Despite being one of the world’s premier rally raids, the Silk Way Rally can only go as far as its budget can take it. For this reason, fans might’ve noticed that the race didn’t take place in July as usual.

In a June 7 interview with Match TV, race director Vladimir Chagin revealed the Silk Way Rally Association did not have the necessary sponsorship to host a 2026 edition. He officially described it as being “postponed to 2027” rather than outright cancellation, though next year’s race will obviously be simply referred to as the 2027 Silk Way Rally.

“We definitely won’t be holding the race this year. There’s no financial capacity and a new title sponsor for the race hasn’t been determined yet,” he explained.

“The route is ready and fully planned out; we actually have several options for it. It’s a new and interesting course. We’re waiting for overall funding for the project.”

Once a part of the FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies, the SWR has taken hit after hit following COVID-19. The pandemic canceled the 2020 race and restricted the 2021 route to just Russia, then the invasion of Ukraine a year later further limited global outreach. The SWR Association was also sanctioned by the United States Treasury Department in June 2024 because of its ties to the GRU and Russia’s electronic warfare apparatus in Ukraine.

It wasn’t until 2024 that the rally crossed borders again, though China ended up backing out of hosting. Mongolia has been the race’s only other country since.

While he didn’t reveal what the 2026 route would’ve looked like, Chagin confirmed it would have left Russia as well since the “Silk Way is a bridge of friendship between people and countries.” The 2025 rally started and finished in Russia with the Mongolian cities of Ulaanbaatar, Bayankhongor, and Altai also hosting stages.

Several SWR regulars including defending overall winner KAMAZ-master and SNAG Racing raced the Taklimakan Rally in China earlier in the summer, which gave them their marathon rally fixes that ultimately would’ve been a void due to the Silk Way’s axing. Like the SWR, KAMAZ has been struggling financially in recent times with a lack of foreign support owing to the invasion of Ukraine.

Featured image credit: Anton Elikov / KAMAZ-master