Born to Be Brave: 2026 China DHD Rally Championship Press Conferenc Grandly Kicks Off at China Natio
On May 11, the 2026 China DHD Rally Championship press conferencewas held at the China National Convention Center in Beijing. Leaders from the Federation of Automobile and Motorcycle Sports of China, Sports Bureau of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Culture and Tourism Department of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, CPC Hami Municipal Committee and Hami Municipal People’s Government, China Motorcycle Chamber of Commerce and Xinjiang Motorcycle Sports Association, together with officials of the event organizing committee, representatives of top domestic and overseas factory teams, clubs and riders including RedCamel Power, KOVE Motorcycle and Zhangxue Motorcycle, brand partners and mainstream media. Gathering in the national capital, all attendees jointly inaugurated this extreme journey stretching across the Silk Road..
Since the in-depth implementation of the Sports Powerful Nation Strategy and the continuous advancement of cultural, sports and tourism integration under the Belt and Road Initiative, China’s motorcycle extreme cross-country sports have grown from local development to global prominence.
TheChina DHD Rally Championship kicked off in Hami in 2024. In 2025, the event was officially upgraded to a national core competition, standing as a flagship fixture in China’s long-distance motorcycle cross-country rally sector.
In 2026, the event’s press conference is held in Beijing for the first time. Rooted in the capital’s role as China’s national international exchange hub, it showcases the prowess of Chinese cross-country sports to the world. Serving as a bridge connecting China and the globe, the event continues to forge a new chapter of in-depth integration among culture, sports and tourism.
He Jiandong, Full-time Vice Chairman of the Federation of Automobile and Motorcycle Sports of China, stated in his address that Dahai Dao is not only an extreme racing track, but also a "golden engine" empowering regional development. With the continuous upgrading of event specifications, the China DHD Rally Championship has become an important window for showcasing the image of Xinjiang. The Federation will continue to leverage unique geographical and cultural resources, convert event popularity into cultural and tourism growth momentum, drive consumption upgrading through high-level competitions, boost the in-depth integration of sports, cultural tourism and other sectors in Xinjiang, and unleash stronger driving forces for regional development.
Ye Hai, Member of the Party Leadership Group and Deputy Director of the Sports Bureau of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, said that the China DHD Rally Championship fills the gap of international events in China’s long-distance motorcycle cross-country field, builds a growth platform for Chinese motorcyclists to engage with international arenas, and effectively enhances the discourse right of China’s motorsports globally. The long-term development of China DHD Rally Championship is not only an important layout for sports undertakings in Xinjiang, but also a key platform for sports and cultural exchanges under the national Belt and Road Initiative. The Sports Bureau of Xinjiang will continue to support the high-quality development of the event, and gradually build it into a renowned sports and cultural brand linking the Silk Road Economic Belt.
Wulamujiang Reyimu, Deputy Secretary of the CPC Hami Municipal Committee and Mayor of Hami City, expressed in his speech that starting from local roots in Hami, the China DHD Rally Championship has grown and elevated itself into a core national-level event. With its online popularity soaring across all platforms, it has become an important carrier for the in-depth integration of local sports, culture and tourism, as well as for forging a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation. Hami will further unleash the penetrating influence and empowering catalytic effect of the integrated development of culture, sports and tourism. The city will strive to foster and polish the China DHD Rally brand IP, optimize track planning with higher standards, consolidate safety defense lines with stricter requirements, and expand international cooperation with a broader vision. The event will be built not only as a summit showdown of speed and passion, but also as an enjoyable journey to experience the culture of the ancient Silk Road.
