Oriented on making people closer

Ashgabat, July 20 | ORIENT. The 2025 Silk Way Rally, which is currently taking place along the picturesque but extremely difficult routes of Mongolia, continues to present dramatic turns. Two days before the finish of the race, there was a change of leader in the T2 class of serial SUVs, where Turkmen crews compete. Maksatmyrat Danatarov, who dominated many stages, gave up the first line to his compatriot Merdan Toylyev.

Chronicle of the Struggle: From Dominance to Trials

On July 18, the rally participants overcame the seventh stage of the route from Bayankhongor to the high-mountain Altai. This was the first part of the so-called marathon stage - a special section of the race, where crews are prohibited from using the help of mechanics. The athletes covered 458 km, of which 300 km were the qualifying special section of mostly high-speed tracks, which became a serious test for the equipment.

In these conditions, the crew of Maksatmyrat Danatarov and Didar Orazmedov retained the leadership they had taken from the start, increasing their lead over their closest pursuer, the crew of Merdan Toylyev and Shokhrat Toylyev, by another 11 minutes 11 seconds. At that time, the leader's advantage in the general classification reached almost an hour. The crew of Meyliz Abdullaev and Italmaz Charyev, who closed the top three, was more than five and a half hours behind the leader after seven stages.

Mongol-Els Sands and the Decisive Ninth Stage

On July 19, the eighth, ring stage near the city of Altay awaited the racers. This 339.37 km long special stage included a 100-kilometer section in the Mongol-Els sand massif with giant dunes. Although the organizers had prepared the most diverse route in the history of the project, it was these treacherous sands that became the main test. The T2 class crews made a tactical decision to bypass this particularly difficult section, which entailed a standard penalty (penalty time) of 29 hours, but allowed them to save their equipment. This did not change the leading position of Maksatmyrat Danatarov.

However, on Sunday, July 20, a decisive rearrangement occurred on the ninth stage, which ran from Altay to Khovd. The total distance of the stage exceeded 500 km, and the special stage was almost 280 km. The tracks changed from winding rocky roads to treacherous sand dunes. It was on this decisive special stage that Maksatmyrat Danatarov failed to overcome the difficult section and received a large penalty of 21 hours.

New Leader and the Finish Line

As a result of this incident, Danatarov lost his lead, yielding the first line to Merdan Toylyev, who, by the way, is already the winner of the 2022 Silk Way Rally in the T2 category. Meyliz Abdullaev moved up to the second line, more than six and a half hours behind the new leader. Despite his previous dominance, Maksatmyrat Danatarov's lead has now reached 14 hours.

There are still two stages ahead, finishing in Gorno-Altaysk. The participation of Turkmen athletes in such prestigious international competitions as the Silk Way Rally not only demonstrates their skill and endurance, but also contributes to the popularization of motorsport in the country and the strengthening of its international image. The race continues, promising new intrigues until the very finish.

ORIENT

Photo: silkwayrally.com