SILK WAY RALLY 2025: The big recap with Bikes / Cars & Trucks – Video Highlights / MEGA GALLERY!

PROLOGUE

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SILK WAY RALLY 2025

The ceremonial start of the 15th anniversary edition of the Silk Way Rally, one of the largest global rally-raids, took place on Count Speransky Square in the very center of Irkutsk on the 12 July 2025. 101 teams and their vehicles started and they overcame a total route of 4,811.6 km across Russia and Mongolia.

Extreme off-road, various types of surfaces, three-dimensional mountain landscapes and sands and dunes, traditional for the discipline, turned this Silk Way Rally 2025 into an unforgettable adventure and a battle arena in more than ten categories.

PROLOGUE | IRKUTSK | 8 KM

On Saturday morning the 12th July 2025, the competitors competed in the 8-kilometer Prologue, which was a super selective section on the circle track. To make the competition even more exciting and extreme, the rally directorate prepared special awards for the competitors who set the best time to complete the track, as well as for the performers of the longest jump on the ramp.

The Silk Way Rally had officially begun!

STAGE 2 | IRKUTSK – BAIKALSK | 256 KM

The day following the ceremonial start of the 15th Silk Way Rally edition, the participants faced the first full-scale stage, 256 kilometers from Irkutsk to Baikalsk via the Baikal Region’s protected areas. The chosen special section distance of little over 50 km may not appear to be a significant task, but the constant rain on the track made it a very tough test.

The first part of the track, which ran through open terrain, became predictably slippery due to precipitation. Then the crews faced a section of narrow rocky roads in a wooded area. The end of the selective section was a picturesque, but no less treacherous section along the banks of the Irkut River.

In such difficult and constantly changing conditions, any mistake could lead to significant losses of time and complicate the fight for top positions and the route to Baikalsk turned out to be much more treacherous than the drivers expected.

STAGE 3 | BAIKALSK – ULAN UDE | 395 KM

The overall distance of the selective sections of the first and second stages of the Silk Way Rally this year was 60 km, while on the third day, the participants had to travel more than 200 km.

From the shores of Lake Baikal, the marathon rally-raid caravan headed for the capital of Buryatia, Ulan Ude. The selective section started with an ascent along a mountain river, followed by difficult rocky tracks and narrow forest paths.

After them, the competitors tackled high-speed tracks with a sandy surface, where they were able to feel the capabilities of their vehicles. The stage changed the general classification, but its results may still change after the navigation devices thorough check.

STAGE 4 | ULAN UDE — ULAANBAATAR | 236 KM

The rally caravan crossed the state border, and the Land of the Eternal Blue Sky greeted the competitors with fast and tough roads. The leader average speed was beyond 100 km/h!

The fourth day of the Silk Way Rally began for the competitors with Russian-Mongolian border crossing. The selective section start was located across it. Its distance was 236.79 km of mostly hard and high-speed tracks.

Navigation was especially difficult for the competitors. There are many parallel roads in the endless Mongolian steppes, and choosing the right one at high speed is a challenge even for an experienced co-driver.

STAGE 5 | ULAANBAATAR – ULAANBAATAR | 315 KM

On Wednesday, July 16 2025, the competitors completed the second stage, which ran through Mongolia and the fifth stage since the rally start. They have already covered more than one and a half thousand kilometers, but it is now, on the endless plateaus, in the valleys and among the sand ridges, that the real test of strength for people and vehicles begins.

The stage passed through picturesque areas to the southwest of Ulaanbaatar, the capital of the Land of the Eternal Blue Sky, and offered the competitors even faster and more challenging sections in terms of navigation. The circle route led the crews along the Tuul River and became one of the most picturesque rally selective sections.

STAGE 6 | ULAANBAATAR — BAYANKHONGOR | 655 KM

The rally has reached the halfway point, but it was impossible to predict the winner in any category and the speeds at the Silk Way Rally were increasing every day. The sixth stage of the rally was the fastest in the current marathon.

The fastest crew covered the selective section between Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia, and Bayankhongor, a picturesque enclave at the foot of the Altai Mountains and the eponymous aimag center, at an average speed of over 117 kph.

