Entry Info

Vehicle Rules

This is the easy part… there are none! We don’t tell you what to do or how to do it. You can bring any type of vehicle you like. If you have an exotic sports car bring it (but be aware of local speed regulations). 4WD vehicles typically offer the greatest comfort & versatility… but is comfort really what you want? Many of our participants choose outlandish vehicles that add to the fun, craziness, and thrill of the adventure.

You don’t need a high-performance vehicle to compete in the Central Asia Rally. Our Adventure Research Staff put a lot of design thought into the course to ensure that teams in 2WD cars, battered old clunkers, and wacky vehicles can not only enjoy the journey but compete on an equal footing. For any portions that require 4WD, we note a safe detour for other vehicles.

Special Note: Many of our participants want to purchase their vehicle in Hungary just prior to the race… The Travel Scientists can help facilitate your purchase and even help you get a reasonable price! We can recommend models, equipment, dealers, and provide any additional advice you need before purchasing your vehicle.

Early birds can also take advantage of our rally car rental program. We have a handful of cars available for rent, already fully-stocked with rally gear.
Visit our rental page for more details and to check availability.

Finding Your Category

We offer three different adventure categories – your most important choice is which rally category to be a part of:

Category: Competition

Our most in-demand category. The road, terrain & weather all offer an incredible challenge to our teams, but for our ‘Competition Category’ we create a number of additional challenges to provide the most comprehensive test of each team’s abilities.

This category features a time component and daily GPS challenges. Each team will receive a list of GPS locations to find – every location is assigned a point value and teams race to accumulate the most points before reaching the destination for the day. Not only is it great fun to race against other teams, we offer a wonderful prize: the winning team receives a free entry for two to our 2013 Rickshaw Challenge – Deccan Odyssey!

One thing to remember: we design the route and the challenges to offer a fair competition to all teams, regardless of the vehicle they choose. Teamwork, quick thinking, determination, and a little luck will guide the best teams. There is no real advantage to be had from the fastest or most expensive cars… and there could be quite a few more headaches!

Category: Touring

Custom-tailor your adventure to match your interests with our ‘Touring Category’. The main route is the same, but you’re not on the clock and don’t need to participate in the challenges, and that leaves you free to enjoy traveling at your own pace. Take time to have coffee with the locals, explore alternate routes, take side trips that strike your fancy… you can even skip stages! There are no cut-off times and you are free to enjoy the journey however you like.

Don’t get the wrong idea – you’ll still be in for a true challenge and the adventure of a lifetime! But you can party all night and not have to worry about an early-morning start…!

Category: Extreme

We were told to look out for you! Are you known as a loose cannon? Probably you’re not the type to bring home to mother. Are you wanted in several countries, and unwanted in even more? If so, then you are in the exact right place!

Our ‘Extreme Category’ is for racers who prefer an added degree of difficulty when they attempt our already borderline insane challenge…

What Do You Get? – We reward your commitment to the cause with a greatly discounted entry fee – it’s the best adventure travel deal on the planet!

What Do You Need? – Nothing much, just a vehicle that can talk the talk, if not walk the walk. A 25+ year old rust bucket will do the trick… so will a double-decker bus… or a fire truck… or even a hearse… or any vehicle that will truly be a sight to see as we barrel through our adventure!