Just had an email through from Hayden at the start of the Peking to Paris event. It’s 8am out there (or it was when he started typing his message) and the rally has been delayed by an hour due to traffic on the local motorways. Everyone wants to see ‘those magnificent men in their rally machines!’
The weather is apparently very good. The photos show blue skies over the Great Wall, which the cars are parked in the shadow of (note the wall and tower climbing up to the left). Seems like Hayden reckons Lola is the lowest car and probably the lightest also.
He says: “Even the largest cars have so much gear you can’t see out the back window. By comparison we have very little. On-road weight is tad under 2,500 lbs with full tanks.” That is just over 1130 kilograms: well done HB!
Porsche 356 at the start of Peking to Paris
The navigator’s list of jobs to do today looks like this: get rolling, shake off the Team Lola nerves and settle the driver into a rhythm. To that I’ll add: don’t crash and don’t get lost.
Pretty cool getting live updates! Technology and massive overseas data bundles are a wonderful thing.
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Looks like Hayden finally had a hair cut!
He is proper dapper, John! Thanks for the comment.
‘those magnificent men in their rally machines!… in the great race?!
Being at the start of this event and seeing over 100 antique and classic cars was an amazing site! Hayden and Steve seemed ready for the adventure ahead.
I bet it was amazing, Valerie. Some good video of the start on Youtube. That humongous La France is just something else. Thanks for the comment!