Long time leaders, Perez Companc crew (AR), suffer dramatic engine fire and lose lead

The 2025 Peking to Paris Motor Challenge promised a sting in the tail after the hardship of the deserts of Inner Mongolia and Kazakhstan, but nobody considered that the run-away leaders, Jorge and Cristobal Perez Companc (AR) would be the ones to be stung with ten days to go. After a sublime performance by the crew and the immaculately prepared 1939 Chevrolet Master Coupe, a carburettor failed to close, spraying fuel onto a hot engine which then erupted. Neither crew were hurt as they managed to put the fire out with mechanical assistance crews arriving later who eventually managed to re-start the car.

The incident happened on the first regularity of day 27 of 37, on a treacherous gravel and dirt road through the pastures of the Armenian Highlands, the crew hadn’t managed to get to the Time Control but when they did they were over the time limit and received a 30 minute penalty dropping them from a healthy lead of over 7 minutes to fourth place overall.

It wasn’t until later in the day that more mechanical mayhem upset the order again, this time for the Austrians in third place overall as Christina and Alex Gruber’s 1947 Bentley broke a half shaft meaning they had to wait for a flatbed truck rescue. All the time lost and missed controls earned them a 60-minute penalty. The Perez Companc crew were elevated to third place and back on the podium as a result.

The new overall leaders are the crew of Tony Rowe and Mark Delling in their 1939 Ford Coupe 91A, but they are only 1 minute and 5 seconds ahead of the Australian crew of Tony Sutton and Andrew Lawson in a Chevrolet Master Coupe who enjoyed a strong day, now snapping at the heels of the UK crew, smelling British blood.

A team who had thought they were out of the podium game, Brian Scowcroft and Mark Gilmour (GB) after they needed an engine transplant in Azerbaijan in their 1936 Fangio Coupe, are now back in the hunt in fourth place overall. They are just 1 min 15 secs behind the Perez Companc crew who they headed once, early in the rally, but kept them in their sights in second place until the engine issue.

It is also now quite tight for the top five of the hard fought Classic Class as the Peugeot 504 Coupe of Brian Palmer and David Bell (GB) took time out of long-time leaders Hardold Goddijn (NL) and Corinne Vigreux (FR) in their Porsche 911, the Peugeot taking second in class from RS1600 Escort of fellow Brits Steve Osborne and Robert Smith when they missed a turn at the end of a regularity. Gerd Bühler and Laurenz Feierabend (DE) are closing in on the fourth place Volvo of Australians John Henderson and Lui MacLennan after another strong day of fast test driving.

What was great to see was the return of car seven, after the original, a 1929 Chrysler 75, had to return to Beijing and retire after seven days with continual engine problems. Without hesitation, the UK crew of Andrew Davies and Shaun Dixon headed home to hurriedly prepare a substitute rally car for the 4 X 4 Classic Class, a Toyota Land Cruiser. Once they finished preparation, they drove 5000km to Tbilisi and rejoined the rally in the real spirit of P2P by never giving up.

Before all the drama, the 2025 Peking to Paris Motor Challenge rally enjoyed wonderful Azerbaijani hospitality, including a ceremonial restart in Baku after a three-day break from driving, allowing time for vehicles to receive much needed attention, including an engine transplant with major surgery for others.

Following shipping across the Caspian Sea to Baku, many crews spent the valuable time re-preparing their cars ready for the restart, and the subsequent challenges of Georgia and Türkiye, where the rally is currently traversing its 5^th country out of 12 on the route, after 10,448 kilometres into day 28 of 37.

Brian Scowcroft and Mark Gilmour’s Chevrolet Fangio Roadster received an engine transplant after an anxious wait for the ferry to arrive so they and others could get on with major work. A suspected piston failure dropped them from a strong second place overall, and the American crew of Keith West and Richard Haslam needed some reconstructive surgery on their Toyota Celica after an argument with a truck in Kyzylorda, they also needed some engine work There was plenty of other work happening as well, both in the Baku Street Circuit F1 Pit Lane and at a workshop facility in town, where no less than 25 cars were using ramps and other apparatus to be fighting fit for the off.

Baku had certainly been kind to the rally, hosting the cars in the F1 Pit Lane and throwing a huge party for the competitors, with entertainment, videos of the event and a massive gathering of enthusiastic locals, all enjoying the cars and the spectacle. The hospitality continued for departure, with a ceremonial re-start in the shadow of the Heydar Aliyev Building, the contemporary Cultural Centre contrasting completely with the classic and vintage motor cars.

Back into action on day 24 with 70km of competitive sections, split across two Sporting Time Controls, the first of which was a whopping 50km in length, and all offroad across arid hills and plateaus, full of hazards both under tread and navigational.

