rallyroots.com results@rallyroots.com
rallyroots.com
rallyroots.com

rally results service


Unless otherwise clearly indicated, results on this site have been declared final and are therefore not subject to query or protest

9th Peking to Paris Motor Challenge

HERO-ERA

17th May-22nd June 2025


Peking to Paris Motor Challenge
Vintage Category Winners: Tony Sutton/Andrew Lawson (Chevrolet Master Coupe)
Photograph: © HERO-ERA

Peking to Paris Motor Challenge
Classic Category Winners: Brian Palmer/David Bell (Peugeot 504 Coupe)
Photograph: © HERO-ERA

Organiser: HERO ERA

Date: 17th May-22nd June 2025

Clerk of the Course: Guy Woodcock

Route Coordinator: Chris Elkins

Deputy Clerk of the Course: Andy Pullan & James Phillips

Countries: China, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Austria, Switzerland & France

Distance: 15,000 Kms

Starters: 54


The Great Wall of China was the start venue for the ninth Peking to Paris Motor Challenge; from there competitors faced a 15,000 kilometre route to the French capital, over, at times, some of the most challenging terrain on the Eurasian landmass.

Fifty-three cars took the start, with one entrant, the Ford Super Deluxe of Mike Schultz/Christian Voight, having to begin its journey on a flat bed lorry due to overheating issues that had developed before leaving Beijing.

The 2025 route matched almost exactly that of the 2024 P2P for the first two-thirds of the course; geo-political issues limiting the options open to the organisers. From Istanbul there was a right-hand turn, taking the cars through Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Austria and Switzerland, before the two routes once again merged at Dijon, in readiness for the final run into Paris.

Beijing to Dunguang (Days 1 to 7)

The first 13 days took competitors across China, travelling through Inner Mongolia and into Xinjiang to the Kazak border. Although most overnight halts were at high class hotels, there were also four desert camps.

On the first two days there were four regularities, but it was the test at the Inner Mongolia Racecourse at Hohhot, at the end of Day 2, that started to see the potential front runners emerge. Francois Abrial/Cecile Abrial (BMW 320 E21) topped the leader board at the End of Day Two, they were four seconds ahead of Jorge Perez Companc/Christobal Perez Companc (Chevrolet Master Coupe), who led the Vintage Category. Steve Osborne/Robert Smith (Ford Escort RS1600) had been fastest on the test, but large penalties on the regularities, mainly for early arrival, meant that they were in 25th place.

There were three tests on Day Three; another at the Hohhot track and then two more at Ordos International Circuit. Osborne/Smith were second quickest on Test 3.1 and then fastest at both Ordos tests; this propelled them up to twelfth place. At the end of the day, Gerd Buhler/Laurenz Feierabend (Porsche 911E) were at the top of the table, having been in the top two on all of the three tests.

Significantly, the BMW of Day Two leaders, Abrial/Abrial, finished the day on a flat bed after their BMW suffered broken connectors within the distributor. The problem was fixed at the overnight halt, but they had missed a regularity and both Ordos tests.

Also in trouble was the Chevrolet Master Coupe of Tony Sutton/Andrew Lawson; a blown fuse in the fuel pump stopped their car on the first Ordos test and they collected a test maximum. This dropped them to twelfth in the Vintage Category and 28th on the overall leader board.

Day Four featured the first Sporting Time Control (STC) Section of the event; these were off road sections timed to the minute over more challenging tracks. With a penalty of 30 seconds for each minute late, they would be critical as crews were generally swapping a few seconds on the regularities.

The loose surfaces were not to the liking of Buhler/ Feierabend; they were a total of four minutes late at the two TCs - they dropped from first to sixth as a dozen of their rivals cleaned the section. The new leaders were Harold Goddijn/Corinne Vigreux (Porsche 911), who now led Brian Palmer/David Bell (Peugeot 504 Coupe) by 21 seconds.

The rally was now at the edge of the Gobi Desert and nights under canvas ended both Days Four and Five.

An advance car travelled 48 hours ahead of the main field and reported back any changes required to the road book instructions to the organisers. These changes were then issued as daily bulletins. One such change affected a track one kilometre into the single STC section of Day 5; it instructed a reroute as the intended track was blocked by a gate. A number of crews failed to take note and lost time as they encountered the locked gate and had to retrace their steps. Most significantly Palmer/Bell added a minute to their total due to the error and fell from second to fourth on the leader board. Goddijn/Vigreux cleaned the STC section and increased their lead to 42 seconds.

