Peking to Paris 2007 - News

Peking To Paris Rally - Saturday 30 June (Day 35)

A handful of William's family, friends and colleagues made the trip to Paris at the weekend to see him and Jean-Pierre cross the finish line. More photos from the trip and from the finish have now been added to the Peking to Paris page. The new photos from the trip are courtesey of Igor Semenov from www.pekingparis.ru

Peking To Paris Rally - Thursday 28 June (Day 33)

Today we left Potsdam and the heavens opened once more. We checked another load of miles off the total. Everyone is getting nervous, as we are so close to the finish and any mechanical hiccup would leave us with little time for repair. It is a fine balance between getting there and preserving the car. I had a final check over and have adjusted the tappets this evening. Tomorrow will be the last rally day. The countless friends that have been made and the camaraderie and banter in our little bubble, that is the Peking to Paris, will all be shattered on Saturday. However, we all hope to stay in contact to continue sharing stories of what truly has been driving the impossible.

Peking To Paris Rally - Wednesday 27 June (Day 32)

We had a good run to Potsdam and got another chunk of miles out of the way. In the evening we were invited by George and Stefan (another crew) to go into the centre of Berlin for a photo shoot. We followed them through the maze that is Berlin and it wasn’t too long before we were three abreast round the Pariser Platz and four abreast round the Brandenburg Gate. We ended up in a beautiful square for pictures, before heading to George’s favourite art gallery to take on a little culture. We were then invited to dinner and later we were joined by several other crews. After taking over the entire restaurant and sampling the fine wine, the six cars pulled out of the middle of Berlin for George’s whirlwind guided tour of the city. The 1911 Knox which is still running on only 3 cylinder sounds fantastic full bore, being chased by the Singer Le Mans, the 3 litre Bentley, the Derby Bentley and of course we were in there mixing it up too. As we ran the red lights and took the racing line, the locals stood in amazement and the policemen waved! It was truly a night to remember and our thanks go to George and Stefan for being such fantastic hosts.

Peking To Paris Rally - Tuesday 26 June (Day 31)

We awoke to the sound of torrential rain and quickly closed the curtains and went back to bed. For all the crews that hadn’t serviced their cars yesterday they will have to spend the day in the rain carrying out their repairs. The early birds managed to wheel their machinery under the canopy of the hotel entrance, much to the annoyance of the management. It was a shame that they couldn’t have actually got them inside the foyer. It was a nice restful day for me and eventually the sun did come out, but the quest for fixing cars was relentless.

Peking To Paris Rally - Photographs Uploaded

Geoff from DV Camps has kindly up-loaded the photos from William's camera for us. Visit our Peking to Paris page to see a selection.

Peking To Paris Rally - Messages

Hi to both of you intrepid travellers, or as I should say, competitors. When at home (infrequently) I immediately catch up on your progress via the website with avid interest. Your adventure makes my 1000 mile plus trip to LeMans this last weekend seem like a short drive to the village pub. I am full of admiration for you both. Kind regards and best wishes for the remaining days.

from Brian Robinson, TN1559 (Little Jo) and UK3294.

 

Greetings from your friends in Canada!! William..David here (at long last)). I hear it has been every bit the challenge you anticipated and that you have been providing yeoman service to other race participants in the repair and maintenance department. Fascinated to read of the modifications to the car. Will read on and get up to date.

Your site looks fantastic, William! Well done whoever set that up. Catch you soon. Play safe!!

Best wishes from the Duncans and Godspeed.

 

After a lot of hard work and sacrifice its good to see that such a classic can still make an epic journey - I also understand that the Bentley over performed as well. It will be good to see you back in one (if a lot more worn) piece.

Ceri & Kara

 

Hi William,

Liz is still incommunicado re: internet, so I am sending my best wishes to you, along with her, and have been following you closely. Congratulations on a great ride.Take care.

Pat and Liz

Peking To Paris Rally - Monday 25 June (Day 30)

This morning we had an extra hour in bed taking advantage of the time zone change before heading to Gdansk. Arriving early at the hotel we went to find a local garage. After making a new Polish friend we used his ramp and for the first time had a proper look under the Bentley – Mongolia certainly knows how to take the paint off of things. We changed the sump cover which we had previously damaged, carried out an oil change and gave the car a good servicing. She is now all ready to go on the down hill run to Paris. I am very pleased to have got her serviced tonight, even though we are all exhausted. Hopefully tomorrow we can re-charge our own batteries and have a rest. The weather is lovely and we are right on the coast. The weather report for Paris, however, seems less wonderful but we will take each day as it comes.

There is now a group of us standing on the beach and we are off for a few beers and more car talk.

