After the administratives and technicals scrutineerings, 2016 Taklimakan Rally has really started today by a warm-up around the bivouac of Tacheng.
While the sunshine was omnipresent during all the morning, the weather became suddenly bad during the opening ceremony. Then torrent of water fell on the 136 competitors while they were going through the arch of 2016 Taklimakan Rally one by one.
Because of a very muddy and perilous track, organization decided to cut the prologue. That’s why, instead of 13 kilometers, only 6 kilometers was on program.  
A soft first stage in 2016 Taklimakan Rally which had the good thing to measure the abilities of every competitor on an extremely slippery track. The Chinese team Ai Li Xu and Yuan Liu with a Mitsubishi Pajero finish first before the other Mitsubishi Pajero of Shi Cheng Zhang and Yi Cheng Wang. The two cars of HanWei Motorsport Team were not on a track that fit in with the skills of their two-wheel buggys. Philippe Gache and Stéphane Prévot finish ninth, far from their teammates Han Wei and Jean Pierre Garcin only twentysith. However the gap between competitors remains tight.
In bike category, Wen Min Su, winner of 2015 Taklimakan Rally, keep the same pace than last year and get the top of the classification. Armand Monleón, favourite of overall classification, did not take any risk and finish fourth right before the Frenchman Willy Jobard on his KTM 500. 
Tomorrow, on monday May 16th, competitors will perform a 237 kilometers loop around Tacheng, including 120 kilometers of selective section.  According to the organizers, the stage will be difficult because of the heavy rain that is currently falling on the city. Even though the special stage will be short, tomorrow could bring us once again surprising results.

Press: Taklimakan Rally