RE: Pic Of The Week: Peking-Paris VW
Discussion
offbackwards said:
bencollins said:
K17LER said:
its awesome
offbackwards said:
bencollins said:
K17LER said:
its awesome
To be so derisory I assume you must have done a complete circumnavigation of the planet using scooters and jet-ski's in 3 weeks. I look forward to hearing about it. You're right, it was really easy driving from the UK to Singapore in 3 months in a 40 year old car! It wasn't a timed event like the Peking - Paris but it was still just as tough and twice the distance. The other Beetle which took part(going a different route) died in Kazahkstan. Trust me it was just as much of a challenge. Yes, the P-P is a timed rally event but it is also fully supported, when they break down they have support crews there with spares to help them out. They get to sleep in comfy hotels every night with all the mod cons. All their visas are arranged ahead for them and they even have a set route plan/road book to follow. Finding your way from one side of the planet unaided and having to deal with all the problems that arise totally on your own is a very different experience.
Don't get me wrong, I would love to do it but you pay a lot of money for all that support which is exactly the reason I decided to go it alone. I did all the route planning and made all the visa and permit arrangements myself...and there are a lot of them! I was told by the Nepalese Beetle owners club that I was the first person to drive a Beetle to Mount Everest, which is why I'm proud of that photo, they had been trying to get there for years but had been unable to get through the Chinese red tape involved with entering Tibet and getting to Everest which requires a seperate permit and dozens of police and army check points. Accommodation for us was a combination of sleeping in the car, camping, hostels or staying with locals who invited us home.
The big all terrain tyres were not "dressing up". They were well and truly needed in some of the rough terrain I was crossing and I wouldn't have got through the Nepalese mud-slides without them! I went a different route to the P-P and as my co-driver was American it meant I drove the whole of the Middle East section completely alone. Turkey, Iran and Pakistan. I hit an underwater object in a river in Pakistan, ripping the sump guard from the car and meaning I had to find help in a remote part of the Baluchistan desert.
The stickers served a purpose too, they all either belong to sponsors or to the Landmine charities we supported on the trip. As for the lack of "action" shots. Sorry about that but my co-driver couldn't drive or operate a camera and there were no other cars with us so I didn't get the opportunity. The P-P have photographers in the support teams to document the rally. If you look back in the thread, or in my garage, you'll see action photos of the standard Beetle I drove across the Sahara, as that was a group event.
Edited by K17LER on Saturday 20th November 12:26
A friend of mine did it in a BMW built 'specially for the event. He and his wife sadly failed to finish, but the picture on this thread does look quite spectacular!
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
K17LER said:
offbackwards said:
bencollins said:
K17LER said:
its awesome
To be so derisory I assume you must have done a complete circumnavigation of the planet using scooters and jet-ski's in 3 weeks. I look forward to hearing about it. You're right, it was really easy driving from the UK to Singapore in 3 months in a 40 year old car! It wasn't a timed event like the Peking - Paris but it was still just as tough and twice the distance. The other Beetle which took part(going a different route) died in Kazahkstan. Trust me it was just as much of a challenge. Yes, the P-P is a timed rally event but it is also fully supported, when they break down they have support crews there with spares to help them out. They get to sleep in comfy hotels every night with all the mod cons. All their visas are arranged ahead for them and they even have a set route plan/road book to follow. Finding your way from one side of the planet unaided and having to deal with all the problems that arise totally on your own is a very different experience.
Don't get me wrong, I would love to do it but you pay a lot of money for all that support which is exactly the reason I decided to go it alone. I did all the route planning and made all the visa and permit arrangements myself...and there are a lot of them! I was told by the Nepalese Beetle owners club that I was the first person to drive a Beetle to Mount Everest, which is why I'm proud of that photo, they had been trying to get there for years but had been unable to get through the Chinese red tape involved with entering Tibet and getting to Everest which requires a seperate permit and dozens of police and army check points. Accommodation for us was a combination of sleeping in the car, camping, hostels or staying with locals who invited us home.
The big all terrain tyres were not "dressing up". They were well and truly needed in some of the rough terrain I was crossing and I wouldn't have got through the Nepalese mud-slides without them! I went a different route to the P-P and as my co-driver was American it meant I drove the whole of the Middle East section completely alone. Turkey, Iran and Pakistan. I hit an underwater object in a river in Pakistan, ripping the sump guard from the car and meaning I had to find help in a remote part of the Baluchistan desert.
