The Mission


The Peking to Paris Rally is a recreation of the 1907 challenge issued by Le Matin, "Is there anyone who will undertake to travel this summer from Peking to Paris by automobile?"
The 2016 version will follow a route of 13,695 Km (8,510 miles) and take 35 days. We are travelling in Rhubarb and Custard, a 1936 Buick. We know nothing about cars or rallying.

Thursday 30 June 2016

Rally Day 18

This was the day when our ongoing engine problem got the better of us.

We broke down three times after lunch and at at that point Jamie Turner decided he'd had enough. He ripped out the entire fuel system and put a new one in. Pretty impressive for a roadside fix.

Suddenly it was as if Rhubarb and custard had shed 300 lbs in weight - this was a different car that had a good 10 Kmh extra top speed and could accelerate past the deadly lorries that fill the Russian roads.

But all this came at a price. We lost our gold medal and potential top 20 place. No glory for us in Paris now.

It's a shame that we couldn't get one more day out of the car because tomorrow is a rest day and we had plans to strip everything out to solve the problem. Events have overtaken us.
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1 comment:

  1. Charlie10130 June 2016 at 22:56

    You have to do what you have to do, but guys...It ain't over until the fat lady sings.

    ReplyDelete

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