Dozens of automotive veterans are driving an endurance race from Prague to Athens

Zajíček and his friend from Turkey came up with the idea. “My friend Turgut went to buy a car from Istanbul to Germany by train in the 1970s, but on the way back he drove an already purchased car. So last year I suggested to him that he should fly over, and I would take the Tatras and we would go to Turkey. Then we approached three other friends and suddenly there were 23 cars. That’s why we wanted to give it the framework of a quality project,” described the organizer.

The journey is divided into stages. “We don’t want it to be a race. The goal is for everyone to enjoy the journey and arrive safely at each hotel and then to their final destination in Athens,” said Zajíček.

The first stage ends in the Austrian Alps, the second in Croatia in the city of Rijeka, where there is also a circuit nearby where participants can race against time. The next stops are Dubrovnik, Ioannina in Greece, then Olympia and the end is in Athens.

Along the way, the participants have service teams available, just like last year, in case of necessary repairs. “It is difficult to qualify for participation, but veteran owners know what the car wants. The car constantly needs something, it has to be repaired or its spare parts replaced. But we also have three service teams with us on the trip, including tow trucks. That’s why we are able to adjust a lot of things even after the trip to Athens,” said Zajíček.

In Athens, the organizers will announce the winner of the circuit or the most beautiful car. Each participant will receive a participation trophy. After a week, the cars are loaded onto trucks and the participants fly back to Prague.

Last year 23 cars participated, this year another 20 cars joined them. The crews started gradually in the morning from the National Technical Museum, where cars of various brands, such as Tatra, Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz or Aston Martin, were parked.

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