Dubai-born driver Aliyyah Koloc holds an impressive fourth place in the overall classification after completing four of thirteen stages of the 2026 Taklimakan Rally. Starting in the top-tier T1+ category, this is the best result among all non-Chinese competitors and the top women’s performance in the field. The 21-year-old Buggyra ZM Racing driver trails the overall leader by just 15 minutes, with 130 competitors still classified across all categories and 48 in the T1+ class. The Taklimakan Rally is widely regarded as one of the hardest long-distance rallies in the world, second only to the Dakar.
On yesterday’s fourth and most recent stage, Aliyyah Koloc crossed the finish line in fourth position, finishing 15 minutes behind the stage leader. This result gives her fourth place in the overall classification and shows a strong performance by the 21-year-old racer at only her second appearance at this event.
« I’m really enjoying the Taklimakan Rally. We’ve completed four stages so far, and they were very fast. The car is working really well. At the moment, we are in fourth place, but we still have nine more days of racing ahead of us. And the next two stages will be extremely demanding. So it will be a big challenge. But so far, we are in a good position, » Aliyyah said.
The terrain and conditions at the Taklimakan have tested the entire field. Aliyyah, who races alongside experienced Polish navigator Marcin Pasek, noted that the rally presents unique challenges even by the standards of top-tier long-distance races. « It’s a very demanding rally. The weather and terrain change rapidly here. I even feel that in many ways it’s tougher than the Dakar Rally, » she said.
Running ahead of factory JJ Sport crews
For this edition of the Taklimakan Rally, Buggyra ZM Racing entered into a technical partnership with JJ Sport, one of China’s leading rally outfits. Aliyyah Koloc races a JJ Sport JJ3, a car she had not previously competed in before testing ahead of the event.
« I got used to the new car quickly during testing. What’s specific, though, is the way the Chinese team operates. A lot of things work differently from what we are used to. But I adapted well, » Aliyyah explained.
After four stages, Aliyyah is ahead of one JJ Sport factory crew and trails the other, the current leader of the event, by just 15 minutes. This result underlines the strength of her current campaign in a field dominated by experienced Chinese outfits with deep knowledge of the terrain and conditions.
Rest day and road ahead
Today is a scheduled rest day, used by teams for a 450-kilometer transfer to the next bivouac ahead of the second phase of the rally. Nine stages remain, with the route moving into progressively more difficult terrain, including the Taklamakan Desert, known locally as the ‘Desert of Death’, before the finish on June 1.
Alexandra Schieren,