Xu Ming, Director of Samaranch Sports Development Foundation, Vice Chairman of Xinjiang Motorcycle Sports Association, Honorary President of Dahai Dao Branch of China Adventure Association and Chairman of Xinjiang Daming Mining Group Co., Ltd., said that China DHD Rally Championship originated in Wupu Town of Hami and was successfully upgraded to a national core event in 2025 after years of dedicated development. Relying on the global influence of the TV drama Dahai Dao, the brand reputation of the event has kept rising. The 2026 China DHD Rally Championship has officially launched FIM registration, marking a new stage of international development. The event will expand the race route, build a pan-Gobi cross-country corridor, adopt an electronic road book system with independent intellectual property rights, benchmark international competition rules, recruit global riders and teams extensively, and strengthen global communication and promotion. It aims to build the Dahai Dao Rally into a world-class long-distance cross-country IP comparable to the Dakar Rally, set international standards for Chinese cross-country sports, and forge a golden business card for Chinese sports going global.
At the press conference, Zhang Min, Chief Technology Officer of the event, officially unveiled the core information of the 2026 season. The rally will be grandly held in Xinjiang from September 3 to September 11. With a total distance of about 2,500 kilometers and a special stage of about 1,300 kilometers, the 9-day event includes 1 day of administrative inspection, 1 day of qualifying race, 6 special stages and 1 rest day, with 3 event camps set up along the route. Stretching across the east and west of the Tianshan Mountains, it passes through world-class Yardang landforms, Gobi, desert, gravel land, river courses, grasslands and forests. With fully upgraded challenge difficulty and experience, it features diverse landforms, stunning landscapes and ultimate challenges as a long-distance motorcycle rally.
In terms of professional and diversified layout, the organizing committee continues to deepen the philosophy of professional competition, public participation and international exchanges, strictly follows the technical standards of FIA and FIM, optimizes the full category system including national level, Xinjiang level and ADV Challenge Group, upgrades the new energy group, and recruits riders globally to gather top athletes and young talents from various countries for competition. The total prize pool reaches 1 million RMB, with multiple honors such as Overall Ranking, Unsupported Ranking, Rookie Award, U45 Award and Women’s Award. Diversified incentives cover riders of different ages, genders and experience levels, helping more enthusiasts realize their dreams on Dahai Dao.
The press conference achieved fruitful results with an important signing ceremony held on site. Xinjiang Daming Sports Culture Co., Ltd. signed event agreements with the Federation of Automobile and Motorcycle Sports of China, Xinjiang Motorcycle Sports Association and Hami Bureau of Culture, Sports, Radio, Film and Tourism. All parties will deepen cooperation in professional technical empowerment, industrial cluster cultivation, cultural and tourism resource integration and brand promotion, comprehensively promote the internationalization and professional upgrading of the Dahai Dao Rally, and boost the high-quality development of China’s motorcycle cross-country sports industry.
The event has built a top-level global coverage and online integrated communication matrix. Overseas, it covers more than 100 authoritative news and sports vertical media in Asia, Africa, Europe, North America, South America, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and the Middle East. Domestically, it links over 200 graphic and video promotion platforms, including central-level online media, comprehensive news, sports vertical media, local and offline media nationwide. More than 20 core authoritative media such as Guangming Net, Xinhuanet, Tencent Sports, Sina Sports, NetEase Sports, Sohu Sports, Phoenix Net, China Youth Network, China.com, Pacific Auto Network and China News Service Xinjiang Branch are included to deliver all-round and multi-dimensional global coverage and tell a wonderful story of Chinese cross-country sports. In addition, the 2026 event theme "Born to Be Brave" and brand-new visual identity system were unveiled at the conference to warm up for the event and extend a sincere invitation to cross-country enthusiasts worldwide.
From debuting in Urumqi to making a voice in Beijing, and from a local event to a national competition and further moving toward internationalization, every leap of the Dahai Dao Rally bears the growth mark of China’s extreme sports and undertakes the inheritance mission of motorcycle cross-country culture. With the successful conclusion of the press conference, the 2026 China DHD Rally Championship has officially entered the intensive preparation phase. This September, let us meet at Dahai Dao, embark on this journey together, witness brave riders traverse the vast Gobi and gallop across the Silk Road frontier, and showcase the hardcore strength of China’s extreme sports and the eternal charm of Silk Road civilization to the world.