Peking To Paris Rally - Sunday 24 June (Day 29)

Today we set out on some timed sections, one of which was on tarmac and was all flat out action. The gravel timed sections were incredible fun. While we were on one of these we were being caught by a faster car from the classic category. We moved over in good sportsmanship to let him whisk past. Unfortunately, the edge of the road gave way and before you could say “Ooops!” the Bentley was heading down a bank and into soft sand with an abrupt halt. With fuel dripping from the tank we turned off the main battery supply and surveyed the damage, which appeared to be negligible. Ten minutes later a 4 x 4 happened to pass and we managed to escape from our fate. It was then suggested that I drive for the rest of the day, which we completed without further excitement.

In the evening we arrived at our beautiful hotel in Mikolajki and had a fantastic welcome in the town square by all the locals and the Mayor. We did the usual car park repairs and helping out where needed – even more broken chassis and drive chains which are now all common place. The Bentley seems to be un-damaged from it’s excursion and has run faultlessly. Tomorrow we head for Gdansk and a service day where I will have a good look at her.

Williams photgraphs uploaded courtesey of Geoff from http://www.dvcamps.com/pekingtoparis

Peking To Paris Rally - Saturday 23 June (Day 28)

Yet another track day, this time at the Riga Race Circuit. Truly fantastic bends in the middle of a forest with blind crests thrown in for good measure. The Bentley loved it and so did we. In the afternoon we made our way to Vilnius stopping along the way to help a stricken car – all in a days work. This evening again we find ourselves in the car park/service area helping and fixing anything and everything to keep everyone in the rally. Some friends that I made back in Novosibirsk re-appeared tonight after being AWOL for 2 weeks. It is amazing how crews have difficulties and are completely alone but yet still find their way back to the rally, by affecting repairs by whatever means and driving night and day. Their car has half a Russian cooling system strapped to the front of it – any length to keep them in the rally.

We are all looking forward to Gdansk where we can have an alleged day off which in reality means quality time spent with the most important thing you have in the world right now – your car. Jean-Pierre and I are certainly enjoying Europe and after Russia the roads have been fantastic. The food has vastly improved and we spoke to some Polish guys today and it would appear that Poland could be a little rough on the suspension. From everyone’s point of view it is all about getting to Paris which is so near and yet so far. I am thinking of everyone back home and the feeling of actually driving to the finish in Paris, we try and keep from our minds.

I am now off to the bar for a well earned beer.

Peking To Paris Rally - Friday 22 June (Day 27)

Today we began the time trial sections and we decided that in view of our three day excursion in Mongolia that we wouldn’t push the car un-necessarily as there was little ground to be made in the overall positions. In the morning we made our way to the Parnu race circuit where I got behind the wheel and explored the level of Estonian grip and entertained the crowd.

We had a fantastic couple of hours watching all the crews going for it, many with little or no brakes, bent chassis and ill handling cars. In the evening we made our way to Riga for yet another evening traffic jam in soaring temperatures. I spent the evening helping other Bentleys with servicing and repairs. Amazingly, the La France had a broken half shaft and two guys that were literally walking past took away the pieces to their engineering shop and worked all night and made a complete new half shaft. Demonstration of real enthusiasm, hospitality and friendliness.

Peking To Paris Rally - Thursday 21 June (Day 26)

Yesterday was a rest day so not much to report. Today we left St Petersburg for the run across the border into Estonia heading for the capital city of Tallin. The organisers have re-seeded all the starting positions and as we lost three days in Mongolia this means we start at the back of the field. Today was supposed to be the beginning of the time trials and off-road sections, great fun for all those that like it sideways. Clearly word had reached all the police check points of our departure from Russia and they were ready and waiting to stop each car in turn for traffic offences and relieve us of our Roubles. They did this very effectively.

Unfortunately Jean-Pierre performed an overtake within site of a policeman and was rewarded with a Russian driving ban for four months. As we were only 50 km from the border this was not a great concern. Surprisingly very little paperwork was filled out but more Roubles were necessary. The police then phoned ahead to the next check point who laid in wait and then relieved Roubles from me, the only official driver left, for speeding, un-surprisingly.

We made it to the border in good time and were rewarded with a seven hours wait. When we finally made it across the border we still had to drive 300 km to the hotel. The Russians seem to make something so simple as crossing from one country to another into something so painfully complicated. Due to this over-jealous officialdom the rally organisers had to cancel today’s time trials even though some people managed to do theirs.

Peking To Paris Rally - Tuesday 19 June (Day 24)

Bright and early this morning we pulled out of the car park and took a technical short cut which led us 40km in the wrong direction – not a good start to the day. But I always wanted to see the M7 and it was quite interesting! We pushed on all day only stopping for fuel and within 30km of St Petersburg we thought we were home and dry, even though it had rained heavily during the day. The St Petersburg traffic was just horrendous. We crawled almost boiling to the hotel, taking 2 hours. It makes the north circular look like a picnic!

