A deserted four-lane road stretches to the horizon, and nary a fellow traveller in sight. It's nice to have a deserted road, but after such a stretch, we're hoping we might encounter some human settlement soon... So we felt as we motored along on the HN-Open 2024 rally, a real week of extremes, on Hainan Island, off the coast of China.
When we heard of the opportunity to once again drive in a Chinese rally, we didn't hesitate to shipour 1934 Riley Lynx and the famous PreWarCar.com Ford V8 panel van halfway round the world, and book ourselves on a flight to the Orient, along with 70 other European enthusiasts. Two weeks ago, we landed in Sanya, the southernmost city on Hainan Island.
Ihad driven inralliesin China staged by the same organisation twice before and although much was familiar, other things were very different. Development certainly does not stand still here and so some things were much easier than last time, like getting car registered and getting our Chinese driving licence. However, nothing had changed with respect to linguistic communication, which just enhanced the element of adventure.
The roads and natural beauty on Hainan are beautiful and also vary greatly. We saw large construction projects abandoned and desolate but also entire cities, completed to beautiful designs and vibrant with activity. We saw vast highways with little traffic while apparently chaotic scenes were acted out in the smallest villages. We travelled on roads which lay deserted for milesand we sat stationary for an age while impeded by a herd of stubborn cows. We saw the evidence of natural beauty laid completely to waste by a typhoon, as well as bounteous coconut forests covering the earth in a healthy carpet of swaying leaves. The participating vehicles were also varied, from a 1926 Bugatti Type 37 to a Hongqi that once belonged to Chairman Mao;all stood out in Chinese traffic both with regard totheir appearance and the manner in which they were driven...
The route took us around the whole island, with fivedays spent driving over a total distance of around 745 miles,to endback in Sanya. This was our daily itinerary:
After a flight, with a stopin Peking, we arrived in Sanya on Wednesday evening, November 13th. It is immediately hot and muggy on arrival and by taxi we go to our hotel, the J. W. Marriott, a beautifully dramatic complex overlooking the sea. In the underground car park, the cars were parked neatly side by side with a security guard. After a second on the starter, our Riley fired up with enthusiasm and took to its lodging. Like everything in China, things change with regularity, due to changing government regulations and decrees. Who knows what to do? The application process for driving licences is one of those things that's changed—originally, the plan was for everyone to take tests, but it is now the case that anyone with a valid driving licence at home will gets one in China, too. The inspection of the cars was also trouble-free providedyou had a valid technical inspection certificate, but all drivers were required to submit that in advance.
On Friday afternoon, we took a bus from the hotel to an "authentic"Chinese theatre for the opening ceremony and dinner, where a number of participating cars went on display. We returned by bus to the hotel, to get the rest we'd need for the next day.
The Sanya city tour was scheduled for Saturday—a55-mile drive behind a police escort, with nice, sunny weather and warm temperatures, conducted at a steady 30 km/h (19 mph). There could have been a bit more acceleration...
Day 1:
The departure ceremony started five minutes away from the hotel, where cars were lined up, beer was fetched for the road from the sponsor and people in dragon suits put on a show. It was full to the brimwith everything Chinese. After a hundred thousand photos, we were able to leave and drove out of Sanya. It was ahot day again, but by folding down the windscreen it was quite doable in terms of temperatures in the car. And what a wonderful drive we had—smooth Tarmac and little traffic apart from some cows and goats. The driving style has become a bit neater than it was in the past, but it remains an enjoyable test of physical and mental agility—a left-hand slalom, right through traffic, accelerate where possible, watch out for scooters, by-pass merging traffic, and don't forget to honk the horn!
Day 2:
After the brief departureceremony and some more photography, we set offagain. The roads were spacious and we had a lovely ride. Towering apartment buildings rose up everywhere along the way, some finished, some half-built and abandoned. Investment in the island is high but it seems not everyone is up to it. However, the roads are beautiful and the combination of wide, smooth roads and the small villages with potholed tracks was good; it gave us anice mix. We drove for miles between watermelon greenhouses, with hundreds of local labourers hard at work on either side.
Halfway through, we had lunch somewhere by the water; every day the organisation provideda packed lunch. The last stretch was beautiful andmostly inland. We passedcluttered villages, houses on stilts, coconut groves at first, and then it was all high-rise flats. It couldn't have been more different. We ended at the Marriott in Haikou, the island's capital.
Day 3:
The weather was clearly different on this side of the island.The flags at the opening ceremony blew over, jackets were put on and some cars had their roofs raised, but we set off undaunted for the next part of the journey. Again, it was all very different but it proved to be truly a dreary day. It was not just the weather that caused the dreariness, but the damage from a previous typhoon, which was in equal parts impressive. We drove along a beautiful road through the dunes, with fallen trees on all sides—nature here was badly damaged. Still, the roads were awe-inspiring, but there was a strange feeling about them.
Day 4:
It had rained all night and looked like it might keep raining all day. The Riley had caught a slight coldand stood with a dead battery. After help from mechanics, it started and we set off. Cold and wet was the first part, so we put the hood up. However, the weather soon improved and we were able to drive open-topped again. We stopped attwogarages, hoping to buy either a jump starter or a battery, but despite many exuberanthand gestures and the best efforts of translation apps, they could not understand or assist. So we drove on, because at leastthe alternator worked and we were hopeful that the battery still had something resembling life in it. The official stop was at a large, operational temple. We walked round and had a drink, andthen drove on and noticed that we'd arrived in a particularly rich area, withbeautiful houses, beautiful roads and beautiful natural scenry. That was perhaps the best part of the week.
Day 5:
The last driving day started with changing the battery. After this, we started quickly and headed for the starting ceremony. In theory, it would be a day involving lots of driving to get to the finish in time. We travelled on some beautiful roads and through marvellous hills, but time-keeping efforts were thrown into disarray when we reached a town and were obstructed by its market. It was the most chaotic street so far—stalls everywhere, people bustling, scooters whizzing, music pulsing, vendors shouting and everything swirling every which way. It was amazing!
The finish line was in Sanya in a big square with lots of visitors. The awards ceremony started and while just about everyone got a prize, the real winners were also named. The Dutch Army DAF jeep had won overall.After the whole event, we drove the cars to an exhibition, where over the coming days they form a display for the public.
It was another great event and we are already looking forward to next year. Should you also want to participate, feel free to let us know. It's something we'd highly recommend.
