International rally Kazan-Ashgabat scheduled for 5-13 September

An international rally will be held from 5 to 13 September 2009. The rally will run through the territories of Russia, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan. The first presentation of the rally called Silk Road - 2009 was held in the Russian capital on 6 February, Turkmenistan.ru reported.

The off-road marathon will cover almost 4,5 thousand kilometers. The rally is expected to finish in the main square of Ashgabat in the official atmosphere. A tentative route of the Silk Road rally has been mapped out, representatives of the rally's organization committee told a press conference in Moscow. The mapping of a tentative route was carried out by Sergei Lavrov, the rally's director, skillful navigator, Dakar rally participant, and repeat champion of Russia. According to him, the route will be as complex as many other large-scale rallies organized in Egypt, UAE, and recently in Argentine and Chile.

The international rally Silk Road - 2009 will be organized by managers of KamAZ Master team, the eight-time winner of Dakar rally. It is expected that many famous international race-drivers will participate. The final route reconnaissance is scheduled for June 2009. It will be followed by the project official presentations in Russia, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and a number of European countries.

"The level of organization of the motor rally should fully meet its international status and should work for success of the rally and the country's prestige as a whole," Turkmen president Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov said. He noted that Turkmen race drivers will make their debut in the rally.