From Beijing Youth Newspaper: in noon of yesterday, 2007’ Around Taklimakan Desert Rally, Xinjiang, China promotional tour started up in Beijing for the third Around Taklimakan Desert Rally which will kick off on May 1st 2007.
Having been a regional race, Around Taklimakan Desert Rally has been successfully held twice, however, 2007 Around Taklimakan Desert Rally will be listed in national 4-drive series race. This longest auto & motor rally in Asia will connect Kunlun, Tianshan, and Altun mountains to a more vast space. The goal of the Rally is to make it “Oriental Dakar”.
According to official of organizing committee, the route of 2007’ Around Taklimakan Desert Rally will start from Urumqi and end up to Bayangol Mongol Autonomous Prefecture. Total mileage of 4500km, including timed race stage about 2000km. the number of racing cars amounts to 300. total prize values RMB 500 thousand yuan.
The Rally of this year has caught great attention because two racers from Shanghai have been found lost for 50 hours, this made focus in the whole country during the May 1st holiday period. On the press conference yesterday, the organizing committee said they will rent helicopter to continuously monitor the whole process of the race.
Xinjiang has vast land, the second biggest desert in the world called Taklimakan, snow mountains, grassland, Gobi desert, dried river bank, steep icy mountain pass, Xinjiang is simply a natural racing land. Tour Taklimakan Desert Rally will be more difficult year by year, in five years to come, it will be in line with international level, said by official of organizing committee.
The sponsor of the race is the Sport Administration of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and Center for Auto & Motor Sport of State Sport Bureau. Co-sponsors include Xinjiang Around Taklimakan Auto&Motor Sports Club Co.,Ltd., Xinjiang Automobile Sport Association, Xinjiang Motorcycle Sport Association .
Investigation to ensure security
In the first session of the Rally, more than 20 cars have been hindered in Hotan River. In the second session of the Rally, two racers from Shanghai have been found “lost” for hours. As a new race, difficulty seems inevitable. Fortunately, accidents did not lead to tragedy. However, the organizing committee hope no more accidents happen. In the third session of the Rally, precise security measures have been taken from the investigation.
He Junhuai, official of organizing committee, who has participated investigation in consecutive for three years. He said the design of race route shall take security into account. In investigation, firstly, to design route option according to geographical data, second, to investigate on spot, finally, compile route manual and inspect stage concerned. He indicated the route of Around Taklimakan Desert Rally is complicated. Take Hotan river as example, 20 days before startup of the first session of the Rally, sand road is hard. But during the racing period, the road turned soft. Racing cars is difficult to go through which caused hinder, and have to seek new road.
Considering the proportion of motors equipped with GPS is low. Car group will start out first so that motor racers can follow the track and avoid losing their way. This is different from that of Dakar. As racers from east provinces has less experience of driving in desert. The route is designed to give them time to accommodate.
Mr. He Junhuai reveals at the beginning, the Tour Taklimakan Desert Rally has designed three route A,B and C in various difficulty levels. In order to make the rally progresses step by step. In the first session, the easy route C was chosen. From the second session, route B will be adopted. So will do it in the next year. Five years later, they hope the total mileage of Tour Taklimakan Desert Rally may reach 100 thousand km, including 5000km timed stage, which will equal to Dakar.
|