There were three more STCs and three more regularities on Days 6 and 7, but these made very little difference to the leader board as crews arrived at the venue of the first non-transit day of the event; this was taken at the Silk Road Hotel at Dunhuang.

Jonathan Turner/Nick English (Bentley 4½) had been leading Class 2, but on the run in to Dunhuang they hit a vicious gulley, which ran right across the road, and broke the chassis. They had to be trailered to the day end.

Despite fuel pump problems, Companc/Companc had held on to the lead in the Vintage Category up to Day 6, but time lost on a Day 7 reg allowed Brian Scowcroft/Mark 'Haggis' Gilmour (Chevrolet Fangio Roadster) into a four second lead.

9th Peking to Paris Motor Challenge 2025<
Second Placed Classic: Harold Goddijn/Corinne Vigreux (Porsche 911)
Photograph: © HERO-ERA

Dunguang to Almaty (Days 9 to 14)

After a day in which cars could either receive much needed repairs or could be checked over, crews returned to competition on Day 9, where two STCs had to be tackled. The first of these had to be shortened as a raging torrent, which had been a mere puddle in 2024, blocked the intended route.

Eleven crews cleaned the first STC and 21 the second, these included Goddijn/Vigreux, Scowcroft/Gilmour and Companc/Companc, although Palmer/Bell were one minute late at the first TC and added 30 seconds to their total.

The Swiss father and son team of Stephane Gutzwiller/Dimitri Gutzwiller became the only retirement of the event when the oil pump inside the engine of their Fiat 125P failed.

Day 10 was a transit day, with no competitive sections, taking the crews to a Great Sea Road National Park. The relaxation didn't last long as Day 11 was an almost 600km haul into Urumqi, with two demanding regularities on the route. The second caught out the Vintage leaders, Scowcroft/Gilmour, who went astray and collected a maximum one minute penalty; this allowed Companc/Companc back into the lead.

Palmer/Bell made the same error and slid down to sixth place on the leader board. Goddijn/Vigreux still led, now exactly a minute ahead of John Henderson/Lui MacLennan (Volvo 144DL).

There were overheating problems for the Ford A Coupe of Carlos Rieder/Stefan Roth, who were now leading Class2; a broken fan being the cause of the problem.

Competitors and organisers endured extreme gales as they made their way along the motorway into Urumqi, with authorities closing the road before the stragglers, and the mechanics who were shepherding them in, could get through. It was the early hours before these made it to the Hilton.

The final two days in China had one regularity per day, with an early finish on Day 13 as cars arrived in the border city of Khorgos for customs documentation to be completed. There were no major changes at the top of the leader board.

With a generous time allowance provided to let cars get through the Chinese/Kazak border, there was a single regularity on Day 14, which did little to change lead positions. This meant that at the second non-transit day at Almaty, Goddijn/Vigreux led Henderson/MacLennan by 55 seconds in the Classic Category, while Companc/Companc held a 33 second advantage over Scowcroft/Gilmour in the Vintage section.

9th Peking to Paris Motor Challenge 2025<
Second Placed Vintage: Tony Rowe/Mark Delling (Ford Coupe 91A)
Photograph: © HERO-ERA

Almaty to Baku (Days 16 to 20)

Battle recommenced in earnest on Day 16, the only day that contained a test, regularities and STCs: it was also the longest transit of the event at 759 kilometres. Goddijn/Vigreux were third fastest on the test that opened proceedings, but on the regularity they took a wrong turning and were a minute late at both of the final timing points. They fell to fourth on the leader board, with Buhler/Feierabend, who had been fastest on the test, now leading the Classic Category. Henderson/MacLennan might have grabbed first place, but made the same error was the erstwhile leaders, and added two minutes to their total.

Companc/Companc now not only led the Vintage Category, but were at the top of the leader board, although Scowcroft/Gilmour had cut into their lead, taking 17 seconds out of their deficit over the day.

There was disaster on Day 17 for the Chevrolet Fangio Master Coupe of Brian Caudwell/John Caudwell, which had been suffering gearbox problems, however it was carburettor issues that halted the car on the run in to Kyzylorda. They had been in third place in the Vintage Category, but having been over their time limit at the end of day control, the 60 minute penalty dropped them to 11th place.

There was a 29 kilometre STC section, but this was cleaned by 18 cars, including all the leading runners.