The stickers served a purpose too, they all either belong to sponsors or to the Landmine charities we supported on the trip. As for the lack of "action" shots. Sorry about that but my co-driver couldn't drive or operate a camera and there were no other cars with us so I didn't get the opportunity. The P-P have photographers in the support teams to document the rally. If you look back in the thread, or in my garage, you'll see action photos of the standard Beetle I drove across the Sahara, as that was a group event.
Edited by K17LER on Saturday 20th November 12:26
Ceylon said:
K17LER said:
offbackwards said:
bencollins said:
K17LER said:
its awesome
To be so derisory I assume you must have done a complete circumnavigation of the planet using scooters and jet-ski's in 3 weeks. I look forward to hearing about it. You're right, it was really easy driving from the UK to Singapore in 3 months in a 40 year old car! It wasn't a timed event like the Peking - Paris but it was still just as tough and twice the distance. The other Beetle which took part(going a different route) died in Kazahkstan. Trust me it was just as much of a challenge. Yes, the P-P is a timed rally event but it is also fully supported, when they break down they have support crews there with spares to help them out. They get to sleep in comfy hotels every night with all the mod cons. All their visas are arranged ahead for them and they even have a set route plan/road book to follow. Finding your way from one side of the planet unaided and having to deal with all the problems that arise totally on your own is a very different experience.
Don't get me wrong, I would love to do it but you pay a lot of money for all that support which is exactly the reason I decided to go it alone. I did all the route planning and made all the visa and permit arrangements myself...and there are a lot of them! I was told by the Nepalese Beetle owners club that I was the first person to drive a Beetle to Mount Everest, which is why I'm proud of that photo, they had been trying to get there for years but had been unable to get through the Chinese red tape involved with entering Tibet and getting to Everest which requires a seperate permit and dozens of police and army check points. Accommodation for us was a combination of sleeping in the car, camping, hostels or staying with locals who invited us home.
The big all terrain tyres were not "dressing up". They were well and truly needed in some of the rough terrain I was crossing and I wouldn't have got through the Nepalese mud-slides without them! I went a different route to the P-P and as my co-driver was American it meant I drove the whole of the Middle East section completely alone. Turkey, Iran and Pakistan. I hit an underwater object in a river in Pakistan, ripping the sump guard from the car and meaning I had to find help in a remote part of the Baluchistan desert.
The stickers served a purpose too, they all either belong to sponsors or to the Landmine charities we supported on the trip. As for the lack of "action" shots. Sorry about that but my co-driver couldn't drive or operate a camera and there were no other cars with us so I didn't get the opportunity. The P-P have photographers in the support teams to document the rally. If you look back in the thread, or in my garage, you'll see action photos of the standard Beetle I drove across the Sahara, as that was a group event.
Edited by K17LER on Saturday 20th November 12:26
. Sounds like one hell of a trip and I have to say I have no sympathy for you being offended by him.....my sheer jealousy of what you accomplished & the experience totally out weighs it! 
. 
offbackwards said:
Oops....sorry K17LER....by commenting on Ben Collins derisory comment about the P2P Beetle I have inadvertantly gone and appeared derisory of your epic.
yeah err sorry i made you say this:
offbackwards said:
touring around taking snapshots (stationary) by signposts dressed up in fat wheels and stickers. Fair play to the tourists
you do indeed appear to be derisory, albeit "inadvertantly."K17LER, I think the VW Beetle is the foulest conveyance ever to be set forth upon the earth but I really admire you for taking on these epic races. Regardless of the vehicle they would be a mammoth challenge. All things considered, a car as primitive as the Beetle would be an ideal choice. Got a problem? Fix it with tape or wire :-)
K17LER said:
Ferg said:
A friend of mine did it in a BMW built 'specially for the event. He and his wife sadly failed to finish, but the picture on this thread does look quite spectacular!
Now that's a great photo! How far did they get?Here are some pics I took before they set off:
Ferg said:
K17LER said:
Ferg said:
A friend of mine did it in a BMW built 'specially for the event. He and his wife sadly failed to finish, but the picture on this thread does look quite spectacular!
Now that's a great photo! How far did they get?
In the Altai mountain region of Russia, that's where I met Pher Rach* doing the Mongol rally in a Suzuki SJ
Beautiful region, there are certainly worse places in the world to break down. Not heavily populatd though so I imagine they would have had trouble finding help. Mind you we thought we were miles from civilisation in Mongolia and within 10 minutes of pitching camp some Mongol cowboy would come riding up on his horse(or Russian motorbike).
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