This year, the route passed through Madrid, Barcelona, Marseille, Milan, Ulm, Berlin, Warsaw, Kaliningrad, Riga and Tallinn. Having travelled more than 5,5 thousand kilometers, the contestants arrived in St. Petersburg, where the expedition's closing ceremony took place as part of the Gas Forum. After that, the vehicles were put on public display.
It was for the first time, the new "Ural NEXT" was presented to the general public. The vehicle uses a combined fuel system using liquefied and compressed natural gas. The total driving distance of the vehicle using the combined fuel system is about 1000 km, which is one of the best results for all-wheel drive trucks.
At the finish, the participants of the rally were welcomed by the member of the Board of Directors of PJSC Gazprom Vitaly Markelov and Head of Uniper Klaus Schäfer. "The rally made it clear that natural gas is a fuel we can use to live, work and transport people and goods. Liquefied natural gas is the future, – said Vitaly Markelov. – The motor race demonstrated the presence of gas engine corridors in Western Europe and the European part of Russia. The next stage is the development of the gas-engine fueling infrastructure along the international transport route Europe – Western China. Therefore, in 2018, the "Blue Corridor" rally will leave for Beijing".
Klaus Schäfer went on to say that the race proved that gas is an ideal fuel not only for short journeys, but also for long trips. "The future belongs to liquefied, compressed gas, in general, to gas," – Klaus Schäfer is strongly convinced.
Vitaly Markelov said that in the coming years it is planned to build 8 cryo-filling stations along the Moscow – St. Petersburg route section, providing liquefied natural gas refueling.