The remarkable solo endurance achievement of adventurer Tomas de Vargas Machuca on the 2025 Peking to Paris Motor Challenge, a FIVA registered event, has now been officially recognised as a world record. Following a detailed submission supported by extensive documentation, the International Acceptance Committee of Official World Record Europe (OWR) confirmed that his accomplishment had been verified and approved, granting him the official record title: “The First Person to Drive Solo from Beijing to Paris in a Pre-War Car”
For those who do not know him, Tomas de Vargas Machuca is the Chairman of long time FIVA partner HERO-ERA. Driving a 1926 Bentley 3-4½ Litre, de Vargas Machuca completed the 37-day endurance rally entirely on his own, covering 14,899 kilometres across 12 countries on one of the world’s most demanding historic motoring events. The route stretched halfway across the globe, beginning in China before crossing Kazakhstan and the Caspian Sea to Azerbaijan, continuing through Türkiye and the Caucasus, and then across Europe via Georgia, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Austria, Germany, Switzerland and finally France. Along the way he crossed ten international borders and spent six nights camping under canvas while battling extreme conditions that included heat exhaustion, heavy rain and sandstorms across the southern reaches of the Gobi Desert.
The achievement was not only a test of driving endurance but also one of resilience and survival. At the end of each demanding day, repairs and maintenance had to be carried out on the Bentley regardless of time or conditions. Without the determination to continue through these hardships, reaching the finish line in Paris—and securing the world record—would not have been possible. Remarkably, despite undertaking the entire journey alone, de Vargas Machuca also finished 14th overall in the rally standings, an impressive result given the scale and difficulty of the challenge.
Reflecting on the recognition, de Vargas Machuca expressed both pride and gratitude: “I am delighted to add this important recognition to my Personal Achievement of the Year of my ‘solo’ adventure across the world. Just as I was inspired by pioneers before me, I hope to inspire others to go beyond their comfort zone. I would like to dedicate this recognition to my late father, who was so instrumental in building and sharing my passion for adventure and for the motorcar.”
Official World Record Europe is an organisation dedicated to promoting, verifying and cataloguing world records through extensive research and evaluation processes. Record claims are only approved once they meet strict verification standards, often involving independent expert consultation to confirm the legitimacy and scale of the achievement.
De Vargas Machuca’s record places him among other notable record-setting participants on the Peking to Paris Motor Challenge, including Anton Gonnissen, who set a record for the furthest distance travelled in a three-wheeler, and Mitch Gross, who achieved the furthest distance travelled in a steam-powered vehicle during the 2019 event. His own accomplishment sets a new benchmark for the longest solo distance drive in a pre-war car, covering nearly 15,000 kilometres across the world’s largest landmass in just over five weeks.
The feat also invites comparison with the previous benchmark for solo endurance driving in competition, set by Englishman Eddie Hall at the 1950 24 Hours of Le Mans. Hall drove his Bentley for the entire race distance of 236 laps—approximately 3,200 kilometres—without handing over to his co-driver, despite having one ready in the pits. De Vargas Machuca’s achievement, however, extended the concept of solo driving endurance across continents and over far greater distances.
For the record-breaker, the adventure did not truly end at the official finish in Paris. Inspired by the traditions of early motoring pioneers who drove their cars to and from events, he continued the journey beyond the rally’s conclusion, driving the Bentley from Paris to London and onward to the HERO-ERA headquarters at Bicester Motion. “Someone told me that in the old days competitors used to drive to an event and that you only really finished if you drove back home,” he explained. “So I drove the Bentley home to London and then on to Bicester Motion to complete the task.”
Following the rally, de Vargas Machuca also received a Personal Achievement Award at the Historic Motoring Awards, a recognition that now stands alongside his officially ratified world record. Together, these honours celebrate not only an extraordinary driving performance but also the enduring pioneering spirit that defines the historic motoring community.
