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?

It's like a competitive team sport on steroids; because you've spent a lot of money and taken time off of work and you really want to win. It requires teamwork and an intense amount of concentration. One-hundred drivers pile in for an epic 8,000-mile journey, and there is adventure around every corner. There are two people per car, a driver and a navigator (that can trade-off)., and it is a wacky and wild adventure. There is a powerful connection between driver and navigator where the two have a focused vision and joy for what they are embarking on.

 

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.

 

Peking to Paris 2013

 

Map of the 2019 Peking to Paris Motor Challenge

 

Photo from endurorally.com

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,