The message reads, in part:
“Welcome to the ceremonial start of the 2024 International Silk Way Rally in Tomsk, where many participants have gathered, both professionals and amateur truck, car and motorcycle drivers from Russia and other countries.
The pilots will cover thousands of kilometres on an extremely challenging route. It will be a tough battle for victory against tough and experienced rivals and a survival test for equipment and human character. The crews will drive across wide steppes and deserts, on impassable taiga roads and through mountains in Russia and Mongolia. Team spirit, mutual assistance and experience are especially important in these extreme conditions.
I have no doubt that the 2024 Silk Way Rally will become a major event in the global sports calendar, and that it will promote international humanitarian cooperation and help strengthen business and personal contacts.”