As our parts did not clear customs in time for Moscow we will try and find somewhere to make a sump cover tomorrow on our second rest day in four days. I am not sure why they call them rest days as they are blatantly service days for everybody to catch up with some much needed TLC. We had another casualty with a 4.5 with a broken crown wheel and pinion, bringing the total to three. Maybe straight cut gears are not so bad after all. We also had four cracked or broken chassis, three of which have been repaired, plus all the usual ancillary repairs – and that is just the Bentley camp. In the rest of the car park, just as an example, there are 2 broken king pins, many broken leaf springs, cracked windscreens, broken wheels, blown head gaskets and exhaust systems found to be completely missing. All the cars on this rally have suffered immensely. I think a good way of describing what these cars have been through, is if you can imagine lifting your car, your pride and joy, 5 feet off the ground and then dropping it. Repeat that about 300 times and what you are left with gives you some idea of what I am looking at in the car park.

My most luxury item on the trip is clean clothes – having shed everything in Ulaan Bataar to save weight, and living out of a small rucksack, everything I have is well lubricated with engine oil. I was hoping to see something of St Petersburg in the morning but for now I will go and find the boys in the bar for some more vodka.

Love to all my friends and family and I am looking forward to seeing everybody soon.

Peking To Paris Rally - Monday 18 June (Day 23)

Today was our day off in Moscow and I still have things I want to get done on the car. There is still a hole in the bottom of the sump, which is plugged with chemical metal which I would very much like to sort out. She has certainly earned an oil change so we drove from the hotel and chanced upon a local garage. We made friends with one of the directors and they rolled out the Russian red carpet. I used their workshop for an hour or so to carry out an oil change. They supplied the oil and the coffee and made us most welcome. They treated us to the car wash next door where I managed to steam clean the Bentley which will certainly make her lighter. They were fantastically friendly and only charged us 1000 Roubles which is around £18 – nowhere near the true price of the oil.

We went back to the hotel and I dried the car out and all my tools from the rain last night. Although we didn’t get to see Moscow I feel happier that the Bentley is in A1 condition ready for the run to St Petersburg tomorrow. I spent the rest of today helping other people with their endless problems. The little Austin 7 belonging to Sebastian Welch, who is also on a epic Peking to Paris adventure of his own, came to see us today and we gave him a good send off (see www.pekingparis.co.uk).

We had a splendid evening meal before we had the laundry revolution of 2007. The hotel we are staying in has over 1700 rooms and were informed of our arrival and that almost everybody on the rally would need their laundry taken care of. To this end the Russian machine laid on two staff! Bearing in mind that most people are leaving by 6 o’clock in the morning and haven’t seen their laundry for over a day there was some pretty frustrated people. Security man-handled a couple of participants away and we were contemplating storming the laundry room. Fortunately at the 11th hour clothing started to materialise. It is without doubt the worst hotel and service in the world. It’s 1am – I’m off to bed.

Peking To Paris Rally - Sunday 17 June (Day 22)

The drive to Moscow was yet another day of endless lorries and poor roads. I have never seen so many lorries in one place before. They are very considerate towards the old cars and give up what little room they have. Often there are articulated lorries over-taking articulated lorries, which makes it interesting when you are the on-coming traffic.

The endless police check points keep us alert and it is just a game of Russian roulette whether we get pulled or not. We keep the cigarettes close to hand for bribery to ease our passage so as not to delay ourselves too long. All the police have plastic batons and the smallest wave of the baton means “Your nicked!”. Already, one car has been chased in hot pursuit because the driver claims he didn’t see his captor.

There has been some pretty interesting accidents along the route. With so many lorries you are bound to get a bit of spillage. Today’s was a lorry load of railway sleepers which had jack-knifed across the road.

When you look at the distance that you have to achieve in the day, and it may only be 400 km, you think to yourself “That’s a walk in the park”; but with the poor road conditions and the endless stream of juggernauts it makes for hard progress. We were very pleased to reach Moscow around 4pm today. I wanted to get the car serviced before having dinner as I hope to have a rest tomorrow on our day off in Moscow. I check the car every day and it is interesting to see, how over a period of time things “mature” or disappear. There are four screws that hold the bonnet on, or at least there was yesterday, but now there is only one!

Just to give you an insight, this evenings work consisted of the following:-

Valve clearances
Drain and clean fuel filter
Blow fuel lines through into tank
Check chassis for cracks
Oil all points
Check shock absorbers – note rear shock absorbers totally worn out
Clean and check ignition points
Clean plugs
Check all wheels and spokes – note 5 loose spokes on car
Re-align rear wings after neglect in Mongolia
Check radiator – note radiators are one of the biggest problems on the rally. Ensuring they have ample clearance and spot any problems early. If you have a radiator on this rally that holds water you get bonus points.
Check axle oil
Check gear box oil
Check over-drive oil
Tighten dashboard and check for loose electrical screws and wires under dash – everything comes loose.
Adjust brakes
Clean windscreen, all lights and Bentley radiator

I’m now off to dry out as it has been raining for the last hour and then I’m off to dinner.

