Retrospective

June 17, 2016 by SeaBix 5 Comments

From Byron Trafton:

Black Horse Racing’s Peking to Paris Rally ended in Mongolia. Our #1 car (Revenant) lost the water pump in the uplands of Inner Mongolia. Our #4 car (Liver Eater) pushed on to the Gobi Desert on her way to Ulaan Bataar where the engine had a profound event – blowing a hole in the engine-block and oil sump. Great adventure nonetheless, in great old cars.

(Below) The Liver Eater and crew (Tim Taylor – Driver/Ike Trafton- Navigator) at the race start next to the Great Wall of China.

Tim Taylor and Ike Trafton next to the Great Wall

Tim Taylor and Dwight (Ike) Trafton

The #1 car (Revenant) alongside the road in Inner Mongolia with a broken water pump.

The Game is on. Crossing the Gobi Desert in Mongolia.

Late day showers in the Gobi while headed to Ulaan Baatar.

Later the sunset on a lonely road hundreds of kilometers in the middle of nowhere.

After 40 hours with no sleep, the Liver Eater crew camps along the route for several hours of rest.

Game over – a connecting rod exits the block and oil pan.

Liver Eater rides into Ulaan Baatar for shipping home.

The Revenant, while repairable is also headed home to avoid destroying a second engine. Black Horse Racing only has one spare engine left, so the goal is to husband resources.

CURRENT STATUS:

BOTH cars have been put in containers where they will travel by train to Beijing and then shipped home.

Steve, Katherine & Ike Trafton will return from Ulaan Baatar to Seoul and then on to Seattle Friday afternoon June 17, 2016 at 12:20pm (PDT) on Korean Airlines flight #19.

Tim Taylor will fly home via Hong Kong to Dallas.

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Back Roads Travel, BlackhorseRacing.com, Peking to Paris

Requiem for the Liver

June 15, 2016 by SeaBix 2 Comments

From Ulaanbaatar

Liver Eater’s Last Ride

Heartbroken and outta luck, Ike Trafton and Tim Taylor gave up the ghost on a lonely road in Mongolia.

Ike Trafton sends the following post:

How to load a 4 ton car without a winch or lift truck:

– Simply back up to an embankment

– Use a pick-up and a section of cable to control the cars roll (and block a high speed road in the process)

– tie it down with old cables through the wheels (you can always re-powder coat)

..and voila, finished!

Now for the 100 kilometer drive to Ulaan Baatar – hoping the Liver Eater doesn’t break loose under braking and take us out for what we did to her.

More updates later …

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: American LaFrance, Back Roads Travel, Mongolia, Mongolia Car Travel, Peking to Paris, Peking to Paris Motor Challenge, Road Rally

Ulaan Baatar

June 14, 2016 by SeaBix 5 Comments

Ulaanbaatar, Capital City of Mongolia

What a Place To Be Stranded! Ulaanbaatar

Here is basic information to help you follow:

Today’s Race begins at about 0700 Mongolian Daylight Time, or 3:00 PM Pacific Daylight Time. But the two Black Horse Race vehicles left the main crowd of vehicles to fix some major mechanical issues here instead.
At about 3:00 PM PDT, you can follow the live GPS signals from the start of the race each day and then watch as the signals move progressively along the mapped route. See this link.
For more comprehensive directions or to follow one of the other 115 specific vehicles, see this link from our previous blog post.
To view a map of the Peking to Paris Endurance Race progress with daily route updates, go here.
Local Time Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia is 16 hours and one day ahead of Pacific Daylight Time (PDT).
You can be reminded of regular web site updates when a posting appears on our Facebook page.

Here is Katherine Trafton’s diary of what happened on the previous day June 13, 2016:

Day 2 found us starting the rally at 0701 as the lead car thru the busy town of Datong, China. Lots of traffic squeezing in and out of lanes. We are the cause of much of the congestion, as cars stop beside us with their smart phones clicking photos and people madly waving at us. We climbed up over passes and down into grassland terrain that reminded us of Ellensburg, Washington! But suddenly our alternator failed! We managed to get local lads to help push us off the road to investigate the problem and begin repairs. After 3 hours we were off and running again!

But for only 4 hours when we noticed steam emerging from the engine. Water pump failure! As it was approaching 2000 hours with 2 more hours to get to the hotel, Steve sent Tim Taylor and Ike Trafton off and we awaited a tow truck. At 0230 the tow truck arrived as did a torrential rain storm. Steve managed to maneuver the #1 ALF onto the tow, but there was no way it could haul us. We were too heavy and long.

It’s now 0558, still pouring rain and the second tow truck has just pulled up. Forget the hotel room and a shower, we will head straight for the Mongolian border, procure another tow truck to take us to Ulaan Baatar. We have one day for Tim to hopefully get us back on track!

