Patrick Debusseré, a loyal customer of DHL Express, has been a passionate entrepreneur for 35 years, active in the automotive and real estate sector. His interest in cars isn’t limited to his profession. He also has an amazing hobby. At 55, he decided to embark on an incredible adventure together with his best friend Bernard: the Peking to Paris Rally. An adventure of 14,500 kilometres.
History of the race
In 1907, the French newspaper Le Matin challenged the European car manufacturers and adventurers of the time to show what the modern car could do. The challenge was to drive from Peking to Paris over a largely unpaved route of just over 12,231 km. Four of the five participants eventually made it to Paris.
Peking to Paris is the oldest and toughest rally in the world. The teams have to face countless risks: narrow mountain passes, desert, snow, etc. In addition to the unforgiving weather conditions, the teams have to work on their cars themselves for 36 days. No assistance, no mechanics, anything but a tourist trip. Every night, the participants work hard on their cars and prepare for the next stage. No beer in the local bars for these adventurers.
” Preparation is more than 50% of the success of the adventure”.
“The cars, preferably, are vintage. At least 40 years old”, says Patrick: “and fortunately with cars like that you can solve a lot of problems with a piece of iron”.
The preparation
A trip of 14 500 km with an oldtimer cannot be prepared in a few weeks. It took years of preparation to get his car ready for the race. Patrick did not choose just any car, he searched for six years for the right model: a 1933 Dodge Roadster. He travelled to America twice, bought parts and baptised the end result ‘Polly’. In reference to Polly Gray. A main character in the series Peaky Blinders. A tough classy aunt and a feisty lady – just like Patrick’s car.
“That rally is really addictive, 75% of the participants want to participate again. For 36 days you are racing against teams that are your friend and foe at the same time. In no other sport in the world do you have a competition that lasts as long”.
Route of the Beijing to Paris Rally
The Peking to Paris race
At the starting block, 440 tyres roar. 110 cars shoot forward. Each team receives a road book which they must follow as closely as possible. With map, compass and GPS they pass checkpoints. Additional secret checkpoints determine how accurately the route is followed. The more you tick off, the more points you score. A classic navigation is not always an added value. In remote areas such as China, Russia, Mongolia and Kazakhstan, the route consists largely of unpaved roads that are not even mentioned in the GPS.
Thus Patrick and his co-pilot Bernard got lost twice. “If you get lost in such areas, it takes an hour before you realise that you might be driving in the wrong direction”, says Patrick. But despite this, they are quite successful. They won a gold medal and were the first novice team (team with no experience) ever to take home four prizes. Their best prize was undoubtedly the Spirit of the Rally Award, which they received because they embody the spirit and camaraderie that make the event what it is.
The future
“As long as I can participate, I’ll sign up!”, sounds an enthusiastic Patrick. Glad that he has been selected for the 8th edition in 2022 (the rally is only every 3 years). After all, the race is super popular with more than 8 times the number of registrations than there are places. The route of the Peking to Paris rally also changes every edition. Last edition crossed Northern Asia and Europe, in next edition the participants will drive through Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Russia, Georgia, Turkey, Greece, etc. Ameristan, …
“When you drive through the less prosperous countries, you notice that wealth and happiness have nothing to do with each other. It really is a life changer, you look at things through a different lens”.
This race continously pushes your values and limits. What Patrick and Bernard noticed is that in many poor regions people are rich in happiness and health, love and joy. “An eye-opener for ‘the jaded Western man’, who sometimes overreaches himself”. There wasn’t much time to mingle with the locals and discover their culture, but when you were unlucky it was incredible to experience the enthusiasm with which they help you. It was nice to see how people in the east looked at our pre-war cars with admiration. An open prewar car was like a UFO to them. “People kept looking and enjoying this exceptional caravan”, Patrick said.
Altai region
Most beautiful places of the Peking to Paris race
Without any doubt: “The Altai Region, a mountain ridge that lies at the crossroads between Mongolia, Russia and Kazakhstan. Unique and diverse nature”, says Patrick. Maybe a tip for the adventurers among us, we’ll give you a small taste of it with this photo.
Do you want to see more photos and can’t get enough of the Peking to Paris-Rally? Make sure you buy the book of this edition! In almost 400 pages Patrick sketches the incredible adventure over 14 500km. The book is illustrated with beautiful pictures. Connoisseurs describe the book as the most beautiful Peking to Paris book ever published! Be careful, only a limited number are available, so be quick!
Cooperation with DHL Express
“The cooperation with DHL was great, we had zero experience with shipping packages outside the Benelux, and then suddenly we had to send a thousand packages with a 3 kg book to all corners of the world”. Patrick indicated. With the help of Caroline Buyze (field sales DHL Express), they looked for the best possible packaging, the right labels, and she also supported the administrative process. Together with our colleagues from the hub in Roeselare, they packed the books and arranged the necessary documents, “Those people were incredibly helpful, they checked and double-checked the packages, in case of doubt, they packed it again to avoid damage”. Do you also need help with packing your parcels? Then be sure to contact our experts.
Can’t get enough of oldtimers and the Peking to Paris-Rally? Then be sure to follow their Facebook page: Belgian Dodge Brothers.
