Year after year from 2017 through 2019, the international Blue Corridor rally finished at the St. Petersburg International Gas Forum.
For the first time, the rally was arranged in 2008 by Gazprom Group. In 2010, Uniper SE joined the project as a co-organizer. Later, the project attracted other participants of the European and Russian gas and automotive markets. Throughout these years, the project has been participated by 200+ factory-made vehicles using compressed and liquefied natural gas. They’ve driven 60+ thousand kilometers through 130 cities, their route running across 26 countries of Europe and Asia, from the Atlantic to the Pacific.
In 2017, the International “Blue Corridor: Iberia – Baltia” Rally finished during the Forum. Crews of cargo and light natural gas vehicles drove 5.5+ thousand km across Portugal, Spain, Italy, Germany, Poland, Baltics, and Russia. This was the first time when the rally starred freight LNG vehicles: IVECO Stralis, SCANIA P340, KAMAZ 56117, URAL NEXT, and MAZ 534023.
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In 2018, Gas into Engines Rally became the most long-distance one throughout the world. In 30 days, the road train crossed 3 state borders (China, Kazakhstan, and Russia) and passed about 10 thousand km in 19 regions. As usual, SPIGF participants and guests were waiting for the rally participants to cross the final line in St. Petersburg.
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In 2019, the international Blue Corridor – Gas into Engines Rally that had started in Turkey finished at SPIGF. The audience was presented vehicles that used compressed natural gas to travel through the Russian section of the Blue Corridor route. The list of the rally participants was quite patriotic – a compact LADA Vesta, a bi-fuel LADA Largus station wagon, a GAZon NEXT lorry, and a Lotos bus. A German Volkswagen took part in the race over Russia, too, bringing into focus that Germany partnered Uniper SE for this project.
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The international Blue Corridor Rally presents not only durability and performance of the natural gas vehicles, but also many countries’ willingness to collaborate in the field of gas mains construction to be able to feed such machines.