Kevin Clemens

 
 

At any speed over 10 mph, the heavily rutted washboard track through the southern Mongolian desert threatens to tear the body and frame of our car apart. We are already traveling with a broken right rear leaf spring, a cracked radiator and a fractured engine mount that has been chained together to keep the engine from sitting directly on the front cross member. We are down to one-wheel steering, as our bodged-together tie-rod end has failed for the fifth or sixth time. We are just 10 days into the 35-day Peking to Paris rally but at least our 1929 Chrysler Model 75 Roadster is still moving. We pass other competitors stranded in the desert awaiting the arrival of a truck large enough to remove their stricken cars from the 115-degree inferno. Some will wait more than 40 hours for help to arrive...

 

Far from anywhere....