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New York-Paris 'Great Race' postponed as China denies entry
Apr 11, 12:47 am EDT
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NEW YORK (AFP) - The centennial running of the pioneering New York-to-Paris auto rally from May 30 has been put on ice as Chinese authorities withdrew permission for it to enter the country, organizers said.
"The Great Race 2008, New York to Paris, has been postponed as the approval to travel through China has been recalled and the permits have been placed on hold," Bill Ewing, the chief executive of Great Race Sports, said Thursday.
"Great Race Sports is hard at work exploring all options to run this race in honor of the 100th anniversary," he added.
No explanation was given for why China pulled its permission.
On February 12, 1908, an eccentric band of millionaires, aristocrats and adventurers got behind the wheels of six driving machines amid the cheers of a quarter million enthralled New Yorkers gathered in Times Square, to begin what was dubbed the greatest auto race on earth.
This year more than 30 vehicles were due to take part, mostly vintage roadsters but also special-built vehicles.
They were set to depart New York on May 30 and head west across North America, eventually arriving at the Eiffel Tower in the French capital on August 2.
The adventure was due to cover 18,843 miles (30,148 kilometers) from start to finish, including 13,179 miles (21,087 km) driven on land and a flight from Vancouver, Canada, to Shanghai, China.
Participating teams are from Australia, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Ireland, Mexico, Poland, Portugal and the United States.
While the maiden rally crossed the United States, this year's was due to travel the width of New York state before heading into Canada, to Vancouver. From Shanghai it would follow the historic "silk route" before crossing the Great Wall and heading into Kazakhstan.
The route then runs through Siberia to Moscow and then through the Baltic states before crossing Poland, Germany, the Czech Republic, Austria, Switzerland and France. |
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