The Cadence Design Systems’ sponsored vintage 1942 Willys P2P Jeep being co-driven by John Bayliss, one of the company’s silicon chip design experts, has won the world’s most gruelling vintage and classic car rally, the Peking to Paris Motor Challenge 1997.
John Bayliss and co-driver Phil Surtees took the lead on day 24 of the 45 day race which saw the classic cars travelling the 16,000 kilometres from Peking to Paris across China, Tibet, three deserts and the Himalayas. They finished on Saturday in the Place de La Concorde in front of thousands of spectators, just 4 minutes ahead of the second placed car.
“It is one of the most exhilarating moments of my life,” John Bayliss said. “Before the rally we set ourselves the goal to get to Paris and finish in the top 10 with maybe a class win, but to win overall was fantastic.”
The Peking to Paris Rally was the longest ever motoring challenge for vintage and classic motor cars and was the first ever allowed to travel through China and Tibet. The rally was being held this year to mark the 90-year anniversary of the first and only other Peking to Paris Motor Challenge held in 1907.
Ninety-four cars from 24 countries left Peking on September 6th and travelled the 16,000 kilometres through 11 countries including climbing over the Himalayas and crossing three deserts to finish in Paris.
“The rally went pretty smoothly for us,” John Bayliss said. “The Jeep held up remarkably well and apart from having to replace a fuel pump, and some clutch slippage since Istanbul, there were comparatively minor problems. The Jeep was very much in the same condition as it was when we left Peking - we were even using the same set of tyres. I put it down to the preparation of the vehicle and the determination of the crew!”
“On the rough stuff we were very competitive but I knew that on the tarmac some of our rivals might be able to pick up time, but in the end while they were faster than us, we still managed to complete stages in the allowed time,” John explained.
At the end of the rally the Cadence Jeep led by 4 minutes from second placed car and was one of only 6 cars with penalties of under an hour.
“It was worth every minute of the hard work,” John Bayliss said. “I have seen things that I will remember for the rest of my life - I have personally taken over 26 hours of video footage on the challenge - and of course we have a trophy in the cupboard!”
The next challenge for John Bayliss will be the 16,000 mile London to Cape Town Rally, this time in a 1965 Ford Mustang.
Notes to Editors:
Cadence Design Systems, Inc. provides comprehensive services and technology for the product development requirements of the world's leading electronics companies. Cadence is the largest supplier of software tools and professional services used to accelerate and manage the design of semiconductors, computer systems, networking and telecommunications equipment, consumer electronics, and a variety of other electronic-based products. With more than 3,300 employees and 1996 annual sales of $742 million, Cadence has sales offices and research facilities around the world. The company is headquartered in San Jose, Calif. and traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol CDN.
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