The Longest Day... Day 29 Erzurum to Kozakli

OCTOBER 8TH, 2010
Peking to Paris Motor Challenge update. More about the race here

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David and Karen Ayre - Itala

Our drive today from the ski resort at Erzurum has taken us 730 kilometres to Kozakli, the longest day of the Peking to Paris. We have seen a welcome return to rallying Time Trials, with three competitive sections of gravel, muddy tracks over a string of mountains.

We drove in the wheeltracks of history today as 200 kilometres from Sivas to Erzincan was a timed blast on the original London to Sydney Marathon of 1968. Our three test sections were highly challenging in poor weather, totalling over 60 kilometres.

Results will follow later, but we can report that Michael and Anne Wilkinson in their Alvis ran off the road and down a bank – both crew walked away and after a check up by our medics are regarded fit…. the car however has smashed front suspension, losing two wheels.

David Ayre spun the big Itala on a main road, we gather the car clouted a bank after losing a wheel. Both crew are fine but the 103 year old car is now on a truck.

This has been the best day of the rally, said Werner Meier-Cavaliere, driver of the Packard Convertible, and Nigel Gambier, Lagonda, says the same thing… others, however, say it’s been just too tough.