A Taizhou-made HWM T1+ racing car races through a desert. [Photo/taizhou.com.cn]

The 2025 Taklimakan Rally kicked off in Aksu prefecture in Xinjiang on May 20, with cars made in Taizhou city — located in East China's Zhejiang province — taking a bow.

Top rallier Han Wei led a high-profile team, with four Taizhou-made racing cars making their debut in this top-tier domestic automotive and motorcycle event.

This year's Taklimakan Rally runs from May 20 to June 1, spanning 13 days with a total distance of around 4,500 kilometers, including around 2,350 km across 10 special stages.

The course features a variety of challenging terrains, including the Gobi Desert and Yardang landforms, posing what's described as being the ultimate test of a driver's skills and a vehicle's performance.

The newly added SS2 Alar stage is located at the 5A-rated Desert Gate Scenic Area in the Taklimakan Desert, a key aid project from Taizhou and Zhejiang to Xinjiang.

Han from Yuhuan, Taizhou, has won numerous major championships and he's already clinched the championship of the Taklimakan Rally four times.

His racing team includes three domestic powerhouse drivers — Tian Po, Tian Baoguang, and Han Jianqiang.

A major highlight of this year's participation in the rally is the Taizhou-made racing cars. Han's racing team unveiled four HWM T1+ racing cars in different colors in Yuhuan on May 6 during their departure ceremony. A week before the race, the team assembled at the Desert Gate Scenic Area for test runs and adjustments.

Since its inception in 2005, the Taklimakan Rally has experienced remarkable growth, covering 56 counties, cities, and districts across 14 prefectures in the Xinjiang region, with a total mileage exceeding 70,000 km.