Beetles fans have a ticket to ride

By Qiu Yijiao (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-09-02 10:06

Fellow driver Bernd Ohnesorge, 40, says passion and persistence were vital for anybody contemplating such a fantastic journey.

"It was raining heavily when we were crossing the Gobi Dessert," he says.

"We didn't know what would happen ahead of us, and the road conditions were just bad. But there was one simple thought in our mind that we should do our best to reach the destination."

He felt the group was very lucky because no one fell sick and the vintage cars crossed the finish line in one piece.

The long journey also posed a challenge to the oldest participant Rainer Diehl, 62, who has taken part in the rallies around Australia and Indonesia.

One day in Russia, the team had to drive 17 hours in order to fulfil its daily distance quota and it was the longest drive he had ever done.

"I got tired and was frustrated sometimes, but the rally was definitely an invaluable once in a life-time experience," he says.

"We supported and helped each other which made us a strong team."

Most of the time, the drivers motored through sparsely populated areas and encountered little traffic so when they arrived in Beijing, the capital's traffic was a little overwhelming for some.

Alexander Appleton, 19, had driven through deserts and plains but thought driving in Beijing posed the biggest challenge.

"I kept sweating," he says.

"I must look very carefully and be alert all the time.

"There are many cars on the road, and amazingly, drivers are rather skilled in making quick adjustments."

It was also Appleton's first visit to China while other participants have worked in China or visited here several years ago.

"The destination is impressive. It's worth a long and hard journey," he says and is now planning to visit other Chinese cities.

As for Hausmann, he will be in office in Beijing after only a day's break.

"The journey is like recreation for me. Although we had to handle all kinds of emergencies and problems, that's the spirit of traveling," he says.

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