Peking To Paris Rally - Saturday 16 June (Day 21)

I can't remember much about today due to too much vodka last night!

Peking To Paris Rally - Messages

To Jean-Pierre

Many thanks for your phone call today from Moscow. Very disappointed not to have spoken directly but delighted with your progress and exploits. We are watching with great interest and hope you have a trouble free and enjoyable drive ahead. We think too of Alexandra! Kind regards to Sebastian and William too.

Our very best wishes Stuart and Shirley

 

Hi William,

We are following your progress with great interest and excitement; couldn't
help but smile when I read you had passed mints across to other drivers at
70 miles an hour! reminded me of the time when Alan and myself had just
joined the club and were motoring along the motorway when your Dad came up
along side us ( on the hard shoulder ) and passed us some mints. Must run
in the family!!

Take care of yourself and Jean- Pierre too,

Love Astra & Alan

 

Dear Jean-Pierre

We wish you and your car all the best for the final part of the race - and no more broken parts!

Best regards

Frauke & Marc

 

Dearest William

What an incredible achievement, to have got to the halfway mark. Especially after what must have felt, at times, unsurmountable. What a life changing adventure for you both. On your return you'll be able to to clean up on the lecture circuit. Could be a new string to your bow. Everyone is so proud of you william. Although we are miles away, your are in our hearts and minds.

Take real good care of yourselves and each other. Try to pace yourself, don't let your guard down and trust in yourself totally. You never really know what you're made of until you're tested. I believe you can achieve whatever you truly set your heart, mind and soul to.

Much love Andrea & Paul

 

William,

I wish I could welcome you in Nizhny Novgorod personaly and walk you around the city but I need to leave for Singapore on business on Saturday morning :-( So I wish you to get to the very end of your journey safely and hope to have you here in Nizhny again. Probably during next rally ;-)

All the best, Ilya

Peking To Paris Rally - Friday 15 June (Day 20)

This morning we pulled out of Perm and headed for Kazan, officially one of the longest days of the rally - some 688 km. Compared to our Mongolian excursion it was just another day. After signing on we were greeted by yet another stack of route amendments which is just a navigator’s nightmare. The car that runs 24 hours ahead of us reports in every evening of roads that are now dug up or simply disappeared. We set out this morning with Jean-Pierre and myself in good spirits but because of the traffic and poor roads progress is painfully slow. We never stop for lunch or a tea break as we prefer to make the hotels in the evening with time to spare. In the afternoon we met up with Rodger and Gill Goodwin’s Speed 6 and we ran with them to the finish. The Bentleys stormed on, overtaking endless Russian lorries often four abreast on a dual carriageway! We ran across two other Speed 6's and an SSK Mercedes and in true Bentley spirit I pulled alongside at 70 mph and passed them the mints before heading off over the horizon. The car ran faultlessly today and we just oiled the king pins etc. and checked her over and she is full of fuel and ready to go again tomorrow.

The pioneer cars do incredibly well, they leave early every morning, often before 6 o'clock and are relentless all day. They have an incredible turn of speed and the drivers have total dedication. They often have no windscreens and get through as much engine oil as they do petrol! I have never realised how good they are – even the 1916 Lancia which had an unfortunate incident is back on the road and back with us. In view of the considerable damage he is doing very well.

Peking To Paris Rally - Thursday 14 June (Day 19)

Today was a relatively short day from Yekaterinburg to Perm and all cars seem to be running well. The roads we are travelling on have not been great – mud and diesel on the road surface and thundering lorries make for an interesting ride! We now have daylight until 2am and it is starting to warm up a bit which is most appreciated. Tomorrow we are heading off on one of longest days hoping to make Kazan before nightfall. I’d like to say hello to and everybody back home and to all of you who have been keeping up to date with our progress via the new website.

Peking To Paris Rally - Wednesday 13 June (Day 18)

Yesterday we got in about 4pm so I spent the rest of the day servicing the car. This would ensure that I could have today off as I assumed I would be nursing a hangover after experiencing the Russian vodka in Yekaterinburg. We have used the time here to reflect on where we are and how fast this is all going. I can’t believe that we are half way through. Today has also given me time to think about people at home, my family and friends – I haven’t had much time to think of anything apart from the seemingly endless roads ahead until now.

More goodwill messages one of which is from one car to another!