Here is Ike Trafton’s Update covering the following day:

After a long, uncertain night in the Chinese uplands, Steve, Katherine, and the broken #1 car “Revenant” were picked up. They arrived at the border just in time to see the #4 car “Liver Eater” and her crew before crossing into Mongolia. Steve and Katherine had a far more arduous crossing than Tim and Ike – but that story will be told later.

For now, the Liver Eater and crew crossed after four hours of courteous, but officious, Chinese and Mongolian processing. And then we were racing across the Gobi Desert.

Mongolian roads held some challenges…and sites! The Gobi landscape and skies however combined to be beautiful to drive across.

As the sunset, the massive potholes in an otherwise high speed road resulted in the Liver Eater’s air seats getting a good workout.

Finally, after one massive pothole put too much slack in the steering wheel, we decided to pull off in the desert and call it a night. Hiding off the road to avoid crowds the Liver Eater and crew settled down for their first sleep in 40 hours.

Liver Eater was churning along smoothly all day, giving Tim and Ike confidence that Black Horse Racing would get the #1 Revenant repaired and have both cars back on their way to Paris.

The next morning…

After six hours sleep, and steering adjustments, the Liver Eater was back on the road.

Running smoothly at sunrise, her crew was busy – driving and taking selfies in the mirror.

We even had breakfast from the snacks we got during a previous fuel stop.

We were flying to Ulaan Baatar, the Gobi giving way to upland grassland, when…

BOOM! Tim turns to Ike and says, “we’re finished.” 100 kilometers from our destination and…

The connecting rod came through the engine block and oil pan.

The rod is still there. Initial forensics according to Tim is the crank shaft still looks good.

So, while we wait for the recovery crew in the beautiful Mongolian countryside, the Liver Eater’s race is over – for this year.

More messages when they arrive…

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Back Roads Travel, BlackhorseRacing.com, Mongolia, Peking to Paris, Speedsters, Steve Trafton, Ulaanbaatar

Welcome to Mongolia

June 13, 2016 by SeaBix 1 Comment

Erenhot, on the Border of China and Mongolia

(with Updates Below)

Here is some basic information to help you follow the route:

Today’s Race begins at about 0700 China Standard Time, or 4:00 PM Pacific Daylight Time.
At about 4:00PM PDT, you can follow the live GPS signals from the start of the race and then watch as the signals move progressively along the mapped route. See this link.
For more comprehensive directions or to follow one of the other 115 specific vehicles, see this link from our previous blog post.
To view a map of the Peking to Paris Endurance Race progress with daily route updates, go here.
Local Time in Eastern Mongolia is 16 hours and one day ahead of Pacific Daylight Time (PDT).
You can be reminded of regular web site updates when a posting appears on our Facebook page.
The driving Weather Forecast starting from Erenhot near the China/Mongolia border:

Sprinkles. Overcast. Mild. 64°F / 18°C

From Stateside the Webmaster Writes: Well, we don’t really know the true facts about yesterday’s problems because Ike Trafton has not been able to update us yet. But here is another view as both cars left the town of Erenhot.

You’ll notice, that Google Street-View made it into Mongolia. So we have been able to grab some shots that the racing team saw at ground level.

Leaving Erenhot

.Unfortunately they were met with

And facing a main dirt road out of town.

Well. The view did change for the better. Somewhat.

For now, this is what we can surmise: although both the #1 and #4 cars were to have camped with the group, they took a separate route and will meet up in Mongolia’s fairly large and cosmopolitan capital city of Ulaanbaatar. The #1 vehicle will be repaired there and readied to continue the trip. While they were supposed to be camping for the night somewhere in Mongolia, the GPS rarely lies. (Well, occasionally it may incorrectly send you through someone’s garage, but not often.)

Below you will see that the larger group of road-ralliers goes off to the left (black arrow), but both the Black Horse Racing vehicles are taking the track north, directly to Ulaanbaatar.

Going Straight to Ulaanbaatar

For most of the drive today, this is what they are seeing.

At one point, #1 The Revenant vehicle pulled off the road to get gas:

Probably Self Serve

And this photo from Katherine confirms what we have often suspected.

Camel in the Middle of the Roadway

UPDATE at 4:30 PM (PDT) or 8:30 AM Mongolian Time

The photo above looks like a typical vehicle breakdown in middle America in about 1925. It’s not. However it is a breakdown shot in Mongolia in June, 2016.

Ike Trafton sends a quick update message:

Steve and Katherine are in Ulaan Bataar. Tim Taylor and I were driving from the Chinese border in the #4 Liver Eater to link up with them in order to fix the #1 Revenant. At about 55 miles (90 km) southeast of Ulaan Baatar we stuck a piston and broke a rod. We’re currently awaiting a wrecker. Will send photos and details when I get to the hotel. IKE

Steve and Katherine are waiting at this site in the Mongolian nation’s capital city…

#1 Revenant Location

…which looks like this (in the Google Street-View).

