April 8, 2023

Peking to Paris 2019 Motor Rally with Jim Gately

Peking to Paris 2019 Motor Rally with Jim Gately

The 8500 mile rally began in 1907, was revived in 1997 and draws participants from around the world. Jim Gately of Incline Village, Nevada set out on the 34 day trek in 2019 across Asia and Europe with 105 other participants.

Jim will join The San Francisco Experience Podcast on Monday, April 24 th to talk about his exploits driving across the top of the World. Make sure to listen to the interview. 

But in the meantime, enjoy this photo blogpost as a preview about the experience of a lifetime.

He shipped his 1934 Cadillac - a four door convertible - to China 🇨🇳 to start the race.

Driving across the top of the world in 34 days was quite a feat. Starting at The Great Wall of China , the finish line was in central Paris. The route passed through China, Mongolia, Russia, Kazakhstan, Finland, Poland, Germany, Belgium and France. He and his navigator had daily driving mileage totals of between 200 and 650 miles depending on the terrain and weather.

They also had to do their own repairs along the way, relying on local welders and mechanics to assist. Jim served as his own mechanic. At night they stayed in tents or hotels along with the other 105 participants from around the world.

The route map from Beijing (formerly known as Peking) to Paris. 

Listen to The San Francisco Experience Podcast (TSFEP) and host Jim Herlihy on Apple, Spotify, AmazonMusic, Google - or any of the 19 podcast platforms that bring us to listeners in 65 countries.