Dear YH 3197,

I have followed your and your two masters' exploits with great admiration. Being a late-1929 4.5 Litre

I am a bit younger than you by 2 years, but as I am quite experienced myself (my master, C. Rank-Shaft, often boasts about having taken me through 35 different countries on 4 continents the last 20 years) you can rest assured that I know what it takes of man and machine to cross continents, roadless deserts, chaotic Asian towns and endless tracks of potholes through never ending cold/hot/dusty/wet/dry days and sometimes nights too and you have now reached Jekatarinburg. When you tomorrow cross from Asia into Europe

and I hope that there will be a chance to stop at the monument which mark this

divide and take some photographs just like Prince Borghese and friends did in 1907 on the 20th of July at 17 minutes past 5 in the morning. From then on you, dear YH 3197, can call yourself not only a Trans-Continental

rally prepared W.O. Bentley, but an INTER-Continental ditto. I wellcome you to this rare league - your masters will have many tales to tell after this. A few years ago on a short trip from Jekaterinburg to St. Petersburg I likewise stopped here at this obelisk

in order for my master to pop a bottle of Crimean bubbles, hopefully you will duplicate this. I Hearthy congratulations and keep your oil pressure up for a long time

to come. Cheers,

GF 6138

 

Good afternoon William:

Congratulations for going halfway through the rally. We hope you success for the second half. Have a safe and pleasant trip. We look forward to see the photos soon.

Good Luck!

Mark & Mariko Yuasa

 

Dear William,

Hope things are all right,
Just a little message from the "Belgian" vintage people, my mechanic and me can't wait to hear your stories when you are back in the UK.
Have fun and be safe!!!!
Do not drink to much vodka!!

Arjen and Johnny

Peking To Paris Rally - Tuesday 12 June (Day 17)

Today was more of the same straight line driving clocking up the miles towards Moscow. Tonight’s stop over is at Yekaterinburg where we get a much needed day off tomorrow. We have just pulled in to the car park which immediately turns into a workshop – everybody is making repairs and checking their steeds. Already, scouts are out trying to find lorry bump stops and tractor oil as make-do’s for bits lost along the way.

Fortunately our car is in good order and I am just going to give her a service before heading to the hotel. All the gauges on the dashboard point in the right direction and the driver and co-driver are in good spirits. The car has never been so filthy. Where she once had a nice coating of Gobi sand she now has the horrible grey sludge that is Russia. There is a good camaraderie between crews sharing everything in the common quest to make Paris. Today is the half way mark and after Mongolia it should be down hill from here.

Peking To Paris Rally - Monday 11 June (Day 16)

Today was another 600+ km run in the rain on motorways. It is certainly different to the excitement of the last few days in Mongolia. Empty dirt tracks have given way to motorways full of huge lorries. We arrived at out hotel around 7pm which we found to be considerably better than last night’s offering.

Peking To Paris Rally - Sunday 10 June (Day 15)

Today was a 600km jaunt to Omsk. The roads are relatively good but the heavy rain tends to get in your eyes. Rumour has it that there are only 86 cars out of the 134 still running. The saying round here is “If your car is running then you have nothing to worry about”. Tomorrow we are up early to put in some more miles heading West across Russia so I am off to bed for an early night.

Peking To Paris Rally - Saturday 9 June (Day 14)

Saturday was a day off from the rally for alleged site seeing. From the early hours of the morning the hotel car park emptied as people all went off to find garages to work in. We took the Bentley, along with some others, to a Peugeot main dealer who were completely useless and offered little help. During the day I assisted an Irish 3 litre to get back into the rally by repairing his rear axle which he had also broken. Our Bentley was in remarkably good shape and we treated her to a service.

Peking To Paris Rally - Saturday 9 June (Day 14)

William called today with news of the trip since leaving Ulaan Bataar:-

Saturday came and went with no parts delivered. The weather was bad and no flights came in to Ulaan Bataar.

On Sunday morning we went to the airport to collect the parts only to find they wouldn’t arrive until the next day and we had already been told that twice before. So we waited another day and then on Monday evening we went back to the airport only to find that the customs man had gone home. After A bit of persuasion and some financial lubrication we managed to retrieve our much needed bits. On arriving back at the hotel it was apparent that we would need to machine a new flange in order to make the bits fit together properly. So at 11 o’clock in the evening it was necessary to find a machine shop. It was certainly an experience to find one full of relics from the Russian occupation. The Mongolians have little in the way of precision tools but make up for it in their innovation.

I finished at three in the morning after repairing the lathe in order to use it! I went back to the hotel and put the car back together. At 7.30am it was ready and had it’s road test and we were back in business. Totally exhausted after working all night we loaded our kit into the car, washed our hands and was on the road by 8am.