Remember that these two cars are two of the oldest vehicles in the Peking to Paris Endurance Race (the 1915 “The Revenant” is the oldest vehicle entrant and the 1925 “Liver Eater” is the 4th oldest vehicle), so a breakdown is not unexpected. We shall see what they decide to do when we receive Ike’s further update in tomorrow’s installment.

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Back Roads Travel, Mongolia Car Travel, Peking to Paris, Speedsters, Steve Trafton

Show Your Inner Mongolia

June 12, 2016 by SeaBix 1 Comment

Day Two. Into Mongolia (with updates below…)

Here is some basic information to help you follow along:

Today’s Race begins at about 0700 China Standard Time, or 4:00 PM Pacific Daylight Time.
At about 4PM PDT, you can follow the live GPS signals from the start of the race and then watch as the signals progress along the mapped route. See this link.
For more comprehensive directions to follow a specific car, see this link from our previous blog post.
To view a map of the Peking to Paris Endurance Race progress with daily route updates, go here.
Local China Time (the country has only one time zone) is 15 hours and one day ahead of Pacific Daylight Time (PDT).
You can be reminded of regular web site updates when a posting appears on our Facebook page.
Weather Forecast at Erenhot, Inner Mongolia, China:

Tomorrow:

Numerous showers. More clouds than sun. Cool.
Hi: 71°F / 22°C
Lo: 63°F / 17°C

From Stateside the Webmaster Writes: Hmm. No email from Ike yet and it looks like The Revenant #1 may have overheating problems in the desert. See below.

4:15 AM PDT or 7:15 PM Mongolian Time

Recalling Katherine’s transmission from yesterday, they had experienced some heating problems in the vehicles. At 4:15 AM Pacific Daylight Time this morning both vehicles (#1 and #4) are stopped about 114 miles from their destination of Erenhot. At 40 mph, this is about 3 hours from their destination.

Both vehicles stopped at this location (below). Not your typical Rest Stop.

You’d think this was Mongolia or something.

5:10 AM PDT or 8:10 PM Mongolian Time

#4 Liver Eater (blue arrow) is back on the road to Erenhot, while #1 Revenant (red arrow) stays put. Their destination is Erenhot (black arrow).

5:20 AM PDT or 8:20 PM Mongolian Time

#1 Revenant remains stopped. It appears that it may be overheating.

5:52 PDT or 8:52 PM Mongolian Time

#1 Revenant remains stopped (at red arrow), about three hours from it’s destination (circled), as #4 Liver Eater goes on ahead.

The #4 vehicle “The Liver Eater” nears the Mongolian town of Sonid Yougi (you’d think a Mongol made up these names?)…

But #4 appears that is not stopping in this Mongolian town. Instead it is driving on.

Meanwhile, the #1 car remains stopped. Oh Boy. More later…

UPDATES @ 3:15 PM PDT or 6:15 AM Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region

Here is the update and explanation for the events noted above from Ike Trafton. The #1 Revenant just started its movement on a tow-truck (at 3:15 PDT) going toward Erenhot. That’s about 12 hours after it pulled to the road side. According to Ike, the #4 vehicle will continue on tomorrow, while the #1 vehicle is being transported directly to Ulaan Baatar and will meet up with them there.

From Erenhot, Ike Writes: The day started hectic, but we were away at our official start time. The #1 car led off through the early morning rain on a 600 kilometer journey for the day.

Meanwhile in the #4, Tim enjoyed a relaxing morning drive…

…while Ike kept the “Liver Eater” on track from his navigation station with the GPS plotter, Monit rally display, and the tulip guidebook for our route.

While the #4 is running well, the #1 faced a series of mechanical challenges. The first was a sheared key connecting the water pump and alternator that resulted in loss of electrical power. As the Chinese crowd helped push the injured vehicle out of an intersection, Tim arrived and we quickly got it moved to a gas station.

After three hours of work, the damaged parts were replaced.

Additionally all the plugs were replaced as a further attempt to preclude trouble.

Unfortunately, only a couple hundred kilometers later, the “Revenant” was down again, with a possible water pump problem – related to the earlier alternator problem.

Steve and Katherine remained with their vehicle, awaiting a tow, while Ike and Tim continued into Erenhot with the “Liver Eater.” As of midnight here, Steve and Katherine are still alongside the road awaiting their tow. Tim and Ike are prepping the “Liver Eater” for departure tomorrow and awaiting the #1 and her crew.

