Day#77: Kim's Star Struck!

14SEPT13:

Kim's favorite Movie STAR!

A new car perhaps? 

Day #74: JWR Automobile Museum

11SEPT13:

This fellow we met on the highway, he was in the 2010 Peking to Paris.

Here we are with John Rich (the third) at his family auto museum in Penn., wow what a museum.

Check out the their Website HERE

Enjoying a little Chinese hooch with friends. 

Check out this collection.

Day #70: The Beginning to the End ...

07SEPT13:

So begins the next leg of our journey starting in Halifax and taking us across Canada back to Edmonton, this should bring the the total mileage to 15,000 miles... 

New friends already! Char & Art

Art's Boat

Kim and Len's potential Pirate Ship 

Check this engine OUT

Day#33.1: And still to come ...

26JUL13:

Well the first & second parts of our journey are history;

Edmonton to Vancouver THEN Peking to Paris

About 9000 miles so far. 

Our old Chevy, which we fondly call our fat old girl friend has worked great other than a broken track bar in Mongolia which forced us to break out the lawn chairs & beer for a couple of hours. It was not so bad, Monte & Phil arrived in their Chrysler Airflow with lunch & gratefully shared lunch in exchange for cold beer. 

Other than that, a turn signal flasher & an oil change got us to Paris. The whole adventure ( ENDURANCE RALLY )which is very true, had us up most mornings at 6.00 am, most days ended late as the bar was always full & alive with stories of the day. 

The day we arrived in Paris was surreal, didn't know whether to happy or sad. Anyways we arrived to a huge crowd of onlookers,friends & family got out of the car drank champagne, lots of congratulations amongst the teams, passed the keys off to Cars UK & walked away ( sure hope they picked it up ). That evening at the ball dressed to the nines in our best we were presented with the spirit of the rally award. I guess our attitude, our willingness to help, our trunk full of parts & tools, the cold beer had something to do with that. We were truly honored.

The next leg of our journey will start in Halifax hopefully the middle of Sept & will take us across Canada back to Edmonton, this should bring the the total mileage to 15,000 miles. Anyways we are looking forward to the east in the fall & meeting more people along the way.

-Kim & Len

We have two months to prep up for the last lag of Kim and Lens Greatest Adventure .. YET

Amsterdam -56 days later -  time to go home (stupid reality)

Day#33: Troyes to Paris ..SPIRIT OF THE RALLY!

29JUN13

7000 miles to see this sign

Arriving in Paris 

The FINALLY! The best 32 day party we have ever been on

But the party isn't finished .. yet. Spirit of the Rally GOES TO .. Guess who?

Our smiles just say it all! The most amazing time with incredible people. A perfect way to end off the rally.

"Whistles blew… someone sounded a trumpet… and everyone clapped. The survivors of the Peking to Paris drove through the streets of Paris this morning – down the Champs-Élysées with girls in white T-shirts on roller skates escorting cars across traffic-lights, shoppers and children on the pavement stood and stared… then cheered…drivers waved back.

The final few kilometres in the middle of Paris is no place to break down, but everyone was helping everyone and to loud cheers from a big crowd, survivors rolled over the finish line in Place Vendome. So ends the 2013 Peking to Paris – crossing 15 frontiers, driving the greatest land-mass between two capital cities and the biggest wilderness in the world where a car can turn a wheel. It’s also been an awfully big adventure.

Every driver who made it into Paris this morning to collect a finisher’s award can count themselves a winner. Tonight, 150 silver-plated trophies will be presented in a gala awards dinner. The cups are waiting, the special menus printed, bottles of wine are being set down on the tables… and the crews who have met up with loved ones and family for the first time in over a month are getting ready for one helluva party.

“It’s been terrific, and the best organized Peking to Paris so far, a wonderful route, wonderfully put together,” said Gerry Crown, winner of the Classics Category sitting in the sun on the roof of his old Leyland P76, beaming. He should know. The 81-year-old driver who has beaten drivers half his age to win for a second time is the only one here qualified to judge the organizing-team… he has driven all previous ERA Peking Paris events since the first retrospective in 1997. “Now I’m looking forward to a long bath, a long beer, a long meal with my mates… and I’m looking looking forward to Tibet for the next one.”

