The Peking to Paris Motor Challenge returns on 17 May for its ninth edition, promising 14,988km of intense endurance rallying across 11 countries and nearly six weeks of non-stop mechanical and human challenge. Starting from the foot of the Great Wall of China, 55 international crews will attempt to conquer the world’s toughest vintage and classic car rally, with a route that stretches to Paris and traverses everything from the Gobi Desert to the high passes of the Alps.
Following its delayed 2024 running due to the pandemic, the back-to-back scheduling of the 2025 edition has placed additional demands on organisers HERO-ERA. Competition Director Guy Woodcock describes this year’s route as a refined version of 2024’s, drawing from lessons learned and logistical challenges overcome. Chief Route Planner Chris Elkins, who has worked on seven P2Ps, emphasises the nuance: ‘The route looks similar on a map, but the day-to-day is completely different. We’ve rebuilt it based on feedback and field notes.’
The route will span from China to Kazakhstan, cross the Caspian Sea into Azerbaijan, and pass through Türkiye before threading through eastern and central Europe into France. That includes ten international borders, six nights under canvas, and punishing terrain – particularly in the Gobi Desert, which dominates the early stages. Only four crews from last year’s field are returning, underlining the rally’s status as a once-in-a-lifetime endeavour.
Among the standout entrants is 1993 Le Mans winner Christophe Bouchut, sharing a 504 Coupé with P2P veteran and Dakar navigator Prince Alfonso de Orléans-Borbón. It marks a major departure from Bouchut’s career in circuit racing – now testing his mettle on gravel and sand instead of tarmac. Other notable entries include former WRC competitor Jorge Perez Companc, campaigning a 1939 Chevrolet Master Coupe alongside his son Cristobal.
Entrepreneur and philanthropist John Caudwell makes his P2P debut with his brother Brian, also in a 1938 Chevrolet Coupe, while the smallest car on the rally – a 1973 Fiat 500 – will be driven under the flag of San Marino by Tourism Minister Federico Pedini Amati, with support from desert specialist Fabio Longo.
Two entries from the UK stand out for their contrasting approaches. HERO-ERA chairman Tomas de Vargas Machuca returns after a dramatic fire-related retirement in 2024, this time driving a 1926 Bentley solo – an unprecedented feat if completed. Jonathan Turner, meanwhile, returns with the same 1929 Bentley he drove in the second P2P in 1997, now paired with first-time navigator Nick English.
This year’s Peking to Paris machinery ranges from pre-war veterans to post-war classics. Australia’s Alan and Leigh Maden will compete in the oldest car in the field – a 1917 American LaFrance Type 12 with a 14.5-litre engine – while 25 of the 55 entrants run in pre-war classes. The Classic Category sees a mix of expected rally fare – Escorts, Datsuns, and Porsche 911s – alongside more idiosyncratic entries like the Volvo 220 Estate of John and David Houck.
For all the drama and mechanical romance, organisers are keen to stress the rally is not a race. ‘First and foremost, you have to get the car to the end,’ says Guy Woodcock. With early starts, long hours, and tough terrain, the P2P remains a test of endurance, patience, and camaraderie – qualities that will bind this year’s entrants as firmly as those who went before them.
The 2025 Peking to Paris flag drops on 17 May. By the time the last car rolls into Paris on 22 June, drivers and machines will have covered nearly half the globe – and written a new chapter in one of the great modern adventures in historic motoring.
For more info, visit hero-era.com