We headed out of Ulaan Bataar with our two locals who were coming with us for back up in case we got stuck anywhere. Our aim was to reach Bayankhongor which we did by around 2am. We pitched camp and grabbed 4 hours sleep before setting out on the final leg of our journey. We needed to meet the rally at the Russian border. I knew full well that we would have to drive non stop and push as hard as we could with dogged determination.

We followed the route of the rally through Alty, Khovd and finally to the border camp. To drive with your sun at your back as it rises in the Gobi is just beautiful. We drove all the day and pushed as hard as we could during the last few hours of daylight. We stopped the car at sunset and changed an inner tube and removed the spotlight covers. Now we were in for a long nights work. We drove all night and at about 4am reached the much dreaded river crossings. Needless to say on the first river crossing it was clearly too deep and I parked the car in the middle of the river with the water lapping over the running boards. Up in the Altay region at 2500m with snow capped mountains all around the water tends to be a bit cold but very refreshing. After this first crossing we took the rest in our stride.

We pressed on and by 10am the border was only 50km away. Taking yet another short cut across un-charted territory a large boulder submerged in sand got the better of our sump guard and totally obliterated it, punching a hole in the sump in the process. With Jean-Pierre trying to hold back 2.5 gallons of boiling engine oil with his bare hands I quickly mixed a tube of chemi-metal for the repair. Being so close to the border and having just inflicted so much damage to the car was all rather emotional. We carefully made our way to the border to meet the last few competitors crossing into Russia. We went through the border control without any problems and made our way out into the countryside and stopped the car whilst we had a good look and check over. Unfortunately, we had broken the brake servo which left us with little in the way of brakes. We had a quick snack and then pressed on to meet up at the night stop at Bijsk, another 635 km away. We finally checked in with the rally at 4am, having driven a total of 44 hours non stop and approximately 1750 km – we were back in the rally.

We were then up at 6 am and off again driving to Novosibirsk where we meet up with everybody and witnessed their astonishment at our arrival – that is something that will stay with us both for a long time. In Mongolia people do not do the kind of distance we did even in a modern 4x4. To drive an 80 year old car and put 100% dependence upon it for so long and in such needy circumstances is a testament to WO Bentley.

Peking To Paris Rally - Good Will Messages to the Team

We have received a number of good will messages for William and Jean-Pierre. Here is a selection. Hopefully they will be able to get to an internet cafe sometime to read them.

To William & JP -----Fantastic, Well done, an almost impossible result which I am sure only William (&JP) could have achieved. They are the greatest.
Best wishes
Alan ( Love Astra)

 

Dear William

Delighted to hear that your once again on your way.

We have been following your progress sweetheart. I hear that you're about 1000 miles behind. Are you driving around the clock. can we contact you directly for morale boosting chat. We are thinking of you offen I'm sure it's been really hard for both of you but when you at your lowest just think of every one at home wishing you a safe passage.

This is a journey full of memories and one that you will carry with you for life. Thinking of you and will email more on to you. Take really good care of yourself and keep your wits about you even when you are feeling tired and weary.

much love Andrea & Paul

 

Dear HQ of Peking to Paris - William & Jean-Pierre

Please tell our friends on the road in Mongolia, should you have contact with them, that we are not only pressing our thumbs but holding our breath when we read the news and think of the stress ahead to catch up 3 days!

All the best from comfortable Switzerland

Heiner & a big kiss to Jean-Pierre from Marianne

 

Hello there! I'm one of those Russians mentioned in your story. Just wanted you to know we are following your news and wish William GOOD LUCK getting thru!

Ilya

Peking To Paris Rally - Thursday 7 June (Day 12)

We received a call from a very tired William this morning. They have managed to catch up with the main rally already and have crossed the border with them into Russia. They are now heading towards Bijsk to the first hotel they will have seen since leaving Ulaan Bataar on Tuesday. Apparently they have had only 5 hours sleep since fixing the car and leaving so we don't expect another call today with details of their epic lone drive across the Gobi.

Peking To Paris Rally - Wednesday 6 June (Day 11)

No news from William today. We assume they are driving like mad to catch up.

Peking To Paris Rally - Tuesday 5 June (Day 10)

No news from William today which can only mean the car is fixed and they have started their mad dash to catch up with the main rally. As soon as we hear from them an update will be added. Thanks for those of you who have sent messages of good luck. When we speak to William they will be passed on.

Peking To Paris Rally - Moday 4 June (Day 9)

The 11am flight came but again no diff. unti was on board. We have been told that due to the cancelled flights all cargo is being held back to ensure passengers can fly.

The courier company have called to say that the diff unit is definately on the aircraft which is due to land 7.25pm local time. William will fit the new diff through the night and head off at first light tomorrow.

William said that even though they are going to be 3 days behind the main rally they are going to push on to catch them up. They have managed to enlist the help of some locals who are going to accompany them to the border where they hope to meet up with the main rally. If they do not make it in time they will cross the border and try and catch them in Russia.

