Date: 2 July 2012

Unrevealing the Western Territories in with Maserati’s Passionate Flare

“Maserati 1000” Rally Kicks off the Silk Road Journey

The full series of Maserati three tridents– Quattroporte, GranTurismo and GranCabrio, geared up for the “Maserati 1000” Xinjiang Rally, which set to take place from June 24th to July 2nd to hit the Silk Road. The rally revisited the Silk Road in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region during the 9-day-journey, which winded through the ‘Western Territories', an ancient trade route where the East met the West.

Inspired by “Mille Miglia”, the Maserati 1000 Rally as a unique brand innitative Maserati undertakes in China, aspires to bring the owners of Maserati a taste of exclusive driving experience, a passionate racing adventure, blended with exquisite touch of China’s cultural & historical essence.

This is the second year since “Maserati 1000” Rally sets on foot in China, after the distinctive success of the Yunnan Rally in 2011, which took the long brilliant journey from Kunming to Shangri-La. This year, the owners of Maserati cars from different cities of China ventured a route with spectacular geographical features and rich ethnic and historical charm of China. Moreover, as all the Maserati Rally unfolds, it brewed with a gratifying driving delight. “Maserati 1000” Xinjiang Rally covered more than 1800 kilometres in 9 days. The journey started from Urumqi, capital of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, passing by Burqin County, what is so called the fairy land, then embracing the splendid view of Kanas city, driving through ‘golden mountains’ of Altay, before entering , the embodiment of the "Desert Beauty", till in the end the track leads to basin, which is situated along the Silk Road's northern route.

Passing through deserts, grassland, mountains, glaciers and basins, the Xinjiang Rally route provided a perfect opportunity to experience the excellent performance of Maserati cars under different road conditions. The flat high speed road was to witness Maserati cars’ extraordinary engine power, while the winding and spiral mountain roads will be a perfect chance to testify the endurance of the brake assembly and the dynamic stability performance.

The Silk Road, a trade route sprawling over 7,000 kilometres to connect Asia and the Mediterranean region, was an ethnically diversified civilization developed more than 2000 years ago. The Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region is located at the vital hub of the Silk Road. Maserati’s journey to the west, a revisit to the epic course in the world’s transportation history, brought a spring of adventurous spirit on the road and a refreshed brand understanding to Maserati. It’s a real touch of Maserati brand spirit - “Excellence through Passion”.