The next two days were a transit across the Kazak desert, with, at times, demanding tracks. They, however, didn't make any changes to the standings, although as they arrived at the Day 19 Camp, the Chevrolet of Scowcroft/Gilmour was in evident distress, the piston rings were failing. The hope was that they could attempt to survive Day 20, and then get a new engine flown in to Baku. They did make it to the port on the Caspian, but had to miss the STC section; this cost them a 30 minute penalty and they fell to fifth in the Vintage Category.

As cars lined up for the ferry, Companc/Companc topped the leader board and held a lead of over five minutes in the Vintage Category. Goddijn/Vigreux were back in first place in the Classic Category, with Palmer/Bell 43 seconds behind them. Buhler/ Feierabend had once again struggled on the gravel STC section and, while their rivals were clean, they added 2m30s to their penalties.

9th Peking to Paris Motor Challenge 2025<
Third Placed Classic: Steve Osborne/Robert Smith (Ford Escort RS1600)
Photograph: © HERO-ERA

Baku to Sofia (Days 24 to 30)

There was a three day hiatus in the Azerbaijan capital, hosted by Baku F1, while the cars were shipped across the Caspian and, after customs procedures, collected from the port.

The action resumed on Day 24, with two STC sections, the last of the event. The first was in the Mud Volcano area, it was 50 kilometres in length and everyone dropped time at the final control. Goddijn/Vigreux were best and extended their Classic Category lead to over two minutes. Osborne/Smith were now in second as Palmer/Bell went wrong and lost three and a half minutes.

Companc/Companc were still at the top of the leader board and were now seven minutes ahead of Tony Rowe/Mark Delling (Ford Coupe 91A) in the Vintage Category.

Day 25 saw the route move into Georgia, with two tests, which did little to alter the overall positions. The overnight halt was in Tbilisi and saw the welcome return of Car 7, Shaun Dixon/Andrew Davies. They had started the event in a Chrysler 75, but its engine failed on Day 6. Undeterred, they flew home, picked up a Land Cruiser and drove, in six days, to rejoin the action during Day 25. True grit!

Turkey hosted the event from Day 26 to Day 30, and it was on Day 27 that the first shake up of the leader board took place. The Chevrolet of Companc/Companc had been experiencing fuel pump problems for much of the event and on the Erzurum- Sivas day, a fuel leak led to an engine fire. The fault was corrected by the mechanics, but the Argentinian pair failed to make the mid-morning TC on time, inflicting a 30 minute penalty on the crew. They fell out of the top ten. Rowe/Delling now took over the lead of the Vintage Category, but had Sutton/Lawson just over a minute behind them.

Two days later there was a change of Classic Category leader; Goddijn/Vigreux picked up large regularity penalties on both Days 28 and 29 and this allowed Palmer/Bell to hit the front for the first time.

There was also another change of the leaders in the Vintage Category, Sutton/Lawson ended the day four seconds ahead of Rowe/Delling; the latter crew having suffered a broken gearstick.

Also moving up the leader board were Buhler/Feierabend, who were fastest by eight seconds on the test at the Korfez Circuit, just outside Istanbul.

As the cars arrived at the final non-transit day in Sofia, both Palmer/Bell and Sutton/Lawson had extended their advantages over their category rivals.

9th Peking to Paris Motor Challenge 2025<
Third Placed Vintage: Jorge Perez Companc/Christobal Perez Companc (Chevrolet Master Coupe)
Photograph: © HERO-ERA

Sofia to Paris (Days 32 to 37)

For the final week there was one country per day, with the route passing from Bulgaria to Romania, Hungary, Austria and Switzerland. Despite ten regularities and a test at the very scenic Barndlhof Circuit in Austria, there were no changes at the top of the leader board and the only alteration in the top ten throughout was when Sutton/Lawson passed Friedrich Muller/Robert Huber (Ford Escort 1300) for sixth place on the leader board on Day 33.

Crews received a police escort into the Finish in central Paris, with Sunday afternoon traffic being halted for the P2P cavalcade; no entry signs and red lights were ignored, bus lanes were used and pedestrians were instructed to remain on the pavement.

A relieved Brian Palmer and David Bell received the award for winning the Classic Category and had the glory of heading the final leader table, while Tony Sutton and Andrew Lawson were declared the Overall Winners, as they finished first in the Classic Category.

Fourteen crews were awarded gold medals, having visited all controls and the start of each competitive section.


RESULTS