Peking To Paris Rally - Sunday 3 June (Day 8)

The plane arrived at 11am but the diff unit was not on board. Calls have been made to the courier company and they say it should be on the first flight in tomorrow.

Peking To Paris Rally - Saturday 2 June (Day 7)

This morning started at breakfast where there seems to be a good trade in broken cars. One man’s meat is another man’s gravy. The guys with a broken crank shaft are more than happy to take over the car with the leaking fuel tank, mis-fire and hole in the radiator. People are generously giving their cars to those that are brave enough to take them on. I estimate that seven crews are going home and I would think there are some 40 cars badly damaged or in need of serious repair. I know there is not a car here that has not been worked on. The road/desert conditions are barely suitable for a Toyota Land Cruiser. Today we went to the start and it was very sad to see everyone leave us behind. There are now crews left in the hotels all trying to find ways to either make repairs or get home. We hope to get our parts this evening, fit everything and test the car, however late that may be. We plan on leaving at first light tomorrow morning. We have two days of driving to complete tomorrow in order to catch up. The tarmac runs out 200 kms from Ulaan Bataar. If we can make it back into the rally we will immediately have safety in numbers, so tomorrow is going to be the drive of our lives.

Unfortunately due to bad weather no planes flew into Ulaan Bataar today so the diff unit did not arrive. It should arrive tomorrow at 11am local time.

Peking To Paris Rally - Friday 1 June (Day 6)

Today was a free day in Ulaan Bataar, supposedly to see the sites and get some much needed rest. Virtually every crew was working on their cars carrying out much needed repairs. These ranged from petrol tank repairs, radiators, gear boxes, broken crank shafts, broken wheels and even a Speed Six completely broken in to two. Both hotel car parks were like a race track pit lane – everybody borrowing and scrounging what they could find to fix their cars. Interpreters were surrounded by ten drivers all asking for different technical things of which they had no idea where to find. The sweeper crews worked flat out as the next 5 days driving for the border is going to be just as tough. I serviced our car and prepared it to receive the parts we need tomorrow night, before going to help others in their moments of need.

Peking To Paris Rally - Thursday 31 May (Day 5)

We received a text from William saying he was too tired to call today as he had been up late fixing other peoples cars! However he gave us an upadte for today at a later date:

We learned that 15 crews had not made camp but the sweeper teams would deal with them. We set off and I had my first drive of the rally. The terrain was more open and flat and three Bentleys ran together for the first part, until one had a puncture. We finally reached a dual carriageway which quite literally started in the middle of nowhere – an amazing site. We pulled up in the lay-by and had a quick lunch with a Derby Bentley team, changing stories of how lucky we were to be on the good road. After lunch Jean-Pierre took over again at the wheel and that evening we made Ulaan Bataar only to find a huge traffic jam. Whilst negotiating the back streets we reversed up a slope and I heard a horrible noise from the transmission but we managed to go another two kilometers to the hotel. On inspection I found that the back axle had received so much punishment due to the harsh desert driving, it had pushed the bump stops out the way, bending the chassis in the process. The diff. unit had also suffered terribly. That evening I pulled the differential out and we organised a new unit to be sent from England. A very sad day indeed.

Peking To Paris Rally - Wednesday 30May (Day 4)

Again, no call from William. The official website states that some teams did not make overnight camp and were told to camp where they were before heading for Ulaan Bataar tomorrow. We received an email from Alan Minchin who managed to get to the start of the rally to see William and Jean-Pierre off. He has kindly sent us some photographs. Wiliam called later to say:

We arrived early at the border en-masse where we had to queue for hours to get through customs before finally reaching Mongolia. The exhilaration of finally getting through the border and out onto the open roads took its toll on many cars, including ours. We all set off into the desert in earnest with people heading in wrong directions and getting stuck in the sand immediately. People pushed their cars to the extremes to try and reach their time objectives. We ran exceedingly hard all day. The desert is very un-predictable – one minute there is biscuit like good surface and the next it is soft sand or pot holes 2 ft deep. The most destructive obstacles are what would appear to be old lorry tracks running across in front of you, which you cannot see until it is too late and sends the car air-borne.

That evening we managed to make camp and I was very relieved to find that the car appeared to be in one piece. We pitched our tents just in time to watch a sand storm approach and desecrate the camp site. We taped up all the orifices of the car and I gave my tent to the wind. Later that evening when the weather had subsided we learned that the ambulance had rolled in the desert and many crews were still not accounted for. The Bentley Boys pitched their tents together and bottles of beer were exchanged for much valued nuts and bolts to plug holes in the cars that had them missing.