Worthy winners of the Vintageants category are Phil Garratt and Kieron Brown driving the same Chevrolet Fangio Coupe that was victorious on Peking to Paris 2010, in a perfect demonstration of careful planning, fine driving and meticulous attention to detail. Check out the results pages for the full classification.

With a total of 584 guests preparing to dine at the celebration prizegiving dinner tonight, here in the sumptuous surroundings of the Intercontinental Hotel, the organizing is not quite over…. but almost.

Peking to Paris Rally Report

Day#32: Gstaad to Troyes

28JUN13

Welcome to France ... 

Cam Oils .. Keeps our old girl purrrring

"With around 86 cars expected to cross the finish-line in the centre of Paris tomorrow out of the original 96 starters, there is a terrific atmosphere in the bar tonight as competitors breathe a big sigh a relief that it now looks as if the survivors take in liquid refreshment for the struggle to get out of Troyes tomorrow on the final leg.

Doubts? There is only one. There could not be a last minute drama without Bill and Mark from Car 15, the Ford Model A, taking centre-stage. Today the water pump they found in the wreck outside the Victoria Hotel in Davos gave up… and so the car was sadly put on a truck to Troyes. The crew of car 7 have donated a water pump, so Bill is back in optimistic mood that he will be driving across the finish-line under his own steam. By now, he knows all about steam-power.

The atmosphere in the bar is as you would expect after an amazing month on the road, driving almost half way around the globe, crossing two Continents and the biggest single land-mass between two capital cities that has seen a full east to west crossing of the World’s greatest wilderness.

The only crew not yet in the bar is car 15… the sweep mechanics are waiting for the Ford Model A on its truck to arrive so it can set out tomorrow with some 85 others"

Peking to Paris

Day#31:Davos to Gstaad

27JUN13

Low gear & very slow for these straight up and down passes

Switzerland passes ... yes that's snow

Hans & Malcolm - Just two great guys 

Arriving in Gstaad

Hotel in Gstaad: Brand new & great! 

Our accommodations in Gstaad 

The ladies of the RALLY

Cocktail Reception in Gstaad 

"We drove across an alpine mountain range to Gstaad today. Just as we thought we had seen every kind of extreme weather condition, we drove up a foggy mountain and found it was snowing at the summit.

Bill and Jock Burridge from New Zealand in their 1925 Buick had just about the worst problem of the day when a front hub broke on the last closed-road test-section… the hub was stripped down and a local workshop found to weld it up, and the car was soon running again. Snow was falling and visibility was down to 15 metres.

Glen Duthie in the big black 1939 Cadillac La Salle, car 33, cooked the brakes on a mountain descent, and they were not alone… Rhys Timms and James Stone in the big 1936 MG SA also had issues with no brakes, overheating causes failure of the oil-seals. Andy Actman driving one of the sweep-vehicles reckons it was just “routine problems” and welding up a hub and coming across cars with no brakes was just a typical day.

Our day ended in Gstaad and two very fine hotels, and our supporters, Bonhams, Britain’s leading auction-house, provided a champagne reception which turned into a noisy part prior to a lavish meal, it was steak-night in the Palace Hotel. Everyone was in high spirits and looking forward to the final drive to Paris. First of all there is the rest of Switzerland, with Franco Lupi and his friends in the Swiss Automobile club intent on making sure the pressure is maintained. Our next stop is the medieval town of Troyes in France… south of Paris. There is a terrific atmosphere within the event this evening, and Troyes promises to be turned into one big party

… it’s been hard work all round. Just because everyone senses Paris doesn’t mean to say the route has to turn into a cruise, and the Swiss Historic Racing Club are here tonight, they have worked with Kim Bannister on our final sting in the tail before France. It’s not over, certainly not until Bill is singing with an ice-cold beer in his hand in Paris… along with the rest of us."

Peking to Paris Rally Report

Day #30: Schladming to Davos

26JUN13

Leaving the Austrian Countryside

Drive a '60 Chevy down this without melting the brakes.

The picture says it all ..

Switzerland Castle

Enough to make your ears pop - Elevations were up and down

Night #30 - Dinner with some great friends

"A day crossing mountains, starting with a long timed mountain climb on a narrow gravel track, followed by plenty of steep climbs through dramatic scenery with stunning views, taking us from Austria into Switzerland.  

