BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 1. Australian traveler Rick Lindsay has once again visited Azerbaijan, including the country on the route of his journey during a charity road trip in a 1929 Pontiac Roadster in support of Parkinson’s disease research, Trend’s correspondent reports.
Lindsay made the statement during a meeting with journalists at Baku White City,
He said he had already visited Azerbaijan earlier this year and decided to include the country in his route again because of his impressions from the trip. “I loved Azerbaijan so much that I decided we definitely had to include it in our route on the way to Türkiye,” he said.
Moreover, Lindsay noted that he plans to spend two or three days in Azerbaijan, after which he will travel to Georgia for approximately a week and then continue his journey to Türkiye. “We’ll spend two or three days here and explore your beautiful mountains. Then we’ll cross the border and go to Georgia for about a week, and after that, to Türkiye,” the traveler added.
Speaking about the car, Lindsay noted that the Pontiac was manufactured in Detroit, U.S., in 1929. According to him, the car was not originally considered an expensive or luxury vehicle and, after arriving in Australia, was used for agricultural purposes.
“It is not an expensive or luxury car, not a Rolls-Royce or a Bentley, but an ordinary family car. It was sold in Australia in 1929. We do not know who the first owner was, but the car was used in agriculture,” Lindsay said.
Lindsay acquired the car many years later. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he partially restored it using his free time. “I’m a builder, and at that time we didn’t have much work, so I had some free time and partially restored the car. But it is still quite rough,” the traveler said.
According to Lindsay, the main difficulties during the journey are related to the technical condition of the nearly century-old car. “This car is almost 100 years old, so you can imagine that it has quite a few problems. There are problems with the wheels, the fuel system, and other mechanisms,” he noted.
At the same time, Lindsay emphasized that the journey also has a charitable purpose. He is raising funds to support Parkinson’s disease research in Australia. “We are raising money for this research. Scientists and researchers are already very close to achieving a result — literally, it is a matter of several months. So I am trying to raise as much money as possible to help them achieve this goal,” he said.
Lindsay noted that the research involves developing a method that, according to Australian specialists, could potentially stop the progression of the disease, although it would not constitute a cure.
“I love this country. We were lucky to arrive right after the Formula 1 Grand Prix because, honestly, I think this car would have beaten all those racing cars. Just look at it — it is so fast and amazing!” the traveler said, referring to his car.
