Cancellation of the Silk Way Rally 2020
On 27 May, following the recommendations of the Russian Ministry of Sport and the Russian Automotive Federation, the Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, D.N. Tchernychenko, ratified the decision to cancel the rally’s tenth edition that should be run from July 2 to 11, 2020
The health of the participants and the public being the absolute priority, the Race Direction understands this decision, taken after an in-depth study of the situation and numerous consultations with all the authorities concerned.
Despite the huge amount of preparation undertaken by the organisation teams, the organisers are still confronted by numerous uncertainties concerning crossing borders, air traffic restrictions and other different quarantine measures still in force in Russia for foreign citizens.
Both a round of the FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship and the FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies, the tenth edition of the Silk Way Rally, that should have run from Moscow to Kazan in 8 stages, is therefore cancelled.
As early as next week the organisation committee will meet to start work on preparing the 2021 edition of the Silk Way Rally.
Vladimir Chagin, Organisation Director:
“We have done a remarkable job, but this decision must be accepted and understood. We have a responsible approach and today health is the absolute priority!
The worldwide situation is still very sensitive and we have to deal with quarantine measures in most parts of Russia. With those uncertainties, we are not able to finish preparation work, and then organize the event.
Next week we will take advantage of this enforced break to start, with as much enthusiasm as always, the organisation of the next edition, that will be as exciting and thrilling as ever.”
THE SILK WAY IN A FEW WORDS
THE SILK WAY RALLY, an unmissable round of the FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship and the FIA Cross-Country Rallies World Cup.
The SILK WAY RALLY, whose first edition linked Russia to Turkmenistan in 2009, should have celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2020.
Coveted by the big teams and the most decorated champions in the discipline, but also by many amateurs, the SILK WAY RALLY has been won by some impressive names: CARLOS SAINZ, CYRIL DESPRES , YAZEED AL RAJHI and NASSER AL ATTIYAH, who on the 2019 edition pulled off the unique feat of winning all 9 stages.
In the truck category it is the KAMAZ MASTER TEAM with DMITRY SOTNIKOV, EDUARD NIKOLAEV, AYRAT MARDEEV, ANTON SHIBALOV, ANDREY KARGINOV and FIRDAUS KABIROV who’ve shared the victories since 2009, supremacy thwarted in 2011 by TATRA TEAM and his pilot ALES LOPRAIS.
In 2019 SAM SUNDERLAND (KTM) was the first bike rider to win the category on the SILK WAY RALLY, winning at the same time the second round of the FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship.
