Volkswagen Motorsport 1 | Volkswagen | Race Touareg 2 | T1.2 | 24:40:30 |
| 2010 | 1 | 100 | Carlos Sainz Lucas Cruz Senra | Volkswagen Motorsport 1 | Volkswagen | Race Touareg 3 | T1.2 | 19:42:02 |
| 2010 | 2 | 102 |  Nasser Al-Attiyah Timo Gottschalk | Volkswagen Motorsport 1 | Volkswagen | Race Touareg 3 | T1.2 | 19:50:29 |
| 2010 | 3 | 104 | Mark Miller Ralph Pitchford | Volkswagen Motorsport 1 | Volkswagen | Race Touareg 3 | T1.2 | 20:22:24 |
| 2011 | 1 | 102 |  Krzysztof Hołowczyc Jean-Marc Fortin | Monster Energy X-raid | BMW | X3 CC | T1.2 | 29:11:27 |
| 2011 | 2 | 100 | Stefan Peteransel Jean-Paul Cottre | Monster Energy X-raid | MINI | All4 Racing | T1.2 | 31:10:55 |
| 2011 | 3 | 118 |  Alexander Zheludov Andrey Rudnitsky | Promotechmsport Rally | Nissan | Frontier | T1.1 | 32:36:00 |
| 2012 | 1 | 102 | Boris Gadasin Dan Schemel | G-Force Motorsport | G-Force | Proto | T1.1 | 20:03:42 |
| 2012 | 2 | 109 |  Bolash Salay László Bunkoczi | Opel Dakar | Opel | Antara RR1 | T1.1 | 20:06:25 |
| 2012 | 3 | 107 |  Miroslav Zapletal Rafał Marton | OffroadSport | Hummer | H3 Evo | T1.1 | 20:14:17 |
| 2013 | 1 | 102 | Jean-Louis Schlesser Konstantin Zhiltsov | Sonangol Schlesser | Sonangol Schlesser | Original | T1.3 | 32:55:35 |
| 2013 | 2 | 105 | Vladimir Vasiliev Vitaly Evtekhov | G-Force Motorsport | G-Force | Proto | T1.1 | 33:12:08 |
| 2013 | 3 | 125 | Evgeny Firsov Vadim Filatov | PEK:sport | Toyota | Hilux | T1.1 | 34:43:08 |
| 2016 | 1 | 104 | Cyril Despre David Kastera | Peugeot Total | Peugeot | 2008 DKR | T1.4 | 36:15:18 |
| 2016 | 2 | 103 |  Yazid Al-Rajhi Timo Gottschalk | X-raid | MINI | All4 Racing | T1.2 | 36:41:09 |
| 2016 | 3 | 101 | Vladimir Vasilyev Konstantin Zhiltsov | G-Energy | MINI | All4 Racing | T1.2 | 37:05:04 |
| 2017 | 1 | 100 | Cyril Despre David Kastera | Peugeot Total | Peugeot | 3008 DKR | T1.4 | 41:46:25 |
| 2017 | 2 | 108 | Christian LAVIEILLE Jean-Pierre GARCIN | BAICMOTOR RACING TEAM | BAICmotor | BJ2BJ40L1B | T1 | 42:51:04 |
| 2017 | 3 | 107 |  Wei HAN Liao MIN | GEELY AUTO COOPERTIRES TEAM | Geely | SMG0RC0028 | T1 | 42:57:54 |
| 2018 | 1 | 103 | Yazid Al-Rajhi Timo Gottschalk | X-raid | MINI John Cooper Works Rally Team | Т1.1 | 23:49:14 | |
| 2018 | 2 | 101 | Nasser Al-Attiyah :fr:Mathieu_Baumel|Mathieu_Baumel | QATAR WORLD RALLY TEAM | Toyota Hilux | T1.2 | 24:57:26 | |
| 2018 | 3 | 108 | Cyril Despre Mathieu Serradori | SRT TEAM | MCM Origina | T1.3 | 28:56:21 | |
| 2019 | 1 | 201 | Nasser Al-Attiyah :fr:Mathieu_Baumel|Mathieu_Baumel | QATAR WORLD RALLY TEAM | Toyota Hilux | T1 | 24h25m29s | |
| 2019 | 2 | 208 | Wei HAN Liao MIN | GEELY AUTO SHELL LUBRICANT TEAM | GEELY SMG BUGGY | T1 | + 1h25m04s | |
| 2019 | 3 | 212 | PELICHET JérômeLARROQUE Pascal | RAID LYNX | OPTIMUS | T1 | + 1h43m39s |