Peking To Paris Rally - Tuesday 29 May (Day 3)

We received a text from William saying he was too tired to call today as he had been up late fixing other peoples cars! The following was received later:

Today was an easy run up to the Chinese border. We had fantastic food along the way and everyone was in high spirits looking forward to the desert that is Mongolia. We spent all evening repairing cars making sure everyone was ready to go.

Peking To Paris Rally - Monday 28 May (Day 2)

We left Datong this morning with a route alteration. Since the survey was carried out the Chinese decided to dig up most of the roads. We set off in earnest, making good progress only to be greeted by a policeman trying to deter us from our route. Being Bentley Boys we persisted along with a Singer Le Mans and a 1960 Lancia. We followed the revised route along a river bed and through a quarry. It is without question the hardest terrain I have ever driven on. Soft sand, river crossings and steep inclines were the order of the day and the dust coming up from the cars was horrendous (we had to stop at one point to allow the car in front to get ahead and allow the dust to settle allowing us to see). We made excellent progress before re-joining the main roads. The Bentley performed faultlessly despite being beached occasionally. We motored on and arrived at our destination to find that we were the 7th car home and 25 minutes ahead of schedule.

As all the competitors came in through the evening it emerged that the policeman had called for back up and decided that it was too dangerous to use that route and re-routed the rally without telling the organisers. In the bar this evening there is much banter between those who completed the correct route down in the river bed and those who were forced by the policeman to take an alternative route. For sure, if all cars had attempted the river bed crossing I think we would have lost many due to the tough terrain. We only just made it in the Bentley and there are much bigger and heavier cars here.

A day that I will remember for a very long time. It is 11pm and there are still 7 crews who have not checked in yet. Tomorrow we head for the border! 

Peking To Paris Rally - Sunday 27 May (Day 1)

Day has dawned – the start day. Amongst high drama and colourful displays we started the Peking to Paris one by one, each driving through the Great Wall. We set off into the open roads of China only to find endless rows of lorries and cars driving in all lanes and sometimes all directions. We fought our way through traffic, sometimes three abreast and also on-coming traffic, also three abreast on two lane roads – interesting manoeuvres. One stretch plunged into darkness when entering a tunnel, only for us to find that one of the two lanes had a mountain of sand making interesting/exciting moments with on-coming traffic.

Unfortunately we have lost one car already and some cars have experienced problems with bad fuel. People are still working on their cars which I suspect will be a regular theme each night, missing out on meals and much needed rest.

So far La Lupa, as our Bentley is called, is running well and we try to limit ourselves with the speed so as to not waste our good fortune. Already today, many cars with the excitement of the start have been racing it out. We will remember the old adage of the tortoise and the hare. There is a large contingent of Vintage Bentleys and it makes a marvellous sight to see the big 6’s running with the 3/4½s and 4½s. The driving style of the Chinese is something to behold. Never before have I realised the importance of the horn button and the twin air horns which quite literally make you a space for you to drive through. With so many cars and drivers from different countries the inevitable will happen, but you just have to keep alert at all times.

The scenery is fantastic and each village and town we pass through has people cheering in their hundreds. This evening we checked the Bentley and packed her ready for the morning. The navigators job seems to be full time and leads to a very tiring day. Tonight would appear to be the last proper bed for a while so I am going to go now and collapse into it. 

Peking To Paris Rally - Saturday 26 May (Day minus 1)

Here we are at last after months of preparation and talking, the day is finally dawning. The cars have been through scrutineering and we have had driver’s briefings. We also got first hand the real picture of how rugged and extreme the route will be from the guys who prepared it.

I have to start this trip by thanking my family for supporting yet another of my crazy adventures. I also need to thank my dear friend Jean-Pierre and his wife Alexandra and their very kind family for looking after me in Shanghai, making me feel very welcome. Thanks also need to go to my friends for putting up with me when I have been working 7 days a week and for being so understanding and supportive. I also need to thank the fantastic and generous Chinese people I have met whilst travelling in China for the last two weeks. They have gone out of their way to help when I can only speak 3 words of Chinese. Thanks to my new Dutch friends who I had an amazing time with and my Ukrainian, Russian and Mexican buddies who I shared the marvellous sights of Beijing with.

With all the thanks out of the way – we have just had dinner that we are all calling “The Last Supper”, before the great start tomorrow. All the cars are lined up in the car park amidst tight security and even now there are people making frantic last minute alterations. It has to be one of the greatest and diverse collection of cars anywhere in the world right now.

I think we will wake the whole of Beijing up tomorrow morning when we all set off to head for the Great Wall. Who knows what lays ahead for us all, but Paris is our dream.

Peking To Paris Rally

William is now on his way to China to start the epic Peking to Paris Rally. Why not check our Peking to Paris page for regular updates and an exclusive insight into the race from the co-drivers perspective.