For those possessed with a spirit of extreme adventure and exploration, and love classic or vintage cars, this one surely must be the ultimate. Rally the Globe has just confirmed its seminal ‘Round the World’ driving epic, describing it as the greatest adventure ever set on four wheels as well as the longest and most adventurous circumnavigation of the globe in history. Epic stuff, and, what’s more, it’s for vintage, post-historic and classic cars built before 1976, is open to crews of all abilities and experience, and, with places limited, priority may be given to the bold sort who enter cars from pre-1946.
Round the World starts next year and finishes in 2021, and will be an incredible 22,000-mile driving odyssey, taking in spectacular spots such as the Sahara Desert, Rocky Mountains and virtually unexplored gravel routes through Siberia. The last similar event was run back in the year 2000, and this one will eclipse the distance from that one.
The unforgettable journey is over three legs, the first from London to Casablanca in Morocco on May 23 to June 9 2020; the second from Boston, Massachusetts to Vancouver, Canada on September 19 to October 10 2020; and the third and final leg is some 15,500 miles from Vladivostok in Russia back to London on May 8 to June 19 2021. The legs can be entered individually but priority will also be given to those intrepid enough to take part in all three. Participants will face more than 100 competitive speed and navigation tests along the epic route—which will range from being on famous grand prix circuits to privately-owned gravel roads—and the worthy victors will be crowned as ‘Rally the Globe Round the World’ champions back in Greenwich.
In the spirit of Phileas Fogg from the famous Jules Verne novel, the circumnavigation will take 80 days, starting and finishing in London. More specifically and again fittingly, this will be at the stunning Old Royal Naval College and therefore next to the Meridian Line and longitude zero. Also appropriately, Round the World was launched at Lowther Lodge in Kensington, London home of the Royal Geographical Society, which is closely associated with many great global explorers including Livingstone, Stanley, Scott, Shackleton, Hunt and Hillary.
“It must be every motoring enthusiast’s dream to drive right around the world and, for many, this is an incredible once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to fulfil that wonderful ambition,” said Rally the Globe chairman, Graham Goodwin who, as a Bentley owner, is a regular competitor in many of the less ambitious events. “Cars, competition and camaraderie all on the greatest possible scale–my name is going to be one of the first on the list!”
The marathon itinerary, which as well as the driving challenges also includes hand-picked hotels and starlight camps, has been masterminded by multiple world championship rally-winning co-driver Fred Gallagher and John Spiller, who oversaw the Subaru rally team in the Colin McRae era. Round the World also forms but part of an expansive Rally the Globe calendar which has several events taking place internationally, scheduled through to the end of 2023.
Images courtesy of Rally the Globe