Moreover, this stage was the longest one. The competitors had to cover 385.71 km of hard rocky soil with sharp climbs and descents, ravines and dry river beds crossing the route.

STAGE 7 | BAYANKHONGOR — ALTAI | 458 KM

The route of the 7th stage of the Silk Way Rally led the crews from Bayankhongor to Altai, the highest city in Mongolia, located at an altitude of 2,181 meters in the northern part of the Khan Taishir Range.

In total, the competitors had to cover 458 km, including 300 competitive km. However, this was an unusual stage. The first part of the marathon stage took place, during which the competitors were prohibited from receiving mechanics‘ assistance, and there was no assistance crews at their bivouac.

Almost the entire selective section consisted of fast tracks and became an extreme vehicle check for efficiency and reliability. And it is not over yet. The crews will have to enter the Saturday stage on vehicles prepared by their own at the bivouac.

STAGE 8 | ALTAI — ALTAI | 420 KM

The Silk Way Rally is an extreme off-road competition, and in 2025, the Organizers have prepared the most diverse route in the project history yet. Competitors have already competed on narrow forest paths, on rough terrain, on rocky roads and spacious fast tracks, but the main challenge of the 15th edition awaited the crews in the sands of Mongol-Els.

The competitors tackled a circle stage near Altai. The selective section distance was 339.37 km, including 100 km of sands with giant dunes. The surface here was very changeable and treacherous, its character alternates and required precise work from the drivers, and utmost concentration from the co-drivers.

Alas, this year these sands were not conquered by everyone either.

STAGE 9 | ALTAI — KHOVD | 510 KM

The Silk Way Rally caravan continued moving west and went from Altai to Khovd, one of the oldest cities in modern Mongolia, where the last bivouac in the Land of the Eternal Blue Sky was located this year.

The ninth stage’s total distance exceeded 500 km, including almost 280 competitive kilometer. At first, the routes passed along winding rocky roads, which required not only speed, but also precision, and then the crews drove into the sands, a short but treacherous section with high dunes. Like the day before, they became a real challenge even for experienced competitors.

STAGE 10 | KHOVD — KOSH AGACH | 515 KM

The Silk Way Rally competitors left Khovd and hospitable Mongolia, returning to Russia, where the tenth stage of the rally anniversary edition finished. The total distance of the stage was 515.46 km, including 257.54 competitive km.

The tenth stage, according to many competitors, was the most beautiful on the 15th edition route. The crews passed through the foothills and rocky ridges, overcame the Valley of Lakes and drove along the dam of Lake Achit.

At the end, the competitors faced the last kilometers of the distance through Mongolia. There was a wide plateau with fast parallel roads, which allowed them to feel all the greatness of the landscapes and the power of vehicles once again.

STAGE 11 | KOSH AGACH — GORNO ALTAISK | 598 KM

On the 22 July 2025, the final stage of the Silk Way Rally took place. The crews covered almost 600 kilometers from Kosh Agach to Gorno Altaisk, where a ceremonial finish will take place in the evening. However, before the awards ceremony, a number of questions were open, such as the overall standings winner.

Three crews, less than five minutes apart, were fighting for victory. The 131-kilometer selective section with difficult rocky tracks and treacherous fords provided answers to them.

CEREMONIAL FINISH | GORNO ALTAISK

The ceremonial finish of the 15th Silk Way Rally edition was held in the center of Gorno Altaisk, the capital of the Altai Republic. The marathon rally-raid started on the 12 July 2025 in Irkutsk, connecting the territories of Russia and Mongolia with a single route.

The crews went from the shores of Lake Baikal through Buryatia to the Land of the Eternal Blue Sky, crossed the spurs of the stone Gobi Desert, stormed the sands of Mongol-Els with their majestic dunes, climbed the Altai Mountains and after 11 days of competition and in total 4,811 kilometers finished in Gorno Altaisk.

The 15th edition of the Project is behind us, but its legacy continues, and next year, the competitors will find an even more outstanding, more unpredictable and amazing adventure. After all, the Silk Way Rally is more than rally, it is Absolute Adventure!

