Through the pandemic, plague and sanctions: the Silk Way Rally starts in Russia

Sergey SmyshlyaevObserver SportAll materialsThe 2022 Silk Way International Rally starts in Astrakhan and crosses the European part of Russia in ten days. The competitive part of the Silk Way rally-raid will take place from July 7 to 16 with a start in the center of Astrakhan and a finish in the Moscow Luzhniki. for which we had to urgently change the route and cancel the Mongolian part of the rally-raid. In order to protect ourselves from such force majeure, it was decided to hold the next edition of the «Silk Road» only on the territory of the Russian Federation, which, however, will not affect either the duration of the race or the variety of tracks and natural areas. For the first time in the history of the rally, raids, the competition will be held on the territory of Dagestan and the Chechen Republic. «One of the features of the rally-raid, in addition to the sports component, is the opportunity to discover new landscapes,» said Luc Alfan, sports director of the project. «And now, we are in the Chechen Republic, among the magnificent mountains. This part of the country has never hosted a rally-raid racing event before and it is very important for us, the organizers, as well as for the participants, to be here and to be able to discover new, previously unexplored tracks with an unprecedented range and palette. The fact that Russian sports are currently in isolation, 80 crews from 20 countries of the world showed up for the race. This geography was largely facilitated by a new category — the Grand Tour «On the Roads of Peter», timed to coincide with the celebration of the 350th anniversary of the birth of Emperor Peter I. » />
Cars of the KAMAZ-master team in Astrakhan «Another important step in the long history of the project, which has become the hallmark of our country,» Oleg Matytsin, Minister of Sports of the Russian Federation, emphasized. «The route will pass through several regions, and some of them will host a sporting event of this magnitude for the first time «Of course, the «Silk Road» contributes not only to the growth of spectator interest in motorsport, but also to the development of tourism. Thanks to it, the Russians will discover the beauty of our nature and cities, learn a lot about our history. It is no coincidence that the rally is timed to coincide with the 350th anniversary of the birth of Emperor Peter I». The total length of the rally distance will be 4464 kilometers, of which 2786 will fall on high-speed sections. In total, riders will overcome 10 stages, passing through Astrakhan, Grozny, Elista, Volgograd, Lipetsk and Moscow. Among the participants, KAMAZ-master, MAZ-SPORTavto, GAZ Reid Sport, as well as such titled racers as Vladimir Vasilyev, Sergey Karyakin, Anastasia Nifontova, Denis Krotov and others will start at the start. In addition, ex-Formula 1 pilot Nikita Mazepin, who entered the category of ATVs, will try himself in rally raids for the first time. «The main goal is to enjoy these ten days,» Mazepin said. «I think that if you enjoy everything else will come from what you do, everything else will come in. I have been racing for 18 years, I have always lived with this rule, and when you get behind the wheel, the speed comes, because when you like something, you concentrate more. pleasure, the final time will most likely suit you. Of course, I am in professional sports not only for pleasure, but with it results come.