Book review - The Mad Motorists by Allen Andrews

An Amazing adventure

In the early days of the automobile, the protagonists of this new, revolutionary form of transport knew no limits to their enthusiasm. This was typified by an announcement in the French newspaper, Le Matin, in January of 1907.
“What needs to be proved today is that as long as a man has a car he can do anything and go anywhere. Is there anyone who will undertake to travel this summer from Peking to Paris by automobile?”
Fifty teams signed up for this great event but only five made it to the start line. This book is about this amazing, incredible adventure.
The five entrants were as follows:
An Itala driven by Prince Scipione Borghese, and his mechanic/chauffeur Ettore Guizardi. They were accompanied by Luigio Barzini from the Italian news paper Corriere della Serra.
A Dutch Spyker driven by Charles Godard with a reporter from Le Matin, Jean du Taillis.
There were two De Dion Boutons one driven by Georges Cormier with Edgard Longoni and the other Victor Collignon and Jean Bizac.
The final entrant was a Contal three wheeled cyclecar driven by Auguste Pons. With his mechanic Octave Focault.
As you read, your mind will boggle and you will stare at the page in disbelief as the adventures unfold. All the competitors wrote their own versions of the epic. Each one making themselves the heroes of the adventure, and as such, some aspects needed to be taken with a pinch of salt. Then in 1964 Allen Andrews undertook research to see if he could find out the truth, which turned into this book.
The early chapters of the book concern actually getting to the start line in China. Which itself was no mean feat. For up until a few days before the race started, the Chinese government had not even given permission for the trek to take place across their country.
Almost the next two thirds of the book are given over to the adventures getting across the Gobi desert. Once the rally started, it was found that many of the roads and tracks were too small for the Itala and the Spyker. So they actually had to be dismantled and manhandled by crews of men for a great many of the early miles. With motors being disassembled and wrapped to protect them in water crossings. Despite this the cars always started. Wether it was always first swing of the starting handle as the book suggests remains lost to history.
Before the start the entrants had made a pact to stick together until Europe for there was always strength and help in numbers. However, once into the Gobi desert things began to splinter. Borghese quickly set off at his own pace leaving the others behind, a lead he would not relinquish. Pons and Focault in their cyclecar got lost in the desert, ran out of supplies and very nearly died. Legend has it that their vehicle is still lost in the desert somewhere.
The other three did stick together for the most part, apart from a section when Godards car needed repair so badly he had to take a train ahead to effect repairs before returning to where he originally broke down and continue.
Borghese was the winner by three weeks, but to be honest he isn't the hero. Godard was. Admittedly he was a conman of a sort, making his way to the start by promising to pay with money he didn't have, even persuading car owner Jacobus Spyker to give him a car and all the spares necessary to complete  the event, and he would pay him back when he got to Peking. He didn't of course, in fact he sold all the spares Spyker had given him to help raise the money for the boat ticket to Peking!
However, as the race progressed, perhaps the camaraderie between the contestants affected him, and while he could have left the De Dions in his wake when the cars reached the good roads of Europe. He didn't, they all stayed together and ran in convoy.
What really set the Godard performance aside from anything else was when his magneto failed in Siberia. In order to get it repaired he had to get on a train, travel 1500 miles to Omsk, get it repaired, return to where he had broken down. Before driving 3,500 miles almost all of it non-existent roads to meet up with his fellow competitors again. Driving 20 hour stints for 14 days to catch up. This is without one of the greatest driving feats in the history of all Motorsports.
But it doesn't end there, in his absence, Godard had been found guilty of fraud and was arrested in Berlin, so he never actually made to to the finish line. Though the motives for the charges and arrest are not as clear cut as it may seem. But to tell you everything about it would spoil the fun of reading the book.
The tale is incredible, and someone should make a film of it. All Motorsport enthusiasts, particularly rallyists, should read this book.