Badawi Trail 2026
David was delighted to be invited by our client and new owner of the 1907 Itala, Tomas de Vargas Machuca to join the Badawi Trail 2026 in March. Originally he was only intending to be on the support team to show the drivers how to drive and look after the car. But David, having once been the proud owner of this car, was even more excited to be asked to join in with the driving alongside Tomas and Ben Coussens when the original participant pulled out.
The event had to be shortened and partially re-routed from its original finishing point to avoid the recent conflicts, with the new shortened run staying on the west coast of Saudi only.
Upon arrival in Jeddah, David put on his “driving instructor” flipflops and guided Tomas & Ben in a couple of hours of driving tuition around Jeddah before starting the event.
The event was completed with minimum problems, and they had great fun across a variety of territory including lots of sand sections in the desert and high up in the mountains at 2,600 meters with some very long, challenging climbs.
David mainly had a go in the driving seat, using his expertise and experience when driving got challenging. This was particularly the case up a very steep mountain, during some extremely hot weather and was followed by a massive land slide and rocks tumbling on the path that had just been driven. David even captured this on video but we won’t publish that one due to some ‘colourful’ language!
Overall the Itala had perfect performance and one of only a few cars that had no maintenance whilst actually on road, coming in at 5th place overall and 1st in class – not bad for a 118 year old car!
Generally, maintenance was conducted during rest days and evening down time, with a makeshift workshop set up and ready to go.
Along the way, the crew met some friendly locals who were always unbelievably helpful from filling with fuel to hosting after the day was done – everyone was great.
The scenery was magnificent, including the wildlife, lots of camels (no surprise there!), goats, sheep and donkeys – some clearly a little tired and catching a lift in the back of a truck.
The guys visited a mosque at Medina, and the most spectacular mirrored building in Saudi Arabia – The Maraya Concert Hall in Alula, in the north of country not far from Jordan.
Since returning from the Rally a featured article has been published by The Daily Telegraph, fame at last!!! The article can be found on the following link:
The aristocrat driving across Saudi Arabia in a 120-year-old car (as missiles fly overhead)
And here’s another recent article published at PreWarCar.com:
About David Ayre Cars
As a veteran and Vintage Bentley and Lagonda owner and restorer (as well as Rally Support and competitor), we pride ourselves in having the knowledge, enthusiasm and expertise to be able to offer the most detailed and comprehensive service to our worldwide customer base.
30 plus years in the trade and a real passion for vintage Bentley and Lagonda cars has given us an extensive knowledge and experience of vintage car restoration. Our complete service means no matter whether it’s a full restoration or a service, you’ll be in expert hands. From a complete engine rebuild to an interim service, we’ll take care of your vintage car to the highest of standards.
To view more of our Vintage Bentley and Lagonda Restorations click here.