The First Around-Taklimakan Rally (ATR) in 2005 received great attentions for two lost entrants. Yesterday (26th), the organizing committee of Around-Taklimakan Rally announced in Beijing that the Third Around-Taklimakan Rally would be held in May 1-12, 2007 as scheduled. Pu Yongsheng,an entrant from Shanghai and lost in last rally, said in Beijing that he would take part in the Rally in 2007.
Story told by “Lost Entrant”
We know that casualty accidents took place in Dakar Rally. When asked that whether causality can be avoided in such rallies in China, Pu Yongsheng answered smiling that he established a testament when he became craze about cross country rally for the first time, but actually he experienced only surprises and dangers.
Remembering his missing for 2 days and a narrow escape in ATR last year, Pu Yongsheng said: “first, the water tank was damaged, then, the storage battery malfunctioned. At that time, we lost our ways and were only 5 km in deviation of the course for we took a short cut. But due to the complicated road conditions, a sand hill can get you lost. We are worried about sandstorm, it is terrible.”
Finally, we restored courage, left car and looked for course. But I didn’t worry about death because I have rich experience and I am confident of myself” he added.
Through arduous work, Pu Yongsheng found his way and he put up bright tent beside the road, and finally he was found. After 50-hour missing, Pu Yongsheng was saved.
He thought he was lucky, “because other racing cars all passed, maybe no vehicle would run on this road. What’s more, I have little water left” he continued.
A GPS device had been installed in his car, but there was no base station in desert for his GPS, so there was no way to inform the organizing committee of his location. Besides, his mobile phone received no signal in the desert. So his mobile phone was of no help.
But the organizing committee made great investment in safety in this year’s rally. An official declared yesterday that for next year’s rally, they would lease helicopters to monitor the entire process of the rally, and that in addition to GPS devices to racing vehicles, every racing vehicle would be equipped with satellite telephone.
Smiling, 44-year-old Pu Yongsheng told reporters: “I will certainly participate in the Rally next year. And I believe I can take part for two times at least.”
Around-Taklimakan Rally to Become “Oriental Dakar Rally”
The third rally to be held next year will have its start point in Urumqi and end point in Bayangol Mongolian Autonomous Prefecture, and it is estimated that the entire course of the rally will total nearly 4000 km, and it is the biggest rally event with the top prize money in Asia. With 200 entrants and more than 300 cars and motorcycles participating in the rally this year, it will increase in both the number of entrants and the size of rally. It is said that Lu Ningjun, Xu Lang, Zhou Yong and Luo Ding, who all participated in Dakar Rally, would take part in ATR next year.
When it comes to rally, we have to compare any rally with Dakar Rally. Compared with Dakar Rally, ATR, with Lop Nur as a section, is more diverse in landform, but Dakar Rally is more complicated in road conditions and its total length is more than 8000 km, two times that of ATR. Compared with Dakar Rally, costs on ATR is much more less, especially in modifying vehicles. Pu Yongsheng said yesterday: “generally, as much as 3 million yuan RMB is spent in modifying a racing car for Dakar Rally, only damper device can cost 1 million yuan RMB. But an entrant will spend only 40,000-60,000 yuan on modifying car in ATR.”
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China has a short history of cross-country rally
Compared with the hundred-year history of cross-country in the US, China’s history of cross-country rally is very short. As the most influential cross-country rally in China, ATR will undoubtedly promote the development of cross-country rally in China.
Vehicles wear heavily in cross-country rally, so generally a participant should have at least a property of several millions yuan RMB. Pu Yongsheng has been in the cross-country rally for only 4 years, but he has spent more than five million yuan RMB in it. Till now, the history of cross-country rally is still short in China. Therefore, not many people are engaged in the sport. But Pu Yongsheng said: “with the rapid economic development in China and the increase of people’s living standards, thousands and thousands of tourists drive to Xinjiang every year. I have been craze about the sport, so I spent a lot in it. If you go in for it only for fun occasionally, it will not cost you too much. So more and more white-collars began to love it. I hope more people will act to promote it. As long as you try it, you will be craze about it, thus you can know more about local custom and folkways and will enrich your life. ”
Yan Jianchang, director of Motorcycle Sports Administration Center under National General Administration of Sport, expressed his wish that ATR could promote popularity so that more people would know about the sport and Chinese auto sports be pushed forward.
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