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Peking to Paris Motor Challenge: Experiences You Should Have Show Notes
Experiences You Should Have Show Notes – Interview with Michelle Jana Chan from Vanity Fair
I had the pleasure of interviewing Michelle Jana Chan from Vanity Fair. Please listen to the episode at the top of the screen or wherever you listen to podcasts. She is an award-winning journalist and travel editor of Vanity Fair. She’s is also a contributing editor at Condé Nast Traveller, presenter of the BBC’s ‘Global Guide’, a contributor to BBC Radio 4’s From Our Own Correspondent and a writer for The Daily Telegraph. Michelle has been named the Travel Media Awards’ Travel Writer of the Year.
What is Peking to Paris Motor Challenge and How Did it Start?
The Peking to Paris Motor Challenge is a very special motor rally that starts in Beijing, China’s capital, (formally known as Peking) and ends in Paris. The race began in 1907 as proof that cars could travel long distances. The race has run every three years (and has for the last decade), but there has only been 7 total. The route changes every race but it always starts in Beijing and ends in Paris and lasts about a month.
In 2019 the route went through 11 countries and lasted 36 days for over 8,500 miles. It is one of the most unique vintage car rallies you can do. All cars are older than 1976 and is a true classic car rally. There are multiple categories based on the car type in addition to an overall winner. There is no prize for winning (well except a bottle of champagne and bragging rights). Racers participate for the fun and the challenge of it.
Michelle competed in the 2013 Peking to Paris Motor Challenge and it was the experience of a lifetime.
What is the Peking to Paris Motor Challenge Like?
What is the Route Like?
The roads are a real mix of variety: tarmac through China, a lot of off-road in Mongolia (a lot of cars fall out of the race here), high altitude passes through Russia, tough, boring roads full of trucks and busy traffic, Ukraine and other European roads are high-altitude switch-backs. Once you leave the Alps and enter Southeast France you’re at the end of the race and if you aren’t already in the lead, you’ll have a hard time getting in to first. You’ll finish the race on the Champs-Élysées in grand celebration with a bottle of champagne.
Map of the 2019 Peking to Paris Motor Challenge
Why should a person want to experience this journey?
You love traveling, you love cars, you love history, you want to have an interesting experience with your partner. It’s an experience that will allow you to see many different countries and cultures as you whiz by. You get to watch 2 continents change as you drive by and a macro sense of how people and the landscape changes. It’s an experience that you would never forget. While it does take a lot of money and time to partake, it is well worth the experience of a lifetime.
You will discover that you will need a lot of help along the way, and you will get to experience the kindness of strangers in countries you have never been to. It’s the serendipitous encounters that bring the magic into the Peking to Paris Motor Challenge.
How Far in Advance Should You Plan to Enter the Peking to Paris Challenge?
You will need to book well in advance… we’re talking years unless you have a vehicle that is rally ready. You need the time to get your car ready and it’s expensive.
Cost of the Peking to Paris Motor Challenge
It costs about 50,000 pounds for 2 people. You also need to add in costs for car insurance, shipping the car to Beijing, shipping the car home. The big-ticket price is the car. If you’re serious about winning. Michelle and her partner’s car was a shell, but after they added parts it got expensive. The car itself will cost at least 100K, but it will be very easy to spend 200K on it. Many people entering the race, work to get sponsorship to help offset the costs.
What Type of Car to Choose to Race at the Peking to Paris Motor Challenge
They chose a Ford, a 1940 Ford Coupe because they were built for long-distance. The beautiful Ferrari’s and Rolls Royce’s were built to show off on beautiful European coast roads, but aren’t built to last on a hard route. Fords have consistently been in the top 3 for cars in the Peking to Paris Motor Challenge.
Skills & Traits Needed to Enter the Peking to Paris Motor Challenge
- Know-how to fix cars. These cars are analog and don’t involve computers, but you do need to be able to know how to work on your car along the route.
- Skilled at changing tires quickly
- You should have a love of speed and have an element of fearlessness. This can be your first rally. Michelle didn’t have any experience prior to the race, but she knew how to fix the car and practiced driving for about 5 days she and her partner came in 3rd place.
Tips for Racing in the Peking to Paris Motor Challenge
- Bring as little as possible: things to fix the car and spare parts. Pack light for yourself and heavy for the car.
- Be organized. Bring pens and pencils and erasers. Be on top of the admin.
Before You Go: Check out Michelle’s Book called Song
She is also the author of a fantastic book called Song. Song is just a boy when he sets out from Lishui village in China. Brimming with courage and ambition, he leaves behind his impoverished broken family, hoping he’ll make his fortune and return home. If you want to read more, then I highly suggest giving Song a read. Check it out on Amazon.
