Silk Road 2024: where it will take place and how much it costs to participate

The first race of the Silk Way rally raid took place back in 2009. The marathon grew in popularity every year. Famous athletes from all over the world took part in the competition. The organizers increased the level of service and developed information support. It seemed that just a little more, and the Silk Road would be able to compete with the Dakar. But the sanctions have made their own adjustments. In the 2022 and 2023 seasons, the entire race took place in Russia. And the number of foreign athletes was small.


“Silk Road 2024” promises to be more spectacular and interesting. This year the rally-raid turns 15 years old. After a two-year break, the marathon will finally regain its truly international status. The route runs through Russia, Mongolia and China.

The race will start in Tomsk on July 5th. The teams will pass through Barnaul and Gorno-Altaisk, go to the Mongolian border and reach the city of Khovd. After which the participants will have to cross the Gobi Desert and reach the Chinese city of Khorgos. The ceremonial finish will take place on July 15th.


As the marathon progresses, the landscape of the area will change more than once. The Altai highlands, fords, plains of Western Mongolia, sands and dunes of Western China await riders. Rally raid pilots have repeatedly noted that the more difficult the route, the more interesting it is to complete. And Russian fans are already yearning for spectacular pictures of such races. So the audience will have something to watch.

The duration of the marathon will be 11 days. Participants must cover 5,5 thousand km, of which 2,5 thousand are high-speed special stages.

Who is participating?

To date, the organizers have not published the full list of participants. The deadline for accepting applications is June 1. But some teams and drivers are already known.

Back in November 2023, the pilot and head of the SNAG Racing team, Sergei Karyakin, announced his desire to compete for another victory at the marathon. Of course, KAMAZ-master is also preparing for the race. Driver Dmitry Sotnikov hopes for a tense fight in the truck classification. By tradition, the team from Naberezhnye Chelny is determined only to win.


Pilots from GAZ Raid Sport and Ural also intend to overcome the distance. We should probably expect a large number of Chinese and Mongolian teams, representatives from Central Asian countries.

The Belarusian MAZ-SPORTauto is also expecting another victory. Let me remind you that the main trophy of the Silk Road 2023 was taken by the crew of Sergei Vyazovich.

How much does it cost to participate in the race?

Yes, participation in rally raids is expensive. In addition to preparing the cars and the team, you must pay for participation in the race.

✅SUVs – 10 € (~ 000 million rubles)
✅Trucks – 15 € (~ 000 million rubles)
✅SSV – 10 € (~ 000 million rubles)
✅Moto/quad – 6 € (~ 300 thousand rubles)
✅G-Moto Challenge – 7500 € (~ 750 thousand rubles)

Of course, this is not all the expenses that teams and drivers bear. You also need to take into account insurance, salaries of mechanics and doctors, the media sector, logistics, spare parts and fuel. To be fair, it is worth noting that participation in Dakar costs many times more. For example, motorcyclist Skyler House spent about €90 on a rally raid in 000.

G-Moto Challenge – no mechanic support

The organizers of the rally marathon call this category the most accessible for participants. Indeed, participation in this category requires less expenditure. But the pilot finds himself on the track completely alone, without the help of mechanics and crew. That is, all problems that arise with the motorcycle must be resolved independently.


In the evening of each race day, instead of resting, the pilots will have to inspect their equipment and replace chains, sprockets and wheels. The G-Moto Challenge attracts more and more attention every year. All participants agree that athletes in this category are real heroes.

We are waiting for “Silk Road 2024” and hope that this marathon will be spectacular. We wish good luck to the teams and organizers. Only forward!