On May 20, the 2023 China Ring Tower (International) Rally kicked off in the movie town of Aksu, Xinjiang.
The opening scene of the 2023 China Ring Tower (International) Rally.Photo by Ma Qianni
The theme of this year’s event is “Love to the Future”. A total of 234 domestic and foreign drivers and racing teams from 58 teams participated in it. This competition will be held from May 20 to June 1, 2023 in Aksu, Kashgar and Hotan in Xinjiang.
Dedicated to the future, and rushing to this game with enthusiasm! For the first time in three years, domestic and foreign auto and motorcycle cross-country rally masters and fans gathered in beautiful Aksu to attend the largest off-road event in Asia and the top in China.
The scene of the departure ceremony.Photo by Ma Qianni
This round of tower competition lasted 13 days, with a total of 4,258 kilometers of stages and 2,253 kilometers of special stages. There are 9 special stages and 1 short-track qualifying race. 58 domestic teams, 134 cars, and 234 runners Competitors compete. Among them, there are 43 teams, 97 cars, and 197 players in the car group, and 15 teams, 37 cars, and 37 players in the motorcycle group.
At the opening ceremony, Sun Hongmei, Vice Chairman of the Xinjiang People’s Government, Zhan Guojun, Chairman of the China Automobile and Motorcycle Sports Federation, Wang Lei, Deputy Secretary-General of the Xinjiang People’s Government, Ding Youming, Party Secretary of the Xinjiang Sports Bureau, Xu Ruijun, Party Secretary of the Xinjiang Culture and Tourism Department, and Deputy Secretary of the Aksu Prefectural Committee Adili Aili, Secretary and Commissioner of the Administrative Office, Wu Bin, Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of Baosteel Group Xinjiang Bayi Iron and Steel Co., Ltd., Gong Gong, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee, General Manager, Director and Editor-in-Chief of Hunan Radio, Film and Television Group Co., Ltd. (Hunan Radio and Television Station) Zheng Wen, deputy party secretary and chairman of the Xinjiang Federation of Literary and Art Circles Erken Selai, member of the Aksu Prefectural Committee and secretary of the Aksu Municipal Committee Xue Jianqiang, deputy commissioner of the Hotan District Administrative Office Gulinishhan Yiming, and deputy commissioner of the Kashi District Administrative Office Zhang Jinge attended the meeting.
Since its inception in 2009, the China Ring Tower (International) Rally has grown into Asia’s No. 1 and the world’s No. 2 car and motorcycle long-distance cross-country rally after 19 years. The train will start from the town and end at the Populus euphratica Scenic Spot in the Desert of Hotan City on June 1. During the period, there will be two rest days. There will be three competition groups: cars, motorcycles and trucks. The 14th Division and other places have set up 4 camps, which is the most difficult one in recent years.
Adili Aili, deputy secretary of the Aksu Prefectural Committee and commissioner of the administrative office, extended a warm welcome to the leaders, guests, all participants and tourists who attended the opening ceremony. He said that the Tournament of the Tower is an international cross-country event and a major event to promote regional economic and social development. Aksu is an excellent place to hold the Tournament of the Tower. We have carefully prepared the event, provided service guarantees, and warmly welcome guests from all over the world. We sincerely wish you all a wonderful time in Aksu. I wish this round of tower competition a complete success! Best of luck to all the contestants!
Wu Bin, Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of Baosteel Group Xinjiang Bayi Iron and Steel Co., Ltd., said that if you don’t forget the time and the way you came, you will know where you are going. As the organizer, Bayi Iron and Steel will continue to support the development and growth of the Tournament of the Tower, and is committed to making the Tournament of the Tower a new business card for sports and cultural tourism in Xinjiang. In terms of event design, it will continue to integrate with Xinjiang’s unique and profound cultural and tourism projects. Innovate, firmly integrate the development of Huanta into the high-quality development of Xinjiang, and make a new and greater contribution to the social stability and long-term stability of the autonomous region.
At the opening ceremony, Zhan Guojun, chairman of the China Automobile and Motorcycle Sports Federation, presented the flag to Huanta Company. Jin Yingjie, the referee’s representative, and Liang Yuxiang, the driver’s representative from the Han Wei team, took the oath. The volunteer representative, Wang Hongru, read out the volunteer letter and Wang Lei, deputy secretary-general of the Xinjiang People’s Government, presented the flag to the volunteers.
Gong Zhengwen, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee, General Manager, Director, and Editor-in-Chief of Hunan Radio, Film and Television Group Co., Ltd. (Hunan Radio and Television Station) presented the flag to the Hunan public signal production team.
Xue Jianqiang, member of the Aksu Prefectural Committee and secretary of the Aksu Municipal Party Committee, the leader of the host city, Guli Nishahan Yiming, deputy commissioner of the Hotan District Administrative Office, and Zhang Jinge, deputy commissioner of the Kashgar District Administrative Office, jointly completed the circuit puzzle of this round of the tower race.
Sun Hongmei, vice chairman of the People’s Government of the autonomous region, announced the opening of the Tournament of the Tower.
After the opening ceremony, a grand departure ceremony was held. All the participating car groups drove their racing cars to appear on the grid one by one under the eyes of the crowd.
The well-known Xinjiang driver Zaker Yakefu is waiting to board the grid with his 9-year-old daughter. Once again on the starting platform, he said: “Now I am excited, nervous, and excited, and my mood is very complicated. This time I will take my apprentice to participate in the competition, and I will strive for better results. At the same time, I also hope that the apprentice can finish the race smoothly. .”
An Pengxin, deputy general manager of Xinjiang Huanta Automobile and Motorcycle Sports Club Co., Ltd., said: “Three years later, the expectations of off-road drivers across the country for Huanta are very high. Very high, with the care and support of governments around the world, we believe in making the ring tower the best one!”
Photo source of the opening ceremony of the Ring of Towers Rally: Officially provided by the Ring of Towers Rally
Fei Wei, captain and racer of the Shuanghe City team of the fifth division, and Ran Yong, a racer of the Jiangsu-Zhejiang Chamber of Commerce team of the first division Alar City, jointly expressed that after the starting ceremony, they will usher in the first qualifying race. The team is full of confidence! Now that we are ready, we will go all out and speak with the results!
“Through the development of sports competition, we will promote the continuous development of sports in our region to a better and broader world, and further improve the broad development prospects of our sports in Xinjiang. The 2023 International Tournament of Tajikistan All the contestants are in place, and all competitions are ready. Here, I sincerely wish our athletes to fight bravely on the field, keep moving forward, and strive for excellent results. I wish our 2023 Ring of Towers Rally a complete success. Success!” Gao Zhaoyi, member of the party group and deputy director of the Xinjiang Sports Bureau, said.
Image source: Officially provided by the Ring of Towers Rally
It is understood that after the opening ceremony, there will be a moon park stage, namely qualifying (SSS) competition. The total length of this stage is 23 kilometers. The qualifying competition does not set greater difficulty and length. It aims to let the players experience the atmosphere of the competition and do a good job of warming up. On May 21st, the official competition will start the first special stage (SS1) Wensu Grand Canyon stage in Aksu, with a total length of 207 kilometers, and then transfer to the N39 stage in Kashgar, and enter Hotan on May 26th The 4 stages in the region will hold the closing ceremony in the Hotan area at the same time.
(National Daily reporter Mao Weihua｜Ma Qianni)
[Responsible editor: Xu Dan]