The luckless Ford of Mike Shultz and Johann Ersnt lost power on Mike’s birthday! Other mechanical mishaps in this section for cars only just rejoining the trail after Baku repairs, included the Zebra Datsun of the Ryan and Isaiah Salter, now with head gasket failure. Another recovery truck would be needed for James Hall – Smith and Ed Talbot after they suffered a collision. Both crew members were absolutely fine, but the plucky little Lancia had come off a little worse and was undrivable, fortunately it was to be repaired for the following day.

The navigation was proving tricky as was finding safe spots to pass slower cars. There were a number of wrong turns for competitors, with plenty missing a right turn around 20km in, as even experienced crews were losing time as well, such as Australians John Henderson and Lui MacLennan, dropping 3:30 between the final two controls. They were trying hard though, with the big Volvo airborne in places.

Nobody cleaned the section. With a second STC in the latter half of the day, there was still time to be made up. Heading to the border crossing into Georgia the route took the rally through the varied landscape of Azerbaijan, and on to the Sporting Time Control section sited on the shores of Ajinohur Lake, with a backdrop of the distant Republican Mountains. It was a fast run, in almost safari type conditions on a long and flowing track that whilst bumpy in places, crews reported that it was a joy to drive on a track through golden fields of wheat.

The quick Porsche 911 of Gerd Bühler and Laurenz Feierabend would lose the most time, chalking up 3:30 of penalty, taking their total to 6 minutes for the day, that would eventually drop them to fifth overall in the Classic category.

Post STC and there was a run to the night stop through increasing greenery, and a large number of spectators. The villagers included groups of excited children waving P2P stickers and screaming and cheering as the cars came by.

At the end of the day there had been plenty of movement within the top ten, though the overall leaders and Classic Class leaders had not changed. Steve Osborne and Robert Smith were now up to second overall in the Classics, with 2:30 penalties on the day in the white Escort, leap frogging Palmer and Bell’s Peugeot 504 Coupe and Henderson and MacLennan’s Volvo. Tony Rowe and Mark Delling were still second overall in the 1939 Ford Coupe with Australians Tony Sutton and Andrew Lawson third overall in the Chevrolet Master Coupe.

Thunder boomed and the rain was falling as the last car made it into Qakh on this 24^th day with a storm brewing in the mountains, which didn’t help the crews and Mechanical Assistance Teams trying to fix cars. The mechanics in particular, got so drenched that they were still wet the next morning!

Crossing the border from Azerbaijan to Georgia, was the fifth country of the event so far. The Spanish Mercedes of Alejandro Caceres and Jose Luis Martinez Gutierrez didn’t manage to fix their engine issues in Baku so were towed across, together with the American Zebra Datsun of Ryan and Isaiah Salter still requiring attention for its head gasket. The Salters were to retire the car and arrange for its shipment back to the USA whilst looking to buy another car and continue on the Peking to Paris Motor Challenge.

Once across the border, teams faced the Hillclimb regularity, a steep and challenging ascent to the mountain town of Sighnaghi on closed roads. It was so challenging that nobody cleaned it, although the 911s of Christian and Henri Gütermann (DE) and Harold Goddijn (NL) with Corinne Vigreux (FR) navigating, managed impressive runs with just four seconds of penalty each. The only clean sections however, belonged to Brian and John Caudwell (GB) in their Chevrolet Master Coupe Fangio and the Classic 4 X 4 Class Hilux of Paul Maddicott and Lee Potter, who both aced the second half of the hill.

Now into Georgia’s beautiful green farmland, with Tbilisi in sight, there were a pair of tests at the Lilo Arena Rally Cross circuit, just to the east of the city.  The circuit was the perfect release for those whose day had been stifled by border bureaucracy, clearly enjoying themselves on the hillside track.

One of the happiest faces of the day had to belong to Ed Talbot, back on the road again with James Hall-Smith (GB) in the little Fulvia, after their accident yesterday, and very much enjoying themselves and delivering some good times. In fact, everyone was performing pretty well, with only 20 seconds between the top 30 on the first circulation, the fastest car on lap one being the Peugeot of Brian Palmer and David Bell (GB), who were probably just delighted not to be stuck in somebodies dust cloud for once. They had to share the top step with Laurenz Feierabend (DE), who had taken over driving duties in Gerd Bühler’s Porsche 911, and both cars were honours even on their second attempt as well, topping the times again after improving by a second.

From the night halt in Tbilisi to Erzurum in Türkiye the next day was a 600km trip that included a test around a decaying former Tourist Attraction. Gerd Bühler and Laurenz Feierabend were quickest again in the Porsche, but fastest time for the Vintage Class was recorded by Brian and John Caudwell in their Chevrolet Master Coupe.

The border into Türkiye took a bit longer than expected meaning the competitive section on the other side had to be cancelled, but some had extra paperwork to deal with at the border, notably Steve Osborne and Robert Smith whose Escort had been caught speeding just six minutes into Georgia!

The Peking to Paris Motor Challenge is now on day 28 and headed to Ankara on a 505km route that includes no less than three regularities. After the topsy turvy day yesterday, anyone who thinks the home run to Paris will be easy may want to rethink that notion.