Turkmenistan is probably not the first country you think of when you imagine a rally raid hotbed, let alone one in Asia. Still, there is a scene (kind of) and even a national championship.

On March 21–22, the Turkmenistan Rally-Raid Cup ran its first race of 2025. It was the second race for the championship after debuting in December; both events were staged on national holidays, with the first being on the Day of Neutrality and the other in tandem with Nowruz.

Held in the Karakum Desert, the route passed through the Bäherden District in Ahal Region. A 33-kilometer prologue took place on Friday followed by a 110-km leg the next day.

Nissan Patrols finished 1–2 with Maksatmyrat Danatarov ahead of Meylis Avdyllaev, while Yolaman Abaev rounded out the podium in his Mitsubishi L200. The three drivers were from the Federation Automobile Sport of Turkmenistan, with Danatarov and Abdullayev representing their country at the Silk Way Rally in Russia last year. In December’s action, the top two respectively also finished second and third in the SUV class while Abaev was third in Open.

“This victory is not only mine but the entire team’s, who spent months preparing the car,” said Danatarov. “The Karakum teaches humility. Even a small mistake can cost you everything.”

11 teams took part, with two others also coming from the automobile federation. Five drivers were from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, while another came from the Turkmenavtoulaglary (Turkmenistan’s transportation agency).

The Turkmen government has developed an interest in rally raid since 2024, having formed a partnership with the Silk Way Rally that year. However, it is not the first time that the Central Asian country dabbled in the sport. The Silk Way has had stages cross into Turkmenistan, including ending the inaugural edition in 2009 in Ashgabat.

In 2018, the Amul–Hazar International Rally took place with the backing of Jean-Louis Schlesser and the FIA. Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, then the nation’s president, drove in the Prologue with an X-raid Mini while Nani Roma went on to win. The race was supposed to join the FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies for 2019 but was canceled due to “incompatibility between the FIA requirements and Turkmenistan.”

Turkmenistan is one of the most isolated and autocratic nations in the world, widely condemned for its human rights record and restrictions on freedoms of speech, press, and religion. Berdimuhamedow, whose son is now the president, is known for his eccentric personality and hobbies which his country’s cult of personality lean into (often to the confusion of the outside world). In 2019, supposedly trying to quash rumors of his death, Berdimuhamedow turned laps around the “Door to Hell” Darvaza gas crater in a rally raid car that state media claims he built himself. Understandably, the Amul–Hazar Rally was considered a vanity project of his to improve the country’s global reputation.

The Rally-Raid Cup, on the other hand, is less PR and perhaps closer to off-road driving training in a competitive environment if every competitor is a government employee. For a less cynical assessment, it doubles as practice for the Silk Way Rally in July.

Credit: Туркменистан: Золотой век