CARS GLOBALMAG August 2016 | Page 21

There were also special awards presented at the prestigious gala dinner at the Intercontinental Hotel to those who stood out during the rally. Hok Kiang Sia and his son Eric from Malaysia were presented with the True Grit award for battling to catch up with the rally after the engine bay of their 1933 Rolls Royce Phantom caught fire. David and Jo Roberts from the UK won the Against All Odds award for keeping their 1954 Sunbeam Alpine on the road despite many mechanical issues that they managed to fix by themselves. The Spirit of the Rally award was presented to Australia’s Max and Julie Stephenson in the 1923 Vauxhall OD 23/60, a crew that had not completed all the time trials and checkpoints but also found time to help others in need or trouble, and to explore the countries visited on the rally. ERA Rally Director Fred Gallagher said: “Prince Borghese, the very first winner of the Peking to Paris, said it was driving the impossible, and I’m sure all of our crews would agree. But they arrived in Paris to a heroic welcome and should all be very proud of what they have achieved. The spirit amongst the whole rally has been fantastic with friendships forged that will last a lifetime. An amazing experience for all of us.” The next Peking to Paris Motor Challenge will be in June 2019, with an exciting new proposed route that will take competitors into Kazakhstan and across to Azerbaijan, Turkey and Greece. For all the results, visit www.endurorally.com