.
The race has moved from the coastal plains and river valleys of eastern China, and is now poised to cross the Mongolian Plateau and the Gobi Desert. As the sheep and goat herder below proves, modern technology of motorcycle shepherding has arrived, at least, in Inner Mongolia.

Update @ 4:00 PM PDT: There may be no web site posting from Ike tomorrow June 14, since they are scheduled to camp somewhere in Mongolia. Katherine emails that she and Steve made it to the hotel in Erenhot (remember that it is early morning there). But both of them will continue on through the next night of camping and then to Ulaan Baatar. The #1 Revenant is still being transported by tow-truck and will meet-up with the group in two days at Ulaan Baatar. It will be there that Tim Taylor (the chief mechanic) will take a look at the vehicle and fix it. Hopefully. Probably.

Remember, Erenhot in Xilin Gol League, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region is completely built on a desert. Here are some travel pictures that they have little time to see…

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Back Roads Travel, Mongolia, Peking to Paris, Speedsters

And They’re Off!

June 11, 2016 by SeaBix 1 Comment

Day One. The Race is Underway.

Here is some basic information to help you follow along:

Today’s Race begins for the Trafton vehicle #1 (named “Revenant”) at 0700 China Standard Time, or 4:00 PM Pacific Daylight Time.
You can follow the live visual progress of the car(s) at this link:
For more comprehensive directions to follow a specific car, see this link from our previous blog post.
To see a map of the Endurance Race progress to date, go here.
Local China Time (the country has only one time zone) is 15 hours and one day ahead of Pacific Daylight Time.
Weather Forecast for today’s race at Datong, China:

More sun than clouds. Hot.
Hi: 94°F / 34°C
Lo: 69°F / 21°C

Here is the route they followed on their first day of travel:

. First Day’s Route

Katherine Trafton emails:

So happy you are following us! Car #1 and #4 are traveling together. We need to because we cannot travel the speeds of the other cars. We have to watch our temps. We climbed to 220 degrees often today. I could have brewed tea with the water bottles that we stored in the floorboards.

Our challenge is to follow the map correctly which we have done very well, and to try to have no mechanical issues. That requires us to not exceed 40 mph.

We had a very exciting day today! The Great Wall was spectacular. Weather was warm. Heavy truck traffic during two of the legs. Up at 0330, breakfast at 0500, in the car at 0530 to get to the start line by 0730.

No stop for lunch. Worked on car maintenance (tire pressure spark plug checks, etc) till 2030, dinner, shower and bed! We are car # 1 tomorrow with 0700 departure.

Katherine

And here is Ike Trafton’s daily update:

0300 began our prep this morning; we removed the header wrap and we mounted electric fans on the “Revenant” radiator (#1 car) to enhance cooling.

Steve and Katherine would start first and have the honors of the big “photo” start of the rally.

Katherine and Steve Trafton

Katherine, as usual was a hit with the dragon dancers who entertained before the start.

Katherine with Two Dragon Dancers

While Steve and Katherine are the beauty team in the #1 car, Tim and Ike are the support crew in the “Liver Eater”, car #4. We provide the car management and navigation services when required, which isn’t too often.

Tim Taylor and Dwight (Ike) Trafton

Then, after a quick 0500 breakfast, we hit the road for the start from the Great Wall.

Approximate Route to Follow

Live GPS tracking while underway

Of course the beauty team has the gas station staffs begging for photos; in fact the hardest part of the trip thus far is the hundreds of Chinese drivers trying to take photos of the two cars. We’ve even had them race ahead and walk out on the expressways to get a photo.

Of course the three hole, coed restrooms at the three gas stops we made today all varied in amenities.

Oh My.

Close up view in satellite mode

After 12 hours of driving, we arrived in Datong and began our preventive maintenance checks. The first 450 kilometers are behind us, and we have confidence that both American LaFrances are up to the challenge so far.

(Click to see individual photos.)

One question still remains from the day however – did Steve really hit that sheep or not?

Of course, Datong, China has some great things to see, but if you are in a race, you probably don’t have time. Shucks.

Here is the full map of Team Black Horse journey. It’s a long ways to go yet…

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Back Roads Travel, Beijing, BlackhorseRacing.com, China, Peking to Paris, Road Race, Speedsters

Final Vehicle Check

June 11, 2016 by SeaBix Leave a Comment

Final Vehicle Check

The list of Participants in the 6th Peking to Paris Motor Challenge is hefty, numbering 115 vintage cars from many countries and they’re all roaring to go. Each car in the competition has a GPS tacker that is mounted on the car itself. For our web site visitors to view the tracking page, follow this link – https://rpsrally.com/our-services/tracking-services/ where (if you scroll down) you will see all of the competitors listed.

