PRINCIPALITY MOTOR SPORTS

2010 Peking to Paris Rally
September 10th - October 16th 2010

Represented by Principality of Hutt River Royal Rally Team members

Gerry CROWN MIOM (Driver)
&
Matthew BRYSON (Co-driver/Navigator)

In Car # 102 - 1964 EH Holden 3150cc

News of Car # 102 as reported on the Official Site by Syd Stelvio 
 

  PHR takes the checkered flag 
OCTOBER 16TH 2010

PHR Royal Rally Team takes first place and brings home the gold medal at the finish of the Peking to Paris Endurance Rally on crossing the finish line in Paris, taking the checkered flag for first place in the
Classic Category -  Pre 1968 Model Cars
Taking first place by more than 1.5 hours ahead of the second place getters!

Fantastic news and well done Gerry & Matthew on a job WELL DONE!

Photo's taken at the finish by Sir Andre Fages KGSRO
meeting/congratulating the crew & representing HRH Prince Leonard.

CONGRATULATIONS
Principality of Hutt River Royal Rally Team members
Gerry Crown MIOM & Matthew Bryson
Car # 102 1964 EH Holden

(Click thumbnails for larger view)

Paris Rendezvous...…
OCTOBER 16TH, 2010
Day 37
The Classics Category saw a remarkable effort by Principality of Hutt River Royal Rally Team members and the oldest driver in the event, Gerry Crown, driving a 1974 Holden, wining in convincing style. At 78 years old Gerry was regarded as too old to be given a Chinese driving licence so his navigator, 33 year old Matt Bryson, drove the first few days. Matt is the son of John Bryson who accompanied Andrew Cowan to several Australian rally wins including two victories on the Southern Cross.

Subject: News as the finish line nears
OCTOBER 14TH 2010
Day 35

….Quote from team Manager John Bryson (OIOM) ……We are watching the Principality of Hutt River Royal Rally Team as the end of the Peking to Paris approaches and trust that Gerry Crown and Matthew Bryson can achieve their victory.  We wait the end with trepidation knowing that anything can go wrong on a long distance rally, and often does.  Should they achieve victory then this will be a magnificent achievement because there have been great difficulties in keeping the Hutt River Holden at the front.  Holden's are scarce in the wilds of Kazakhstan or Iran and the team have had to carry out necessary repairs with what they could carry or modify.  They have had tuning problems as altitudes changed and spare jets were snaffled in some primitive custom's house, they had to battle to get new tyres as the ferocious roads - and their winning performance - destroyed tyres, they had to repair a radiator damaged by another competitor, body damage when a car backed into their stationary Holden.  Dramas included finding wheel nuts loosened on two occasions - nuts which were tight when they stopped for the night,  Because the Holden is fitted with a diesel type fuel filter they were able to overcome the problem caused by someone adding ten litres of water to the petrol tank.  It has not been an easy trip so we hope they can gain the victory they deserve

Istanbul… Crossing into Europe
OCTOBER 10TH, 2010
Day 31
Gerry Crown, relaxing in the hotel’s coffee-shop, is feeling pleased with the progress of his Holden, he took a relaxed view of the testing Time Trials which have been organised with the help of Turkey’s national motor-sport Federation. With a commanding lead and everything to lose in the Classic division, he decided on a softly-softly tactic and stroked the big Holden round the mountains content that the risk-taking was now over...............

Smiles all Round, again…
OCTOBER 9TH, 2010
Day 30
In the Classics division, 78-year-old Gerry Crown, the veteran Australian rally driver deemed too old to hold a Chinese driving licence so had to be listed officially as the “co-driver”, has a handsome lead with young Matt Bryson alongside him working the clocks… they are on 182 hours, 42 minutes, 35 seconds,..........

A Leader Loses His Grip…
OCTOBER 3RD, 2010
Day 24
In the Classic Category, Gerry Crown in the ’64 Holden with Matt Bryson is cruising along, having injured his wrist Gerry has let Matt take over the driving as the constant gear change was just aggravating an old rally-injury, but he reckons he will be driving again when the Time Trials re-start in Iran.

In Fields of Gold
SEPTEMBER 24TH, 2010
Day 15
The leader of the Classics Category is still the Holden of Gerry Crown and Matt Bryson, who have a commanding lead now that the challenge of the VW Beetles has faded.......

