Silk Way’s the long, hard way

Here at Good Oil, we’re amazed we haven’t been paying much attention to the Silk Way Rally. This year’s running of the epic marathon race through Russia, Kazakhstan and China has just concluded and, based on the desert-y action we’ve seen, we can’t wait for the 2018 event.

So, what exactly is the Silk Way Rally? You’ve possibly seen dusty black and white images of unlikely 1960s- era cars — Austin Minis, Hillman Hunters, Citroen DSs — festooned with spotlights and tyre- toting roof- racks, blazing their way across the barren tundra and rocky mountain passes on the infamous London- Sydney Rally.

Well, the start and finish points have changed but the ethos stays the same; go a really, really, really long way in a car and see who can get there first with the fewest breakdowns. Except window demister technology has become a lot better.

Competitors — and there were 385 at the start this year — trek from Moscow’s Red Square, all the way to Xi’an in China; the cradle of Chinese civilisation and the beginning of the ancient Silk Road trade route. The Silk Way Rally takes two weeks of vehicle- knackering travel to get from one side to the other; a total of 9599km, including 4094km of timed special stages.

All manner of Wacky Racers dune buggy-- rally car hybrid contraptions make the trip ( there is a special trucks division too, just like the Dakar Rally). This year’s event was won by a mad Frenchman called Cyril Despres, who crossed the finish line in a Peugeot 3008 DKR. Another mainstream manufacturer represented at a factory level was Mini, with Countrymans ( men?) riding on towering off- road suspension and mud tyres. The two John Cooper Works cars came in ninth and 10th this year.

What is interesting, however, was the number of Chinese manufacturers represented. Something called a Geely SMG Buggy and a BIAC Motor BJ40L ( essentially a rip- off Jeep Wrangler) featured highly in the placings, while Jerome Pelichet had to make do in a boring old Hilux for an eighth- place finish.

With the World Rally Championship struggling to find an audience outside pockets of fandom these days, maybe an event like the Silk Way Rally could be an event to get behind? We’d tune in.