Listing of Competitors

To open the tracker for either Black Horse Racing car, click on the text or the picture for the #1 or #4 car (see arrows) and it will take you to your own tracking map.(Steve and Katherine Trafton are driving the #1 car named “Revenant”, while Ike Trafton and Tim Taylor are driving the #4 vehicle, named “Liver Eater”.

Tracking Close Up

In the close-up (above), you can see where the cars are located on the map,

Tracking in Long Shot

…or you can view an expanded street map (above) of their location by scrolling with your mouse wheel (hold the Ctrl key and then roll Forward on the wheel, or hold the Ctrl key and roll Back on the wheel). In the left column, you can click on any line to see where the cars were…or are…at the moment. And you can also change your overhead map-view to Satellite (see top left of map). Try it out when you can!

Meanwhile, here is the latest from Ike Trafton:

Here is a picture at our last breakfast in Beijing, which we are ready to see in the rear view mirror.

This morning we repacked the “Revenant” (Car #1) and “Liver Eater” (Car #4), and prepped them for the safety and technical inspections.

Teddy the Teddy

Teddy the Teddy Bear has become the mascot for Black Horse Racing, and was present for inspections. Both cars passed the safety and technical inspections without issue. We received our navigation maps, tulip books, and official documents for the race after passing.

Finally the formal welcome-aboard briefing and dinner. All is Go for tomorrow.

We start the race at 0800 from the Great Wall of China.

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Back Roads Travel, Peking to Paris, Peking to Paris Motor Challenge, Road Rally, Steve Trafton

Carabunga! The Vehicles Arrived Intact!

June 10, 2016 by SeaBix 3 Comments

Time to Go See the Cars. Oh Goodie!

Ike Trafton writes from Beijing:

Have You Seen This Man?

After collecting our Chinese driver’s licenses this morning – and this is Tim Taylor’s shown here on the right (the name says so; just because the picture doesn’t) – we headed to the warehouse to pick up the cars.

I’ll Take That One Over There…

As you can see, the mad dash to get in the cars and on our way, was somewhat slowed by the number of other entrants admiring the “Revenant” – our car #1.

#4 “Liver Eater”. (Well Every Car Has To Have a Name. )

Car #4, the “Liver Eater” was parked next to the third American LaFrance entry from Austria, known as “The Beast” from its previous successful Peking to Paris Rally in 2013.

After checking for fluids and leaks, there was a mad scramble to get to the gas station.

Puffer Bellies in Panorama

The two hour drive back through Beijing saw a number of cars overheating, have starter issues, and other assorted challenges. The ALF’s took a couple of breaks on the way to the hotel simply to ensure our water temps were managed well on the 90 degree day. Every time we stopped, traffic backed up as the local citizens slowed to take pictures, honk, and generally marvel at the ALFs.

A Rolls Phantom

The drive also presented us with our first chance to navigate via the rally tulip book directions. We had no issues, and even recognized when the directions were incorrect by 1 kilometer as we neared the hotel.

The Chinese gas station attendants were a bit overwhelmed.

Gasaholics Anonymous

After arriving without issue at the hotel the ALFs again were scrutinized by the competition as unbelievable pieces of work. Some other rally entries parked across from the “Revenant” and “Liver Eater” at the hotel lot were impressive by their character or their design for speed.

My Other Car is Bright Red You Know…

The Liver Eater

The Revenant

Team Black Horse Vehicles at the Hotel

Tonight we are on our way to a cocktail reception, and tomorrow our cars are inspected, as we begin our last prep day in Beijing before the start of the endurance rally.

From Team Black Horse Racing in Beijing, all is well.

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: BlackhorseRacing.com, Peking to Paris, Road Race, Speedsters

Beijing Arrival

June 9, 2016 by SeaBix 1 Comment

Flight Path to China

On June 7, the team left San Francisco for Beijing at 11:34a PDT.

Ike Trafton writes:

The United 747 flight was eleven hours, smooth and uneventful. There was clear weather across Manchuria and northern China, until we started our decent into the smog of Beijing. It reminds us of LA smog in the 70s.

We were met by a facilitator who insisted on helping to carry the clutch plate bag….

After the hour drive from the airport, we arrived at the Shangri-la Hotel near the Beijing Zoo.

Then, after scoping out the competition in the lobby (who also arrived early), we held a strategy session in the outdoor bar with a few bottles of Tsingtao.

We did a training hike down to a local park – not unlike Central Park or Green Lake in Seattle. This resulted in a possible next project for Black Horse Racing of crossing the Bering Strait in a giant ducky…fortunately Steve couldn’t find the owner, so this idea died…for now.

Meanwhile Tim was back in the room with visions of clutch plates dancing in his head…

…maybe he just had too many squid chips.