Ten miles out of town from here, climbing a steep mountain pass, the engine throws off its fan blades, destroying the water pump, which
explodes internally. Doom and gloom for anyone, this close to Paris, particularly given Bill reckoned there was nothing left of car that remained unbroken. Coasting downhill, it looks as if its game-over. At the foot of the mountain sits the Alpine ski resort of Davos, and outside the town the first hotel you pass has a black tourer Model A Ford outside, parked as an exhibit, a sort of landmark to the entrance to Davos. The car has not moved for 12 years…. you simply couldn’t make this up, what a remarkable find."

Peking to Paris Rally Report

Day#29: Bratislava to Schladming

25JUN13:

Austrian country side

 Lunch at Christof's farm in Austria

Oh yes and a round of home made Snapps

Christof's farm house, great people, great setting, great food

And we weren't done! Had dinner at Arnold Schwarzenegger's favorite haunts

“The town of Grobming is quite used to the sound of vintage and classic cars filling their narrow cobbled streets as it is here that the Ennstal Classic takes place, an annual classic-car rally which arrived on the scene soon after the first Pirelli Classic Marathons which came this way over 20 years ago.

There is a great mountain climb just outside of town which was closed specially for us this afternoon, and most of us enjoyed finding the energy to storm up to the top, where there is a wonderful wooden chalet which acts as café and restaurant to events. Free bowls of hot goulash soup, free coffees… just what was needed in the bracing mountain air as we all sat on wooden benches exchanging stories of the day.

We crossed from Slovakia to Austria this morning, driving through the valley where The Sound of Music was filmed, and arrived into Grobming and found the road closed by the local town council and everything organised to welcome us.

In between the morning test and the classic climb out of Grobming, we drove some spectacular roads through great scenery today. Tonight, we are dining on what is probably the best menu we have been presented with so far: two kinds of local suckling veal, or medium roasted beef… take your choice; or smoked and pickled noble fishes or mousse of smoked fish and salmon or trout, two types of ham… take your pick, various vegetables and salads, or, skip that and go direct for the roast turkey in orange sauce and glazed corn on the cob, or perhaps it’s spare ribs that takes your fancy, if not, there is knuckle of local suckling veal in gravy, barbecued shrimps, grilled medallions of salmon trout, or perhaps something lighter? Triangoli noodles with truffle in spring-onion cream served with parmesan, or baked calamari rings, and a vast table of various sweet courses, strawberry and cream, Crème Brule’, this is just some of the menu, all followed up by an extensive range of fruit. The velvet curtain was pulled back on an extensive variety of food to the sound of Glen Miller’s band, In The Mood.

All this because some drivers have sent messages home saying they have lost weight while they have been away. A few days of eating like this could rectify things before Paris.”

Peking to Paris Rally Report

Day#28: Kosice to Bratislava

24JUN13:

Kim's new pick up truck

Pedestrian Area

Old buildings, lots of fountains

Kim finally got a burger, here in Slovakia.

Kim's new job: fixing Bentley's

Kim's drinking a Beer!

oh! Roland's had too much Root Beer

“Today has been a full-on day of rallying with no less than four closed-road Tests, plus we took over the Slovakiaring racing circuit, which features as a round of the Touring Car Championship.

Narrow, twisty hilly tarmac roads that snake their way through wooded slopes are regularly closed down for rallying in this region and the Slovak Association of Motor Sport run by Garbiela and Peter Szczecsinova have put into place a great plan to ensure the final days of the Peking to Paris offer a sting in the tail.

An intensive day – with long and twisty mountain roads between the closed-road sections requiring concentration on both timing and navigation have been well received, particularly by the Dutch competitors. The results have been affected.

Third-place in the Vintageants Category, Mike Reeves and Michelle Jana Chan in the V8 Ford Coupe, suffered clutch problems today – fixed up by roving sweep mechanic Rob Dominy – but in the process the crew lost 45 minutes. However, the crew have held on to their third-overall placing as well as their Gold medals, but in the European Trophy, the car has tumbled down the leader board.