RESULTS

Overall Standings:

1. CHERKESOV Dmitry / PROSTAKOV Vladimir (Can-Am Maverick X3 XRS Turbo RR) — 29h31.45
2. CHERKESOV Alexey / SHEVELEV Artem (Can-Am Maverick XRC Turbo RR) +01.36
3. RUSINOV Roman / PAVLOV Dmitry (Can-Am Maverick X3 XRS DPS) +01.48

Т1 Standings:

1. ANDREEV Pavel / MOKEEV Gleb (Toyota Hilux) — 30h22.19
2. RUDSKOY Andrey / KARPOV Dmitry (G-Force BARS) +5h28.01
3. IGNATOV Alexey / PAVLOV Evgeny (GAZel NEXT) +6h22.44

Т2 Standings:

1. TOYLYEV Merdan / TOYLYEV Shokhrat (Nissan Patrol) — 61h29.24
2. ABDULLAYEV Meylis / CHARYEV Italmaz (Nissan Patrol) +6h58.18
3. DANATAROV Maksatmyrat / ORAZMEDOV Didar (Nissan Patrol) +106h49.01

SSV Standings:

1. CHERKESOV Dmitry / PROSTAKOV Vladimir (Can-Am Maverick X3 XRS Turbo RR) — 29h31.45
2. CHERKESOV Alexey / SHEVELEV Artem (Can-Am Maverick XRC Turbo RR) +01.36
3. RUSINOV Roman / PAVLOV Dmitry (Can-Am Maverick X3 XRS DPS) +01.48

Open Standings:

1. KUZNETSOV Anatoly / SMOLIN Alexey (Can-Am Maverick XDS Turbo RR) — 34h44.54
2. FREZORGER Evgeny / GAVRILOV Timofey (Can Am Maverick R XRS) +2h12.45
3. VORONOV Dmitry / ENIKEEV Kirill (Niva Sport Turbo) +10h57.46

Т5 Standings:

1. SHIBALOV Anton / KUPRIYANOV Alexander / TELEPOV Danil (KAMAZ 43509) — 25h15.53
2. NIKOLAEV Eduard / YAKOVLEV Evgeny / GLUKHOV Vladislav (KAMAZ Extreme plus) +23.32
3. AKHMEDOV Almaz / MALKOV Ivan / TATARINOV Ivan (KAMAZ 435091) +34.57

Motorally 450:

1. PUREVDORJ Murun (KTM 450 RALLY REPLICA) — 32h42.18.
2. SHCHEGLOV Ilya (Husqvarna FR 450 Rally) +12.44.
3. KHUBBATULLIN Nail (KTM 450 EXC F Six-Days) +11h56.13.

G-Moto Challenge:

1. ZHADANOVA Ekaterina (KTM 450 EXC-F) — 35h12.48
2. PAVLENKO Oleg (KTM 500 EXC) +05h33.07
3. KRUGLOV Anton (Husqvarna 450 FS) +18h52.28

Motorally Open:

1. LEIN Grigory (KTM 890 Adventure R) — 165h57.21

Motorally Quad:

1. ZVEREV Alexey (RM 1000) — 43h03.23
2. KALININ Dmitry (RM 800 T) + 82h52.02

Baikal to Altai Grand Tour:

1. SUKHOV Andrey / FEDOROV Dmitry (Tank 300) — 885 points
2. MELNIKOV Vladimir / GAGARIN Vadim (Tank 400) — 913 points
3. SHITIKOV Viktor / SHITIKOVA Tatiana (Tank 300) — 986 points

Adventure Trophy:

1. PYATIGORSKY Evgeny / BYAKOV Konstantin (BMW R1250 GS / BMW R1250 GS) — 53h50.25
2. CHVIZHENKO Stanislav / KOLESNIKOV Sergey / PORTNOV Dmitry (BMW R1250 GS / BMW R1250 GS / BMW R1250 GS) +7h05.02
3. SHELUDCHENKO Stanislav / CHUKANOV Sergey (BMW R1250 GS / BMW R1250 GS) +35h15.12

MEGA GALLERY

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Quelle / Source / Bilder / Pictures: Thomas Pfister, Xposed Motorsport