Oct
17
Oct
16
Almost home… Day 36 Aix les Bains to Troyes
OCTOBER 15TH, 2010
Peking to Paris Motor Challenge update. More about the race here
Rudi Friedrichs and Lennox McNeely – Alvis Speed 20
Paris is just a few more miles away and the bar in the Hotel Mercure in Troyes is once again buzzing after another great day on the road.
The route for the final full day of Peking to Paris 2010 left Aix-les-Bains along the shores of Lac du Bourget before striking north into the hills of the Bugey through classic rallying terrain en-route to the Circuit de Bresse for the day’s only Time Trial.
Watched over by enthusiastic local spectators, competitors enjoyed a 2-lap test around this great circuit. To add a little spice to the competition William Medclaf and Rudi Friedrichs entered into a private wager over who would take best time… with a bottle of champagne at stake for the winner. Results will be announced tomorrow evening but the rumour is that they were separated by hundreths of a second.
After the circuit, crews enjoyed a relaxed run on fast-flowing, traffic free roads basking in the glow of the late afternoon autumn sunshine. Many arrived into Troyes after dark having spent a couple or hours exploring the fine collection of cars and historic airplanes at the Chateau de Savigny, site of one of the day’s Passage controls. Others wiled away a few hours over a leisurely 7-course lunch…..
With all crews now within striking distance of Paris, there is a mood of eager anticipation tonight ahead of tomorrow’s arrival in Place Vendome from 1pm. As the Official Timekeeper of Peking to Paris, we will be welcoming the brave and passionate participants of this historic rally in the pop-up Frederique Constant VIP Area on Place Vendome. This promises to be a unique experience! In the evening, together with our guests we attend the exclusive Peking to Paris Gala dinner at the InterContinental Paris-Le Grand.
Live your Passion!
Oct
11
Acropolis Country… Day 32 Istanbul to Thessaloniki
OCTOBER 11TH, 2010
Peking to Paris Motor Challenge update. More about the race here
Bill Shields and Daniel Day – Dodge Coupe
We crossed into Greece this morning – delays at the Turkish border when the computer system crashed meant we all got started into the first Greek Time Trial later than planned. A short tarmac blast around a headland with sea-views and it was on towards Thessaloniki. We then took in a further two tarmac mountain climbs before dropping down to this sea-side resort.
Now we are in Europe, we are running our test sections at an average speed of 50 kph, (up to here, the national motor-sports authorities until now have helped organised our time trials slightly faster), and a good many crews found the targets well within reach, including the Hickling’s MG SA, the Manner’s Oldsmobile, and the de Sousa MG Magnette were among those who were able to clean one climb.
We set out in bright sunshine this morning but rain began to fall by later in the afternoon, this caught out the Turkish duo in the fibreglass Anadol, which understeered off on one wet corner, and required a tow back to the road by a local farmer – a scary moment, but they have built up a big cushion of time in second place overall in the Classics Category, ahead of the Aston Martin DB5 now going really well exploiting twisty tarmac to the full, and sounding glorious in the process.
One of the rising stars of the Time Trials is the big Dodge Coupe, Car 70 of Bill Shields and Daniel Day, who have put in some impressive times in a big car which seems to like nothing better than romping up steep climbs, exploiting its low-down torque to the full. On all three test sections the Dodge made light work of it all.
The Roberts in Car 88, the Sunbeam Alpine, went well today, having had a new differential. The little 1955 Peugeot 203 of Pierre-Yves Maisonneuve arrived into town tonight on the back of a truck with clutch problems.
Simon Hope and Adam Singer – Bentley Speed Six
Geof Robinson in Car 9 has sorted the problems of the Vauxhal and hopes to join us tomorrow at the ferry terminal for crossing to Italy. Someone else who is driving again are Australians Reg Toohey and Antoon Spanjers, who had to go to Tehran after having their passports stolen.
Two who are now off trucks and running again, are the Lagonda pair of Nigel Gambier and Hugo Upton, who have repaired their broken oil pump… and Chris Lunn’s Lagonda is now back running again, having been fixed at the garage of Anadol driver Ahmet Ongun, whose team were briefed by a London specialist on the phone step by step as the garage fixed their first Lagonda timing-chain transplant. They can now add a sign outside the workshop: “Anadol and Lagonda Specialists”.
Talking of Hugo Upton…we hear that he stole two policemen’s hats, and whistles, today, in order to direct traffic at the border. This begs the question: Will they now let him out of Greece?
We are now on our way over some classic Acropolis hunting-ground, our third test coming up is the Kalambaka stage, filmed in a James Bond epic, this is the place where monks built monasteries on the top of tall pillars of rock, and where access is only possible by basket on a rope. Sound’s an ideal challenge for Hugo.
We have now had four excellent hotels of a high-standard in a row, and tonight’s meal was particularly noteworthy, in a modern hotel yards from the sea. Surprised hotel receptionists greet oily handed competitors lugging into the reception area batteries for re-charging overnight in bedrooms.
Tomorrow night we are on an overnight ferry from Ingoumenitsa to Ancona. Nothing concentrates minds quite like the deadline for a ferry crossing.
