The 2024 Taklimakan Rally, with the title of ‘Eternal heart, boundless frontiers’ as its slogan, will start tomorrow in Kashgar, Xinjiang. The event will pass through Kashgar, Hotan, Aksu, Kizilsu Kirgiz Autonomous and other regions. The rally includes 10 stages, with the total stage distance of 4377.5 kilometers and the special stages of 2162.85 kilometers.
The whole race brings together diversified landforms such as Desert, Gobi, Yadan, of which the desert stage accountes for 51%, the Gobi accountes for 15%, and the sand and gravel accountes for 34%. The rally has 3 categories: truck, car and motorcycle, with 4 bivouacs set up in Kashgar, Maikiti, Luopu and Aksu.
The rules and standards of this year’s event are strictly in compliance with the relevant regulations of the FIA, the International Motorcycle Federation and the China Automobile and Motorcycle Federation. The competition is more standardized and professional in safety standards, event organization, technical rules and other aspects, so that the overall quality and competitive level of the event have been further improved.
Compared with previous years, the number of rally stages (10 stages) has been increased, while the number of Bivouac is reduced. This operation is also in line with the practice of international competitions, which could enable the overall rhythm of the event to be more competitive. This year’s event uses a new overtaking alarm system (ENB) and navigation system to make it easier for drivers to navigate during the event. During the event, helicopters will also be used to lift and rescue the motorcycle group, which is the first time in a domestic event.
Additionally, this rally highlights cross-border sports, cultural and tourism exchange and cooperation. The 2024 Taklimakan Rally organized recently a pre-rally Competition, making the event go out of the country for the first time. On May 20, a team of off-road motorsports enthusiasts from China, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan will participate in the Rally. The event is completed by cooperating with local friendly motor sports organizations in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, and will strongly promote exchanges among Central Asian countries.
Today, 113 vehicles from 50 teams passed the technical scrutineering and are ready for the challenges of 2024 Taklimakan rally!