The new leader of the European Trophy – for best effort from Kiev to Paris – is Tony and Lee Strelzow from Canada in their Derby Bentley tourer on 30 hours 25 minutes, Bruce and Ben Washington in their Chrysler are second on 30:26:30, and the Woodcock Brothers’ Bentley is third, hard on the heels of the Chrysler on 30:26:56.

Bill Cleyndert in the Ford Model A Special took a tumble down the leader board for the European Trophy today when a rear wheel collapsed with broken spokes during hard cornering on the circuit test, the final test of the day. The car is now fourth in the European Trophy, and 27th overall in the Vintageants. “There isn’t much left on the car we can now break,” said Bill this evening as he parked up in the hotel car park.

In the Classics Category, the European Trophy is looking good for the Datsun crew of Paul and Mariella Kirkham, on 27:28:07. Philippe Clamens is second in his Mercedes 450SL, car 91, and the Italians in the Lancia Fulvia are third.

Leader of the Vintageants, Phil Garratt in the red Chevy Coupe, had troubles today coming under pressure, and lost time, completing one Test with no clutch, and then hearing a loud bang… “we thought our rally was over. We then discovered a broken clutch cable, but were able to change it by the roadside, we were carrying a spare. We then made the next Time Control with just minutes to spare… it’s been a great day, this is what it should be all about.” Their problems however failed to prevent them setting a string of best times in the Vintageant Category on the test-sections.

Others also had problems. Car 100, the big Holden V8 pick-up, slid off on a gravel-covered corner but was able to get back onto the road having dropped time, and car 97, the big Mercury Park Lane suffered a fuel-pump failure.

Quite a few cars failed to book in on time at the lunchtime Time Control and collected penalties.”

Peking to Paris Rally Report

Day#27: Lviv to Kosice

23JUN13:

“We left behind the friendliest town to the sound of cheering crowds and a starters-gun with a difference. Our early-morning send-off from Lviv saw a bizarre display of locals in traditional costumes, all couples walking arm in arm between the cars outside the hotel, some in ball gowns, others in top-hats, and even a girl wearing a large black tricorne hat that Napoleon or a pirate of the Caribbean would have been proud to own.

On top of that, four riflemen then rocked up with muskets and gun-powder charges and fired away, the echo of the gunfire bouncing off the tall hotel behind us amplified the sound as cars lined up under the special arch to the street leading out of town. The musketeers looked like characters from the Arabian Nights with Davy Crocket hats befitting the flintlock muskets. And with that, we were on our way, saying farewell to Ukraine and its remarkable welcome in every town and village we have encountered. Today, we headed our way down thickly-wooded valleys across green and hilly countryside to the border of Slovakia. Our border formalities were again over in minutes.

Once again our special back-up support organisation headed by Dan and his team of girls in blue polo-shirts with CREW in large letters across their backs proved they had a firm grip of border red-tape, and began slicing up the time we had originally estimated it would take to get out of Ukraine and into Slovakia. Yet again you did not need to step outside your car, there were no immigration forms to fill in, in fact, nothing to sign. It was another slick affair where only a few minutes per car to have a passport examined was the total hassle-free bureaucracy, thanks to Dan’s nifty footwork on the spot, and the months of pre-planning work by Barbara and Jane back in the E.R.A.’s Rally Office leading up to the event, chasing entrants for the smallest of details… all this blended together this morning, and ensured nothing could be faulted, nailing down another example of how frontiers can move over 200 people in record time.

So, with time in hand, and a road-closure permit for the afternoon set in stone, we had a bit of relaxing, fettling and sitting around in the sun to do late morning. We met up with a team of extra time-keeping marshals, who have driven out from the UK to reinforce our on-event organisation for the final days across Europe. Tomorrow, we plan to run no less than four Time Trials on closed roads, working with the local motor-federation, plus a racing-circuit test, and that calls for a lot of extra help – reinforcements organised some months ago have now arrived, and they got down to work this afternoon.

Our first closed-road test in Slovakia was running smoothly with a twisty and demanding challenge up the side of a steep mountain-side laced with hairpin bends and short straights, climbing up a dark and thickly wooded slope… first gear was called for by many coming out of tight bends…”

Peking to Paris Rally Report

Early-morning send-off from Lviv

Saying Goodbye to the Ukrainian Girls

This is what Kim looks like now; 1 day after getting married.

Our arrival into Kosice - our first day of rain