ShanghaiJune 2, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — As the scorching heat of the Taklamakan Desert whipped up towering clouds of yellow sand and tire tracks in the depths of the uninhabited region carved through the silent earth, the 2026 China Taklimakan International Rally concluded successfully in Aksu on June 1 after a grueling 17-day battle. As the longest and most challenging edition in the rally’s history, this year’s event covered a total distance of nearly 8,000 kilometers, with special stages spanning approximately 4,200 kilometers. It traversed extreme terrains including deserts, gobi, and yardangs, posing unprecedented challenges to vehicles, drivers, and tire performance.
At this top-tier off-road event, hailed as “China’s Dakar,” the Giti GF-SPORT team’s car number 158, driven by Gao Feng and Wang Shaowei, piloted a Toyota Hilux T1.1 equipped with Giti’s off-road AT200 tires. They ultimately claimed the overall championship in the T1.1 category of the 2026 Taklimakan International Rally with an outstanding first-place finish, once again showcasing Giti Tire’s formidable off-road technological prowess and racing pedigree to the industry.
Venturing Deep into the Uninhabited Region, Giti GF-SPORT Team Makes a Strong Bid
In this year’s event, the Giti GF-SPORT team led the way with consistent performance. In the Taklimakan Rally, tires are the “lifeline” for crossing the sea of sand. Facing multiple challenges from long-distance high-speed desert sprints, continuous gravel cutting, and extreme high temperatures, the Giti off-road AT200R responded with race-grade technology—an enhanced three-layer carcass structure, high-strength Kevlar sidewall reinforcement, a cut-resistant tread compound, and a bionic tread pattern inspired by the “camel’s foot,” ensuring strong grip and traction in shifting sands and gobi terrain.
The high-durability all-terrain tire, Giti off-road AT200, brings race-proven technology to the civilian off-road market. With a 6-ply tread, 5-ply sidewall, and reinforced shoulder structure, it offers exceptional puncture and tear resistance. The spiral sand-ejecting ribs, open grooves, and low-temperature compound design ensure stable performance in complex environments such as deserts, wetlands, and ice and snow.
Advancing R&D Through Racing, Turning Every Charge into Technological Evolution
From the Taklimakan track to daily off-road adventures, from extreme racing to urban commuting, Giti Tire adheres to the R&D philosophy of “advancing R&D through racing and feeding back to civilian use,” bringing race-validated hardcore technology to users. In high-speed desert stages, race cars often need to sprint for extended periods at speeds exceeding 150 km/h. Under the combined effects of high heat and high speed, traditional tires are prone to tread deformation, increased rolling resistance, and high-speed instability. To address this, Giti Tire’s R&D team optimized the tire’s crown curvature and belt angles to create a race-grade low-deformation profile, combined with 5-ply carcass technology, significantly enhancing sidewall rigidity and stability.
These technological achievements, honed in extreme racing, are now applied to the AT200 product—featuring a wider tread, straighter shoulder, and stronger sidewall, making the off-road tire not only more “capable” but also truly equipped with the all-scenario capability needed for long-distance travel. At the same time, Giti Tire has further optimized and upgraded its race-proven cut and tear resistance technology, balancing robust off-road performance with improved wet grip and low rolling resistance, allowing off-road tires to go beyond “conquering the wilderness” and integrate into real life.
From World Stages to China’s Taklimakan, the Spirit of Exploration Always Moves Forward
Since entering the China Rally Championship in 2000, Giti Tire has continuously competed in top domestic and international off-road events, becoming the first Chinese rally team to participate in the World Rally Championship and the Asia-Pacific Rally Championship. It has achieved repeated success in events such as ice and snow rallies, off-road circuit races, and the Taklimakan Rally. From extreme cold and ice to scorching desert heat; from high-speed gobi runs to traversing uninhabited regions, Giti Tire has always used racing as its R&D foundation, driving technological evolution with a spirit of exploration.
From the extreme tests of the racetrack to the real-world needs of users in daily driving, Giti is committed to transforming the cutting-edge technology and practical experience accumulated in racing into the core competitiveness of its civilian products. Every crossing of the sea of sand, every breakthrough of limits, is an accumulation of technological innovation; every track achievement, every performance upgrade, ultimately returns to the product itself, empowering a wider range of user travel scenarios, providing consumers with safer, more reliable, and more robust travel experiences, and continuously writing a new chapter for the brand in its ongoing exploration.