This evening we get our Chinese drivers licenses; but until then, we did a bit of exploring down in the Forbidden City,

…and in Tianimen Square looking for those elusive tanks.

The surprise of our explorations was that Katherine was a minor celebrity with the local girls wanting their pictures taken with her.

Katherine was quick on the pick-up with the “V” sign and the occidental grin.

A Chinese Police Briefing was attended by all rally participants, where we learned: red means stop; green means go; and don’t drink and drive. Our reward for listening attentively is our Chinese Driver’s Licenses. So much for today’s activities.

We had an interesting conversation with the driver of Car #5 – Max from Australia. He drove the 2010 Peking to Paris and indicated eight cars never made it out of China – except on the back of flat bed trucks. Apparently vehicle prep and testing are the early downfall of many starters.

From your Black Horse Racing Team, all’s well.

(Our Facebook page is @blackhorseracingusa. See https://www.facebook.com/blackhorseracingusa)

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Back Roads Travel, BlackhorseRacing.com, Peking to Paris, Peking to Paris Motor Challenge, Road Rally, Steve Trafton

Winging West To China

June 7, 2016 by SeaBix Leave a Comment

Just before they board a flight from San Francisco to Beijing, China on the morning of June 7, 2016, Dwight Trafton sent this update:

Flew from SEA to SFO in clear weather seeing all the cascade volcanoes on the way: Rainier, Adams, St. Helens, Hood, Jefferson, Three Sisters, Shasta, and Lassen Peak.

Flight from Seattle to San Francisco

The only glitch was that the aircraft slammed on its brakes and squealed its tires while taxiing away from the gate – a ground vehicle had apparently violated rules of the road and cut in front of it. But following that “brake check”, all was well.

Team assembles together to start the journey. Dwight Trafton, Tim Taylor, Steve Trafton, Katherine Trafton

Team Black Horse all linked up at the San Francisco airport. Following a good steak dinner and restful night at the Airport Marriott, we are up and ready to head to the airport for an 11:00 AM departure to Beijing (12.5 hour flight).

The four member team will stay at the Shangri La Hotel in Beijing and assemble with the other drivers for the rally which begins on June 12th. They said they would be sleeping in used tents and eating watery-gruel. Oh sure…

Visit our page on Facebook @blackhorseracingusa to be notified of regular updates. (https://www.facebook.com/blackhorseracingusa)

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: BlackhorseRacing.com, Peking to Paris, Peking to Paris Motor Challenge, Steve Trafton

Traftons Leave for Peking to Paris Rally

June 5, 2016 by SeaBix Leave a Comment

The 9000 mile Peking to Paris Endurance Race is nearing its start date of June 12th! Katherine and Steve Trafton are meeting with brother Dwight Trafton and crew Chief Tim Taylor in San Francisco for the flight to Beijing, China. From there they will drive their two vintage American LaFrance speedsters across the Asian and European continents together with 120 other rally vehicles. See the full route below (click to make it larger):

Their travels will take them through China, Mongolia, Russia, Belorussia, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Italy, Switzerland and France. It’s a long Sunday drive of 36 days.

Check back at this site to follow their progress. We expect to have almost daily updates of their trip, with dialog and photos provided by Dwight Trafton. Some locations, of course, have hardly heard of the Internet, so transmission may be somewhat sporadic.

For more background information on the retrofitting of two vintage ALF speedsters for this race, see our previous pages at this site. And for more information on this race, go to the official Endurance Rally Association web site.

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: American LaFrance, BlackhorseRacing.com, Peking to Paris, Speedsters, Trafton

Peking to Paris Details

April 15, 2016 by SeaBix 1 Comment

Although some of the Peking to Paris race details are more fully explained on the web site of The Endurance Rally Association, here are the facts about the two vehicle entries from The Black Horse Racing Team and Steve Trafton.

Arriving in Long Beach on its way out to China, the 1925 American La France #4 was winched out of the car hauler onto a flat bed truck. It was then rolled off the ramp of the flatbed. Quite a tense operation. The ALF has 2 inches to clear on each side of the car hauler.

What is the schedule for the Peking to Paris Motor Challenge?

The cars start 1 minute apart. Since Trafton’s vehicles are numbered 1 and 4, they will start the race only 4-5 minutes apart. The route they follow is by map given at the beginning of the race and by GPS in Mongolia.

What other kinds of vehicles are entered?

Why are certain cars favored over others?

How did you decide on this race and why did you choose to move ahead?

As in other rallies, there are timed legs in the race. The winner overall is the car with the least deductions for the timed event.

There are some preparations for mechanical problems, but if a car breaks down in Mongolia it can ruin your day.

