HERO-ERA unveils the Vintage Caucasus 2029, a new rally from Budapest to Baku

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Press release

Vintage Caucasus 2029: Budapest to Baku
16 April – 4 May 2029

• A 5,000 km journey through six countries: Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Türkiye, Georgia and Azerbaijan
• Created exclusively for Pioneer and Vintage cars
• A long-distance adventure in the tradition of the Vintage-only Flying Scotsman

“The Vintage Caucasus will be the long-distance equivalent of the Flying Scotsman, with the most wonderful motoring enthusiasts taking part and a great opportunity to see parts of the world that are a perfect setting for these most wonderful cars,” said Tomas de Vargas Machuca, Chairman of HERO-ERA, at the rally’s launch at Bicester Motion on 10 September. Entries opened immediately afterwards on the HERO-ERA website.

The new 5,000 km event will start in Budapest and finish in Baku, following a route never before driven on a HERO-ERA event. Crossing Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Türkiye, Georgia and Azerbaijan, the Vintage Caucasus Rally has been crafted exclusively for vintage cars and dedicated to the pioneers of motoring.

From Budapest, crews will travel through Romania and Bulgaria, taking on spectacular roads, remote mountain passes and landscapes shaped by centuries of history. Türkiye and Georgia lie at the heart of the adventure. The route will cross Türkiye’s red mountains, vast plateaus and ancient Silk Road routes before heading towards Georgia’s rolling hills, dramatic valleys and vineyards.

The rally promises more than a test of cars and crews. Changing cultures, unfamiliar roads and striking scenery will be part of the experience. The journey concludes in Baku, Azerbaijan, with a memorable finish to this vintage motoring expedition.

A new route for vintage cars

Guy Woodcock, Clerk of the Course for the Vintage Caucasus 2029, explained that HERO-ERA’s relationships with local motoring organisations will help the team find roads unfamiliar to rally crews.

“We’ve got really good relationships in Romania and Bulgaria with the local motor clubs and people we used on P2P, and the same in Türkiye, where they looked after us really well. There are little-known parts of Türkiye where we are planning a deep dive as a result!

“However, the roads and challenges we find will take into account the potential Pioneer and Vintage class vehicles likely to take part, similarly with the competition element.

“The same applies in Georgia, where we plan to delve deep into the back roads. We only skirted through Georgia on the Peking to Paris Motor Challenge and there are some beautiful roads there. We will be helped by the Georgian Automobile ASN, who are really keen for us to spend a bit more time on their incredible roads.

“And then there is Azerbaijan. They can’t do enough for us; they have been brilliant. So we’re going into countries where we have experience, but exploring areas we’ve not visited before. It’s going to be a whole new route created specifically for vintage cars.”

In the spirit of endurance rallying

Tomas de Vargas Machuca, Chairman of HERO-ERA, commented:

“It has been 38 years since the great Philip Young started his first event, the Classic Marathon, in 1988. Philip was the forefather of historic endurance rallying, so everything we do in the revival of historic car events follows the spirit of his original event. ERA has previously organised long-distance events specifically for pre-war cars, including Vintage Cape Horn and Vintage Casablanca.

“The Flying Scotsman is a wonderful event and personally one of my favourites. Participants in the pre-war categories of our other events, including Peking to Paris, have told us they want an endurance event just for vintage cars. This gives them the opportunity to explore remarkable places, including parts of Türkiye we glimpsed during Peking to Paris.

“We wanted to return to Georgia and Azerbaijan in the spirit of Peking to Paris and London to Lisbon. Budapest to Baku felt like the right journey, and so Vintage Caucasus was born.

“Being in a pre-war car is a more sensory experience because you’re exposed to the elements. There’s no better way to explore these lesser-travelled areas than in a Pioneer or Vintage car. Türkiye is steeped in history and culture, yet relatively few rallies visit it.

“We want to make this a memorable event and keep the spirit of endurance rallying in pre-war cars alive. The first Peking to Paris organised by Philip Young in 1997 included a significant number of vintage cars, and we currently expect around 50 vintage entries in the 2028 Peking to Paris Motor Challenge. We hope pioneering adventure motorists will respond just as enthusiastically to the Vintage Caucasus 2029.”

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