The 12th TransAnatolia Rally Raid, one of the world’s most challenging cross-country rally races, will kick off in southeastern Türkiye’s Hatay on Aug. 20.

More than 100 local and international racers, including from Italy, France, England, the Netherlands and Australia, will participate in the weeklong competition.

The 2,800-kilometer race will set off from the historic city of Antakya in Hatay, and go through 13 different provinces across central Anatolia, before finishing in the western city of Eskişehir on Aug. 27.

The race will take participants through some of the region’s most important natural and historical sites. For instance, the opening stage includes the Karatepe Aslantaş National Park, Türkiye’s second-largest nature reserve. Competitors will also climb up to 2,300 meters on Mount Erciyes in central Kayseri, cross Avanos Mountains, and ride along Lake Tuz.

This year’s TransAnatolia Rally Raid will feature at least 84 vehicles racing in five different categories – Motorcycle, Quad, SSV, Automobile and Truck.

World famous rally raid racers, including Dakar Rally veteran Xavier De Soultrait from France, Italy’s Federico Butto, Martino Albertini and Alberto Bertoldi will take part in this year’s TransAnatolia Rally Raid.

De Soultrait will participate in TransAnatolia for the second time this year, on his KTM 690R motorcycle. Italian Bertoldi, who was the winner of last year's motorcycle category in TransAnatolia, will return to defend his title on a KTM 450. His compatriots Butto and Albertini will take part in the SSV1 category.

Italian duo Marino Mutti and Andrea Mazzoleni, in the meanwhile, will return with their Mercedes Unimog for the sixth time to participate in the truck category.

The 12th TransAnatolia Rally Raid is organized by the Turkish Automobile Sports Federation (TOSFED) and the Turkish Tourism Promotion and Development Agency with support from Türkiye’s Tourism, Sports and Health ministries.