The Black Horse Racing Team made a few last minute changes to the two rebuilt American La France Speedsters. They now have cables to easily connect both cars’ batteries together. Why? In case one car needs a jump they can now charge one car without removing the floor and accessing the battery box of the other. They also installed a number of inverters to recharge the cell phones, laptops and camera batteries. Modernity intrudes.

And there were a few creature comforts installed to benefit the occupants who will need to drive 10-12 hours per day in order to complete the 300-400 mile legs.

Although the trip runs about 36 days there are three or four rest days, when drivers can work on their cars or take a rest from driving. There is accommodation in hotels in the larger cities. But what about remote areas?

Although most of the route does not have to contend with security issues, the group is encouraged to stay close to the others when traveling through unknown or potentially unfriendly territory. China, Mongolia, Russia and Siberia are generally safe. Belarus does not have the same negative issues of the Ukraine (and the political situation has changed this years’ route). Driving the larger cities will be more closely monitored. But what about protection from the weather?

We will follow Steve and Katherine, Tim and Dwight’s daily progress and post regular Blog Updates of the journey. Dwight (Ike) Trafton is providing team-updates through email…i.e. when he can access a server. But there are some remote areas that are simply without communication. In Mongolia and Eastern Siberia especially, “broadband” is not a common word. But each car carries a satellite telephone, so in theory an emergency phone-call could be made from any point. If only Marco Polo had known about satellite phones at the time, he could have called ahead for pizza.

Most of the gasoline is trucked in along the route and costs about $6 to $8 per gallon. For vehicles that get 3.5 MPG, have 130 horse power, 1000 pounds of torque, and a weight of 8200 lbs each, this amounts to a lotta fuel.

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: BlackhorseRacing.com, Endurance Motor Race, Peking to Paris, Speedsters, Steve Trafton

ALF Leaves for China

April 7, 2016 by SeaBix Leave a Comment

The second rebuilt American La France (ALF) speedster was recently tested north of Seattle and made ready for transport to China. The upcoming Peking to Paris Motor Challenge takes place from June 12th to July 17th 2016. Shown below you’ll see the Number One vehicle in that race, driven by Steve Trafton and his wife Katherine. This rebuilt car will travel overland for 9000 miles with another 119 vehicles registered for that road rally. One of two virtually identical speedsters in the BlackHorseRacing team to make the overland journey, both were rebuilt from old fire engine chassis. The other model will be piloted by Trafton’s crew chief Tim Taylor, with Steve’s brother Dwight as the backup driver.

Here, Steve loads ALF#1 into the truck that will carry it to San Diego where it then will be loaded on a ship for China.

(Select first image to see them in closeup.)

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: BlackhorseRacing.com, Endurance Motor Race, Peking to Paris, Peking to Paris Motor Challenge, Speedsters, Steve Trafton

Steve Trafton Interview

April 5, 2016 by SeaBix Leave a Comment

Mark Greene recently did a comprehensive audio interview with Steve Trafton on Mark’s 5-day a week podcast for www.CarsYeah.com. The interview covered Steve’s many extreme life-adventures, his land speed record, plus his business career and interest in cars. If you’d like to hear what he had to say, follow this link.

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: BlackhorseRacing.com, Peking to Paris, Peking to Paris Motor Challenge, Steve Trafton

Peking to Paris Roadster Nears Completion

November 27, 2015 by SeaBix

In this series of photos, follow the progress of end-stage preparation before road testing our updated American LaFrance vehicle. The first of two similar Steve Trafton roadsters entered in the upcoming road rally, this version was initially rebuilt in Rockwall, Texas from an original 1925 fire engine chassis. Then it was hauled on a trailer to the northwest United States where it was painted and further prepped. Components were specially forged and more modern accessories were fabricated for the 9000 mile transcontinental journey to be held during the summer of 2016.

Earlier, this ALF roadster was driven a short distance. Now, more tuning and electrical work is taking place. The new transmission works fine. Brakes are being adjusted. The heavy steering will be evaluated over a longer distance.

So this American LaFrance vehicle will soon be road-tested by Steve and his wife Katherine in advance of the July 2016 Peking to Paris Motor Challenge. Meanwhile, an orientation meeting in London was recently held for participants in the road rally. We’ll report on that meeting in our next installment.

The first of two American LaFrance rebuilt roadsters arrives in Washington State.

: Front Grill of Rebuilt ALF

: First ALF Roadster arrives by trailer in the northwest from Rockwall, Texas.

After its arrival in the northwest, the first vehicle was prepped for painting:

This roadster was painted dark blue.

