exceedingly beautiful and challenging”


Harry Jurgens, AFT Trenchers


“Russia was just


Driving force! T


he idea of driving through crater-sized potholes in Mongolia, or being pelted by stones in Iran, would not strike most people as the typical trip of a lifetime. But, for Harry Jurgens, Managing Director of AFT Trenchers, taking part in a recreation of the 1907 Peking to Paris Rally has been the stuff of dreams for twenty years. The sixty-three year old Harry is now


back from his 10,000-mile adventure. Not only did he and his navigator, Peter Van de Zilver, make it back in one piece, they managed it all in a vintage, wooden- wheeled, 1925 Buick. Preparation was the key to their success.


Harry Jurgens, Managing Director of AFT Trenchers, has completed the vintage car rally from Peking to Paris. The route, through eleven countries, took thirty-six days to complete, and with plenty of adventures along the way.


Report by Charmian Robinson


108


Before the race, Harry explained their plan of campaign, “We are taking part in the 4th Peking-to-Paris event that retraces the steps of eleven pioneering automobile adventurers in 1907. We will be starting in Peking on September 10th, 2010 and driving more than 14,000km over rough terrain for thirty-six days to reach Paris. We will be traveling in a 1925 Buick Roadster, which has been restored specifically for the event.” Turn index finger in a clockwise direction close to temple!


Over 100 years old, the race has come a long way from its first year. Today, all the cars are tracked along their route with Skytag, a specialist in vehicle location and tracking system. “Despite modern technology, there was still a lot of work to do,” said Harry. “Fortunately, the Buick is built to withstand prairie and desert conditions and, although we believed it to be the ideal choice for the Peking to Paris route, it still required a little (or rather a lot of) TLC before it was considered race worthy.”


Essential repairs to men and motor!


Additional work to the Buick included installing comfortable bucket seats in front and restoring the springs, transmission, differential and chassis. In addition, both drivers had undergone a rigorous training programme over the previous year. Many who know Harry well will have seen and admired the strength of character and sheer will power which motivated him to give up smoking, attend punishing fitness sessions several times a week and transform himself into a fitter, leaner man to cope with the trials of a challenging six week race. Peter Van de Zilver was navigator and had quit his job as vice-president of a large American firm to take part. He has been a friend of Harry’s, and fellow vintage car aficionado, for many years. They first met in high school in the Netherlands, and a mutual love of fast vehicles drew them together. Whether it was a car, a motorbike or a moped, the two boys were obsessed with making the wheels turn as fast as possible. Peter’s mechanical skills, and their mutual fearlessness, meant that they were both looking forward to the challenges ahead with equal enthusiasm. Harry said, “I had every confidence that we had the skills and experience to cope with whatever the journey would throw at us. Buick’s were always very well built and I imagined that, in 1925, the road conditions in the American mid-west were very comparable to those in Mongolia and Kazakhstan. In fact, as it turned out, they were far worse, especially in Mongolia where you basically have tracks, which,


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