About the Race
General Interest
Up to 70 crews of two men and one woman will face the supreme physical and mental challenges of crossing 16,000 kms of frozen terrain from the Arctic Circle, down through St Petersburg and Moscow, across the Ural Mountains, Sibera to the Pacific Ocean Port of Vladivostok, with temperatures as low as minus 40 Celcius. The crews are bound to each other for 14 days within the confines of a 4x4 vehicle.
First prize, 10 kilograms of pure gold.
A private train will follow the route and operate as mobile command centre and accommodate organisers, limited number of media representatives and a few VIP’s.
Emergency support including helicopter rescue, is provided by the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations.
The organisers are encouraging foreign participation and a special qualifying round for foreigners will take place in Russia on the weekend of November 5th and 6th 2005, provided at least four 3-person crews enter. Each crew must include one woman. Fees for the two day adventure weekend are US$ 4,050 per crew. The competition, which will test navigational, orienteering and leadership skills, will use (organiser provided) all terrain quad bikes. Helmets, protective clothing and GPS equipment will be provided and six hours of instruction and driving practice before a 24-hour non-stop competition.
Adventure Travel
From an adventure weekend in the qualifying rounds which will run through January 2006 to the two week expedition itself, this is all about adventure travel. The expedition offers a unique journey through some of the wildest snow and ice covered terrain possible. Crews will scale the Ural Mountains dividing Europe and Asia, negotiate frightening ice boulders, enjoy races over ice on the biggest, deepest lake in the world and search out obscure locations using GPS equipment.
Motor Sport
This is the World’s longest winter automobile competition, mainly off highway and including several stages competing on frozen water including on Lake Baikal, the world’s largest and deepest lake and on the Amur River, near Russia’s border with China.
Crews may use their own 4x4 vehicles or can be loaned a Mitsubishi 4x4 from the organisers.
Technical specifications are kept to a minimum but the vehicle’s clearance is specified and organisers insist on a second, independently powered heater being installed in each vehicle.
Apart from crews which won a free place in the Expedition Trophy by winning a Qualifying Round, up to November 8th 2005, entry fees per crew are as follows: Corporate teams with spaces reserved for advertising on vehicles; if using their own vehicles, $60,000 if paid by November 15th 2005 or $70,000 if paid before February 1st 2006; if using a vehicle from the organizers for payment before November 15th the entry fee is $105,000 and before February 1st 2006, it increases to $120,000.
Entry fee for private teams until November 15th are $35,000 and until February 1st 2006 $40,000. If a private team elects to use an organizer’s vehicle then the entry fees increase to $70,000 and $80,000 for payment by November 15th and February 1st respectively.
Women
One in three of the competitors will be women. Each 3-person crew MUST include one woman. With one in three women the event will break its own record for the largest number of About Expedition-Trophy... participants in a winter auto race.
Technology
The Expedition Trophy is the only land race to use continuous monitoring of contestant’s position using GPS equipment. All contestants vehicles will be equipped with GPS. The support train is equipped with satellite communications antenna and the “working carriage” is Wi-Fi enabled for use by the race mobile command centre and journalists. Contestants will be given digital cameras with which to photograph 1,500 designated landmarks between Murmansk and Vladivostok.
The organiser’s web site www.expedition-trophy.ru will be continuously updated with reports, results, photographs and videos of the event during the event. The organisers plan to organise continuous web-TV coverage of the event.