Subject: News from Mongolian/Russian border

….Quote from team Manager John Bryson (OIOM) ……”The  car is carrying a fresh Principality of Hutt River sticker - at least it was when it left Australia!   Also Gerry and I are quite proud to be associated with Prince Leonard's cause ….!  God save Prince Leonard!

We are hoping they can keep it up.

Mongolian exit and Russian incompetence kept them at the border until 4pm yesterday, our time, and they then had to drive 711 k to their hotel over some twisty bitumen tracks.  I think they have been brilliant as for three days Matt navigated and changed gear for Gerry as he had badly sprained his left wrist  - apparently on some uneven ground at one of their many camp sites.  Matt is really earning his placing as some Mongolian accidentally put a timber through their radiator in a little town so Matt had the radiator out and repaired in 38 minutes which I think a bit amazing and was good enough so they did not lose time. 

Farewell Mongolia
SEPTEMBER 21ST, 2010
Day 12
The handsome lead achieved by Gerry Crown in his Holden was maintained today, despite the fact that Gerry has finally decided that driving one-handed is just too much. He has his left wrist in a splint, and he is on doctor’s orders to give the arm maximum rest... he reckons its just an old war-wound of too much gear changing in too many past rallies, so today, he handed the steering wheel over to young Matt Bryson, his navigator.
We suspect this meant that Matt had to work the GPS, on top of driving. Matt looked as if he was under pressure when we pulled our tent-pegs out of the frozen grassland first thing this morning. The son of John Bryson, top Australian navigator who sat alongside the likes of Andrew Cowan to win the Southern Cross Rally more than once, Matt was realising he had rather a lot on his shoulders.
However, he rose to challenge by setting the best times on all three tests, and delivering an extended lead in the Classics Category for the Holden over the second placed Anadol of Ongun and Tokcan.

The High Plains Drifter
SEPTEMBER 19TH, 2010
Day 10
Gerry Crown retained the lead in the Classics division today. He started the day with a comfortable lead…… 

……... Gerry Crown with Matt Bryson is a veteran of the first Peking Paris Retrospective of ’97, and Gerry is the only drive on the event to have tackled all three Peking Paris Challenges. He is listed on the entry list as a navigator. The reason for this perhaps needs some explanation. Aged 78, Gerry was considered too incapable, too incompetent, to qualify for a Chinese driving licence, so, he is listed as a navigator with Matt Bryson as driver. That gets round Chinese red-tape and since getting behind the wheel Gerry has clearly enjoyed proving to those in authority that they have got him wrong. He has been rallying since 1963, his first event being Australia’s prestigious BP Rally, driving an 850cc Mini, which ended in something of a disaster as he rolled it down a hillside. A minor diversion: Gerry was rescued by the legendary Gelignite Jack Murray, who towed the Mini for over a hundred miles through a forest, forgetting the Mini was there, and Gerry Crown reckons he is the first person to ever see 100 mph on the clock of a rallying 850cc Mini…certainly at the end of a tow-rope.

..........Long in the tooth he may be, but he seems to have the measure of the Peking Paris, although he fails to get the measure of this camping lark and reckons he is past playing Swallows and Amazons, so chooses to sleep in his car……….

The Land That Time Forgot…
SEPTEMBER 16TH, 2010
Day 7
Gerry Crown leads the Classic Category but Garry Staples Junior in the red VW Beetle Cabrio took some time off the Holden,…………..

Where Eagles Dare…
SEPTEMBER 15TH, 2010
Day 6
Best time among the Classics Category was the Holden of Gerald Crown, the 72-year-old Ozzie Veteran with young Matt Bryson on the clocks put up a steady, consistent run to set a 25m 29s time. 
Gerry Crown and Matt Bryson - Holden EH - took over the lead of the Classics category today

Bunfight at the OK Coral…
SEPTEMBER 13TH, 2010
Day 4
…….Gerry Crown and Matt Bryson are near the top of the Classics Category classification……….

Mongolia… Competition at Last!
SEPTEMBER 12TH, 2010
Day 3
Gerry Crown was pacing up and down inspecting the opposition, looking troubled. “Just wondering what we have to do to win this event,” says Gerry, who is here with Matt Bryson, son of a legendary Australian navigator, who have turned in a well-paced effort today in their Holden… until the results come out later, they are wondering if their effort to not go too quickly, too soon, has still kept them in touch with the hot-shots.

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