At 11.20 local time, the first of a total of 25 Porsche Cayenne S Transsyberias left the Red Square in Moscow, heading for Ulaanbataar, the capital of Mongolia, where the 7,000 kilometre long-distance rally will finish on August 17.
The Cayenne Transsyberias are a limited edition series equipped with some serious off-road modifications, such as a roll cage, a special air intake above the engine hood, a multi-component underbody guard, the Porsche Dynamic Chassis
Control adapted for extreme off-road conditions, body sealant up to the
side windows, special off-road tires and four roof-mounted headlamps. The Transsyberias also come with a navigation system specifically designed for off-roading, a Tripmaster computer, and two one-man tents.
Porsche has set up a website that shows the progress of the Transsyberia Rally, check it out at
www.porsche.com/transsyberia.
Press Release
Transsyberia Rally: From Moscow to Mongolia
Stuttgart/Moskau. At 11.20 a.m. local time (9.20 CEST) today, the first of
a total of 25 Porsche Cayenne S Transsyberias will depart from Moscow's Red
Square heading east. After approximately 7,000 kilometers, the Transsyberia
Rally will finish on August 17 close to the Mongolian capital of
Ulaanbataar. In a first for such a competition, Porsche has created a
limited edition series and produced 25 Cayenne S Transsyberias for this
long-distance Asian rally.
The excellent off-road characteristics of the new Cayenne have been further
enhanced in the Porsche Development Center in Weissach with the following
modifications: a roll cage for the interior; a special air intake above the
engine hood; a multi-component underbody guard; the Porsche Dynamic Chassis
Control adapted for extreme off-road conditions; body sealant up to the
side windows; special off-road tires; four roof-mounted headlamps and a
roof spoiler with double-deck profile and eye-catching rally design. Also
on board as standard are a navigation system specifically for off-roading,
a Tripmaster computer, and two one-man tents. The Transsyberia Rally may be
described as an orienteering excursion, but it is by no means a "luxurious,
fair-weather event for the faint-hearted".
The drivers participating are correspondingly experienced, and include
Armin Schwarz (1996 European Rally Champion), René Metge (two-time winner
of the Paris-Dakar Rally), Rod Millen (multiple winner of the American hill
race Pikes Peak) and Saeed Al-Hajri (several-times Middle East Rally
Champion). In addition, Germany's best-known television judge, Alexander
Hold (from the program "Richter Alexander Hold" on Sat 1) will act as
co-driver on the first two stages, navigating one of the Porsche Cayenne S
Transsyberias and putting his skills in dealing with the roadbook and
Tripmaster to the test.
Porsche will be reporting live at the end of each of the sixteen stages,
the longest of which starts in Novosibirsk and finishes in Kosh Agash,
covering a distance of around 950 kilometers across Siberia. The latest
texts and photos from the individual stages are available on the Internet
at http://www.porsche.com/transsyberia.
