The festival in honor of the 15th anniversary of the Silk Road Rally marathon was held in Moscow

A festival was held in Moscow in honor of the 15th anniversary of the Silk Road Rally Marathon. The participants of the event on June 9 told about the rally.

The spectacular 11-day Silk Road rally marathon starts on July 12 in Irkutsk. Racers are already ready for the most difficult tracks, where deserts, rivers and mountain passes await them. For the participants to reach the finish line is already a big victory.

"The race is long and hard. We know from last year's experience that the terrain will be very different — rocks, sands, dunes. Therefore, the car has to be carefully checked, disassembled and made sure that everything is in order," said Dmitry Sotnikov, a rally participant.

Silk Road is considered one of the most difficult and dangerous auto marathons in the world. The race involves crews on trucks, ATVs, motorcycles and ATVs. Rally enthusiasts can learn the technique, as well as try themselves as a pilot, sitting in the cockpit. There is a minimum of comfort inside the car, but a reinforced safety frame and many technical elements. The teams will travel through the shores of Lake Baikal, Buryatia, the Altai Mountains and the steppes of Mongolia. Those who don't get bogged down in the Gobi Desert will meet the finish line on July 22 in Gorno-Altaysk.

Pilots and navigators are well versed in the design of their vehicles. This year's race also features fully Russian developments.

"If you are being sold something from abroad, then it is an outdated technique that is uncompetitive. I am very proud that this is 100% Russian engineering. This is not a restructuring of some cars, this is something that was created from the first bolt," said Bogdan Gadasin, a racing driver and participant of the Silk Road Rally.

The rally celebrates its 15th anniversary this year. The route was made even more difficult by including sections without landmarks and navigation. Despite this, international motorsport star Anastasia Nifontova calls participating in the race an exciting adventure.

The Silk Road rally ended in Mongolia on July 16, 2024. As part of the program, the participants overcame more than 5,000 km of dangerous highway from Tomsk to Ulaanbaatar, demonstrating the highest skill. According to the pilots, the organizers of the rally raid made the race closer to Dakar. The participants traveled through the most beautiful places of Mongolia, and also felt the hospitality of the local population.