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: American LaFrance, Peking to Paris, Road Rally, Roadster

ALF Roadster Progress Before Road Testing

August 27, 2015 by SeaBix

Follow the rebuilding of the first American LaFrance vehicle (of two) that will compete in the Summer of 2016 Peking to Paris Motor Challenge Race. These photos show the ALF Roadster Progress to date:

: Nose Art “Double Trouble” on right side of Cowl

: Test fitting hood top

: Overhead view

: Front brakes adapted from a F 750 Dump truck

: Rock guard front. Heavy stainless mesh is .125 X. 1/2 inch

: Supports for fenders are 1 inch chrome moly thick wall tubing

: Headlights assembled and on

: Water manifolds on.

: Floors in. Instruments and switches in.

This is the first start-up of the rebuilt ALF Roadster:

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: American LaFrance, Peking to Paris, Road Rally, Roadster

American LaFrance Startup

March 29, 2015 by SeaBix

Vroooom Vrooom!
American LaFrance Engine Startup!

The 14.5 Liter La France engine comes to life after decades of silence! The sound is very much like a World War Two aircraft. We hope to have it tuned and in the first of two cars in about two weeks.

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: American LaFrance, Peking to Paris, Road Race, Road Rally, Roadster

Peking to Paris Motor Challenge Progress

February 24, 2015 by SeaBix Leave a Comment

Peking to Paris Motor Challenge Progress

The two American La France Roadsters being assembled for the 2016 Peking to Paris Motor Challenge Race are on schedule. Follow progress in these photos and recorded comments by Tim Taylor, in charge of rebuilding.

How far along is this project?

Two old (fire truck) vehicles are being re-built as roadsters for the Peking to Paris Motor Challenge of 2016.

We’ll have further progress updates and comments from Tim Taylor as the rebuilding process continues.

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: American LaFrance, Peking to Paris, Road Race, Road Rally, Roadster

American La France Roadster Takes Form

February 2, 2015 by SeaBix

American La France Roadster Takes Form

Here is our progress as of January 31, 2015.

The American La France Roadster (one of two) is being re-built in Rockwall, Texas.

Piston used in La France Road Rally Racing Roadster

This is a synopsis of what has been done to date. We will update this page from time to time so you can follow the progress!

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: American LaFrance, Peking to Paris, Road Race, Road Rally, Roadster

Building the Road Rally Racing Roadster

November 2, 2014 by SeaBix 1 Comment

Building the Road Rally Racing Roadster

Peking to Paris 2016

Building the Road Rally Racing Roadster: After the 2010 Bonneville Land Speed Record adventure the Black Horse Racing Team set about coming up with the next challenge we would undertake. We settled on three possibilities.

Another Bonneville Speed Record
Vintage Formula One Racing with our 1991 Ferrari F1 car
Participate in a major long distance Endurance Road Rally

The Bonneville idea was appealing and we certainly had the experience and team to build a new car and try for another, even faster record. We even researched what it would take to build a 350 mph plus car to race in 2015 and 2016. But land speed racing is a very “lonely” one person oriented sport. Even though the team gets to participate in building the car and preparing it for a record run, only one person gets to drive and experience the actual race. No…… Bonneville would have to wait.

Vintage F1 racing certainly has its appeal, but is fabulously expensive and it is also very driver oriented. So many people would spend thousands of hours working on a very temperamental car so one person can drive around a road course. That’s not to say that we won’t take the Black Horse F1 car to the track for fun, but as a goal and prolonged endeavor it leaves something to be desired.

So at the suggestion of Tim Taylor, our team leader, we decided to enter two cars in the 2016 Peking to Paris Motor Challenge.

Once the decision was made we had to settle on what cars to enter. We wanted something durable, because of the demands of a race that covers over 9000 miles, crosses the Gobi desert, Siberia and Russia, and the Alps before finishing at Paris. We wanted something unusual and interesting because it would be a complete departure from anything we have worked on in the past. We wanted something that would continue to be fun to drive on long distance tours after the big race. Finally we wanted something vintage, pre-war with some panache!

We considered a couple of old 1920s or 30s Rolls Royces, Bentleys, Morgans, Chevrolets, Fords etc.

After a lot of consideration we settled on two early American La France Speedsters. These 14.5 liter, 18 foot long, 7500 lb. cars fit the qualifications nicely. Often nicknamed the “Beast” or “Brutus” they started life as American La France fire trucks built in Elmira, New York. During the 1920’s, a number of car enthusiasts bought the bare chassis from the factory and converted existing fire trucks into “Speedsters” by re-bodying them with custom coachwork.

Late in 2013 and early 2014 Tim searched the country for enough of these old fire trucks to construct two of these speedsters for the P to P Rally. We also decided that my wife Katherine and I would drive one entry, a 1915 and Tim and my brother Dwight would drive the other, a 1925 in the 2016 race.

In early 2014 the original trucks were torn down to the frames, the engines were pulled and the drive train dismantled. The frames were sent to the sand blaster and taken down to bare metal, examined for cracks or any defects and then painted with epoxy primer.