Paris – Beijing 2006 – Leg 2 of The Mercedes Benz 13,600 kilometre Car Marathon
On October 21st, 2006, a total of 36 Mercedes-Benz E-Class cars started from under the shadow cast by the Eiffel tower in Paris, on a marathon relay drive that will cover 13,600 kilometres and finish in Beijing, China, on November 17th, 2006. Over the course of the next three weeks, more than 360 drivers from 35 countries will cover more than 490,000 collective kilometres before arriving in the Chinese capital.
“The long-distance route from Paris to Beijing is not about speed. Rather, the sporting challenge for the participants is to achieve the lowest possible consumption on the individual stages and across the overall distance”, said Dr. Dieter Zetsche, Chairman of the DaimlerChrysler Board of Management and Head of the Mercedes Car Groupat the Automobile Club de France, the oldest automobile club in the world. “70 years after Mercedes-Benz launched the diesel engine in series car production as the first manufacturer, we want to demonstrate again the high level of performance of the modern diesel engine in terms of emission, economy and range, even under the most extreme conditions. We are convinced that in future modern diesel engines can continue the success story around the world, something which has long been reality in Western Europe with market shares of over 50 percent.”
The marathon drive will cover 5 legs, and pass through several time zones, and all types of paved and unpaved roads. Leg 1 is from Paris to St- Petersburg, covering approximately 3,500 kilometres, and passing through 7 countries. Leg 2 covers a distance of 2,700 kilometres from St. Petersburg to Yekaterinburg over a period of 6 days, passing through Moscow, Nizhny Novgorod, Kazan, and Perm. Leg 3 goes from Yekaterinburg to Almaty, passing through the border between Europe and Asia. Leg 4 enters China’s ‘Wild West’, and passes through China’s legendary ‘Middle Kingdom, past the imposingSharyn canyon, which, at over 150 kilometrs in length, provides many magical views. Leg 5, the final leg, goes from Lanzhou all the way to Beijing.
It all started 99 years ago, when a challenge that caused quite a stir was published in the French daily newspaper Le Martin. “Will any one agree to go this summer from Paris to Beijing by motor-car?” This seemingly innocent question must have caused quite a few readers to shake their heads in disbelief, for after all, it was only 21 years since Karl Benz had invented his historic 3-wheel ‘Patent Motor Car’. The first ever car race from Paris to Rouen had only taken place 13 years ago, and was completed by just 15 out of the 21 participants, including nine vehicles with Panhard-Levassor engines licensed by Daimler and a 3 horsepower “Vis-à-vis’ Benz. A travel adventure from Paris to Beijing was a hundred times the distance, and some believed only madmen would even dream of attempting such a feat. But the initiators at Le Martin were serious. They wanted to establish the technical superiority of the automobile over the horse and capture the spirit of adventure of the time.
Surprisingly, there seemed to be no shortage of bold (or perhaps mad) men who wanted to be part of the adventure, and within a month, there were already 62 drivers and mechanics who signed up. However, as the date drew near for shipping the cars to China, (the organizers decided to reverse the journey in view of unfavourable weather conditions) courage and ambition started to fade, or perhaps it was the head ruling over the heart, and only eleven daring people in 5 vehicles appeared on the starting line on 10 June 1907. In pouring rain, Prince Scipione Borghese was celebrated as the winner of the first long distance race in automotive history.
AW’s editor has been invited to take part in Leg 2 of this ‘once in a lifetime’ adventure, and has just started on the first part of the 2,700 kilometre drive from St Petersburg to Moscow. Keep your eyes on this website for updates.
