After 13 days and 5000km, the 2026 Badawi Trial to the Last Oasis reached its finish line at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit in Saudi Arabia on 9 April, with the Ford V8 Coupe of Richard Clark and Jonathan Round holding on to take overall victory.
The fact the rally was held at all is a testament to the determination of the crews and event organiser HERO-ERA. Regional conflict had forced a last-minute re-route, forcing the event to stick to the western side of Saudi Arabia and reducing the size of the field.
Clark and Round’s triumph was a masterclass in consistency. The British pairing led across all 13 days, accruing just one minute and three seconds of penalty time despite a couple of mechanical breakdowns along the way.
‘It’s always great to be back in Saudi Arabia,’ said Clark, whose Badawi triumph comes off the back of victory in the 2025 Pearl of India. ‘We have been hosted amazingly, and it’s a fantastic honour to win against some stiff competition. Everyone who has finished deserves merit; it hasn’t been easy.’ Navigator Round added: ‘We’ve had a wonderful time, so happy to be here and happy that it has gone ahead.’
The Prodrive-developed Ford Mustang of Xavier and Lucas de Sarrau secured top honours in the Classic class. It was a category that delivered drama to the very end, with the Swiss father-and-son crew holding their nerve as the Toyota Land Cruisers of Alfonso de Orleans-Borbon and Haikko Visser, and Yang Zhan and Jason Zhe Ren remained in dogged pursuit as the rally headed to the finish.
One of the most extraordinary narratives of the event was written by the 1907 Itala of Tomas de Vargas Machuca, Ben Cussons and riding mechanic-turned-journalist David Ayres. The Itala is the sister car to Prince Borghese’s original Peking to Paris winner and finished fifth overall to secure Pioneer Class honours. Its Badawi performance serves as a tantalising preview of its entry in the 2028 Peking to Paris Motor Challenge – 121 years after Borghese’s historic journey.
The demanding route included 40 regularities and 15 Sporting TC Sections, and saw three crews retire, although two gamely continued to the finish in hire cars. If the 2026 Badawi Trial is anything to go by, the 2028 Peking to Paris Motor Challenge promises to be a very special event indeed.
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