The 2013 Ulan Golden Sea “H1” Plateau Extreme Car Off-Road Challenge will take place from July 27 to 28 at the Golden Sea Race Camp in Ulan County, Qinghai Province. To date, 46 teams from across the country have registered to participate.
Ulan County’s Golden Sea is located in Haixi Mongol and Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai Province. Its Mongolian name means “Adongmula Lake” and it covers an area of approximately 0.45 square kilometers. Legend has it that when Genghis Khan led his troops through this area, a dropped golden cup turned into the Golden Sea.
According to the organizers, the total race route spans 556 kilometers, including 120 kilometers of competitive racing, 370 kilometers of rally sections, and 66 kilometers of transit. The starting order is determined by draw, with the top-performing teams starting first, and a one-minute interval between each start.
“Both ends of the race route are desert and hilly areas, with 67 kilometers of the course featuring gravel roads, including deserts and saline-alkali marshlands,” explained Shuai Qi, Executive President of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau International Automobile Sports Association. The race adopts a looped back-and-forth format, offering medium difficulty but high entertainment value.
“The first-place winner will receive a prize of 50,000 yuan, which is the highest among off-road car races in the western region. Moreover, it’s the first time national-level referees have been invited, which will help improve both the competition level and officiating standards,” Shuai Qi emphasized.
In addition, to ensure no pollution to the local ecological environment during the event, the organizing committee requires all participants to actively collect any garbage generated by their vehicles or teams during the race, and dispose of it in sealed packaging at designated waste collection points. Teams found littering indiscriminately will face time penalties or disqualification.