Hotan – Hotan: 697,51km – Liaison: 288.31km – SS: 189,05 km – Liaison: 200,15km
Today the 2024 Taklimakan Rally enters the Keriya River stage and draws the curtain of the longest stage of the rally. Keriya River stage is an old friend for the competitors. This stage is famous for its long distance which put the performance and the stability of the racing car to the test. Meanwhile, the possible rain and meltwater from snow mountains might make the river bed stage unpredictable. The co-pilot should keep a close eye on the roadbook for the navigation.
In the auto category, Su Haotian in his buggy is the first to arrive at the finish line. « I started the first and finish the first. I followed the tracks of moto in the stage. There are many forks in the road, and the roadbook did not give clear explanations so we need to be very careful when making the decisions. »
Han Wei in his No. 117 racing car is the second to reach the finish line, « We spend quite a while to circle around in one place to get one point checked, and I found many pilots got lost due to the roadbook. The stage for today is beautiful and I really enjoyed it, though there are some disappointments. » After the stage 5, Han Wei continues to draw the gaps between other competitors and is expected to winning his 4th Championship trophy of the Taklimakan Rally.
In the moto category, Neels Theric in his KOVE 001 moto continues to dominate the race with his stable performance. Always the first to arrive the finish line from the beginning of the race. « The navigation goes well for me today. It’s a long stage, a big test for the endurance, I feel good and I am quite satisfied with my performance today. » Right after him, Murun from Team Panda in his 023 moto and Deng Liansong, the teammate of Neels Theric.
Today’s stage passed through the famous Dariyabuyi Village. 
The villagers expressed warm welcome to the rally and cheered for the competitors. The local cultural and tourism department arranged a unique ethnic performance at the finish line, and presented the local specialty to the participants.
Tomorrow, the 2024 Taklimakan Rally will enter stage 6 with the total stage length of 642 km, another long stage of the 2024 Taklimakan Rally waits for the brave ones to conquer.
AVKS Communication