Frequently Asked Questions
Snowmobiles and competitors
The sports part of the rally-raid will be held over three days, from February 23 to February 25, 2023.
Any snowmobile owner who has reached the age of 16, both men and women, can be admitted to the start. Competitors between the ages of 16 and 18 are allowed to participate in the rally-raid with the notarized consent of both parents. The competition is designed in such a format to remain interesting for professionals and safe for outdoor enthusiasts.
Any serviceable snowmobile is suitable for participation in the Silk Way Snow Journey – no additional modifications or special versions are required. Depending on the snowmobile power all competitors will be divided into five classes to ensure an equal and exciting fight. More information on class division can be found in the Regulations.
If you own a snowmobile, you probably have all the necessary outfit: a helmet, goggles, protective gear, boots, and so on. A complete list can be found in the Regulations.
Each competitor brings a snowmobile to the race on their own: vehicle delivery to the competition venue is not included in the fee. However, each competitor will receive a parking space, as well as a pass for one service vehicle and a trailer.
There will be a repair area at the Naikom Arena, where participants can seek help from professional mechanics with extensive experience in technical sports. The final cost of the work may differ from that indicated in the price list.
The Organizers do not provide accessories or consumables, however, each competitor will receive assistance with their installation and proper snowmobile preparation.
How to take part
The cost of participation is the same for all categories. For the convenience of competitors developed different cost rates, which include a different set of paid options. More detailed information about the payment procedure and the fee inclusions can be found in the “Tariffs” section.
To become a Silk Way Snow Journey competitor, it is necessary to provide basic information about yourself in the form here.
This is a procedure for verifying and confirming the competitor’s documents. You only need to show a passport and a competitor’s insurance policy against accidents and injuries, valid for all days of the competition (can be issued at any insurance company; motorsport should be specified in the column “type of insurance”, the amount is at least 300,000 rubles).
The MFR racing license can be issued at administrative checks on an individual basis if necessary.
The main requirement is the possibility to use the snowmobile in a safe way and its technical serviceability. Any snowmobile is allowed to participate in the rally-raid, regardless of technical characteristics. No additional modifications are required.
Each competitor can bring mechanics, invite friends or family. The fee includes a parking space for one service vehicle with a trailer, as well as a pass for one accompanying person for each competitor.
If you would like to invite more relatives, friends or assistants, use the Assistance fee. More detailed information about the payment procedure can be found on the official website of the rally-raid.
General rules
The competition will be held in three days according to the rally-raid rules. Each day the competitors will have to overcome the selective section and, following the prompts of GPS navigation devices, “pick” virtual points.
“Point” is scored up by the device when the competitor is close to the desired coordinate. So the Silk Way Snow Journey combines interesting tasks of navigation and orientation with the pleasure of riding a snowmobile. The maximum speed limit of up to 80 km/h is set for all competitors, it is controlled by the competition Organizers.
On the first day competitors will have to ride a short section of the track, laid in the immediate vicinity of the spectator stands. It will be followed by the Ceremonial Start with a passage through the Arch and the presentation of the crews. On the second day two runs along the 100-kilometer track are planned. On the third day, after passing one more long section, there will be the Ceremonial Finish of the rally-raid, a prize-giving and a buffet table for all competitors.
More detailed schedule can be found HERE.
The participation fee includes the provision of the Organizer’s obligatory devices: ERTF Unik 1 (GPS), Aclive GPS Broadcasting Servicer tracker (radio beacon). The competitor only needs to purchase installation kits for mandatory safety and navigation equipment. We recommend you to do this in advance and install it on your snowmobile.
At the competitive distance each competitor will have a set of navigation and safety equipment at his disposal: ERTF Unik 1 (GPS orientation), Aclive GPS Broadcasting Servicer tracker (radio beacon that will allow them to move along the fixed route.
An additional task of GPS equipment is to track the position of all competitors in real time and, if necessary, help them to return to the route.
If you can’t solve the task and find one of the waypoints, you can skip it and move on to the next one or go to the day finish, however, a penalty time will be added to your result. It is strictly forbidden to move in the opposite direction of the sports route.
The movement of competitors along the routes is monitored online by the Organizer using radio beacons that allow to call for help at the touch of a button using accurate GPS coordinates.
If necessary, your snowmobile will be evacuated by the Organizer to the team location at the Naikom Arena. The evacuation service is included in the entry fee.
More detailed instructions on the radio beacon operation are available here.
The rally-raid route will pass through rough terrain without pre-prepared tracks. There will be a maximum speed limit of 80 km/h throughout the distance.
At the same time, depending on weather conditions, the limit may be reduced for safety reasons – more detailed information on the order of movement on the track is in the competition Regulations.
All information and results will be published on the official website of the competition, as well as in a special Sportity application that is used as an electronic information board and sends notifications.
The app can be easily installed on any smartphone from official app stores: AppStore, Google Play
The Organizers have prepared a prize fund for the competitors in the amount of 1.5 million rubles – it will be distributed among the winners of the overall standings in the following order: 1st place – 500,000 rubles, 2nd place – 400,000 rubles, 3rd place – 300,000 rubles, 4th place – 200 000 rubles, 5th place – 100,000 rubles.
Overall standings are all competitors in all scoring categories of the rally-raid, which are located in a single data sheet in ascending order from the first (least) to the last (most).
The prize-giving ceremony for the winners in all classes will take place at the bivouac after the rally-raid finish.
If you have any questions, please, do not hesitate to ask them at info@silkwayrally.ru or by phone +7 937 585 09 88. We will answer them as soon as possible.