VANCOUVER, May 26 /CNW/ - Touring the world
in a Rolls-Royce sounds
wonderful, but what about circling the globe
(in a mere 80 days) behind the
wheel of a vintage 1913 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost?
The first Around The World
in 80 Days Motor Challenge will see 41 vintage
and classic cars and their
two-person driver teams zip across British Columbia
as part of their epic
journey around the world. Having started from
London's famed Tower Bridge on
May 1 and returning on July 18, the rally will
be the first timed automotive
event to lap a full circle of the globe.
British
Columbia is the first leg of the North American
section, which
begins at Anchorage, Alaska on June 12. Drivers
will enter B.C. on Highway 37
and race across the province to Banff by
June 22, passing through the Northern
B.C., Cariboo, Okanagan and Rockies regions
before crossing into Alberta. The
sights along the way are spectacular: snow-peaked
mountains, crystal-blue
lakes and rivers, and emerald green forests
mixed with rolling grasslands,
steep-walled canyons and sagebrush-covered
hills. First stop is Terrace on
June 17, followed by Smithers on June 18-19.
Smithers' downtown Main Street
will be closed to display the cars for public
viewing, and the Hudson Bay
Lodge will host a reception for all participants
and enthusiasts. The rally
will then continue through Prince George,
Quesnel, Williams Lake, Kamloops and
Revelstoke, passing the site at Craigellachie
where the historic Last Spike
was driven in 1885 to finish the nation's
transcontinental railway. A final
climb high into the Rockies through Rogers
Pass and Glacier National Park and
the rally will stop at Banff on June 22-23.
The rest of the global route is similarly
arduous. After leaving London
on May 1 and crossing the English Channel
to France, the cars travelled
southeast through France, Italy, Greece,
Turkey and former Soviet republics
before entering China and ending at Beijing.
Following the Alaska/Yukon/B.C.
section and arrival at Banff on June 22,
the rally proceeds southeast through
Montana, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin,
Michigan and New York, ending in
Newark, New Jersey. The final section begins
in Marrakech, Morocco on July 10,
with entrants passing over the Atlas Mountains
before crossing to Spain. A
blitz north through France and the rally
finishes its 80th day by arriving at
the Royal Mint, London, on July 18.
The automobiles themselves are a major attraction
of the rally. Unlike
the cutting-edge racers used in most competitive
rallies, the Around The World
in 80 Days entrants are cross-section of
vehicles from motoring history. Some
of the finest examples include a 1913 Rolls-Royce
Silver Ghost, a 1929 Bentley
Speed Six, a 1931 Lagonda M45, a 1961 Aston-Martin
DB4 and a 1964 Porsche 356
T5 coupe. Others are more quirky and prosaic,
like a 1952 Citroen 2CV, a 1968
Saab 96, and a 1955 Chevrolet 210 sedan.
Considering the age and rarity of
most of the cars, just keeping them running
will pose a challenge...where
would one find a Lagonda oil pan in Cache
Creek?
Like the vehicles, the drivers represent
a range of countries including
the United States, Great Britain, France,
the Netherlands, Australia, and New
Zealand. Representing Canada are Vancouver's
Lennox McNeely and James Walters
at the wheel of their 1938 Packard Touring
Sedan. A total of 102 driver pairs
and their vehicles are participating in the
European or Asian sections of the
event, but only 41 are daring to complete
the entire circuit.
The Around the World in 80 Days Motor Challenge
is a unique event
appealing to automotive enthusiasts and all
adventurers at heart. View the
cars at stops along the route, or just watch
them roar by in a flash of
yesteryear's glory. More information, including
rally itineraries and lists of
entrants, are available from event organizers
Classic Rally Association
through their website at www.carnet.co.uk
Tourism BC is an independent Crown corporation
that operates under the
direction of an industry-led board of directors
and is responsible for
marketing Super, Natural British Columbia
to the world.
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For further information:
Yvette Chamberlain, Tourism BC Corporate
Communications (604) 660-4703 |