Source: Carture, “Asia Cross Country Rally Live Update 1: 2022 Asia Cross Country Rally Officially Kicks Off in Thailand,” published 2022 (date as per original), retrieved from: https://www.carture.com.tw/news/article/22465

Buriram Province is located in eastern Thailand, with Buriram City as its capital. It is known as a major sports city in Thailand because the country’s largest football stadium, Buriram Stadium (currently sponsored and named Chang Arena, also known as the Elephant Brand Arena¹), is situated here. This stadium is the home ground of the Buriram United football club, whose fans nickname it the “Thunder Castle.” In the same area, there is also the Buriram International Circuit, which meets FIA Grade 1 and FIM standards, hosting events such as FIA GT car races and MotoGP motorcycle races.

Buriram Province borders Cambodia and serves as Thailand’s gateway to Cambodia. The area was historically part of the Khmer cultural zone, so many Khmer cultural relics can be found in Buriram. Additionally, most residents of Buriram speak Khmer rather than Thai.

 

Note 1: Elephant Brand is a Thai beer brand.
Note 2: “Buriram” means “City of Happiness” in Thai.

This year, a total of 54 vehicles from 9 countries—Thailand, Cambodia, France, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Vietnam—participated in the race, including:

 

After a morning of participant check-in and vehicle safety inspections, the afternoon featured a special warm-up stage called Super SS1. Instead of rushing into the jungle battle, the organizers arranged a 3-kilometer fully paved SS stage around Buriram Municipal Stadium. This stage served to warm up the participants and their vehicles, help drivers and co-drivers build teamwork, and determine the starting order for the next day. The SS stage was not difficult, but a few large turns had gravel-covered surfaces. Our filming at this location captured thrilling moments including off-road motorcycles slipping and some pickup trucks nearly going off the track.

A classic element of rally racing—the racers driving through the archway—symbolizes the start of the journey, and passing through the archway again marks the race’s finish line.

Under the call of Mr. Pitak, the long-time race announcer, dozens of vehicles passed through the arch one by one, each greeted with cheers, anticipation, and well-wishes.

Taiwan’s iTAIWAN Rally Team received a special interview during the opening ceremony, showcasing the good reputation Chen He-Huang has built over many years in this arena.

The Rally Party-like opening ceremony came to an end, and when the sun rises tomorrow, the participants will face a feast of rally challenges: a total RS+SS distance of 435.44 kilometers, with the SS2 stage stretching an impressive 203.5 kilometers! Is this what they call “Play hard, work hard”?

 

Source: Carture Auto News, "Asia Cross Country Rally Live Report 1: 2022 Asia Cross Country Rally Officially Begins in Thailand," published 2022 (date as per original), retrieved from: https://www.carture.com.tw/news/article/22465