PHILIP Young, who has died aged 66, was a prolific face of motorsport who founded the East Hendred-based Endurance Rally Association.

He was known in rally circles for reviving the Peking to Paris Motor Challenge, the famous race of five cars which originally took place in the summer of 1907.

The world’s first international motor rally, it saw five eccentric drivers ship their cars to China before racing back to France, to prove the motor car could provide independent means of travel.

Among the participants was Prince Scipione Borghese, of the Italian house of Borghese, who went on to win.

Inspired by the race years later, in 1997 Mr Young revived it for its 90th anniversary and 94 vehicles took part.

It was a success and since bringing it back again in 2007, the Endurance Rally Association has held one every three years.

The rally association is based East Hendred, near to where Mr Young’s friend Peter Browning was based.

Mr Browning worked for BMC in Abingdon at the MG factory and Mr Young would often show visitors of the association the town and the factory.

Mr Young was also a founding figure of the Historic Rally Car Register, the largest enthusiast organisation of its kind in Europe, and set a world record for driving from Cape Town to London in tenand- a-half days.

Born on September 21, 1948, Mr Young grew up near Ashford, Kent, and picked up his passion from his father, who competed in road rallying events and owned a garage frequented by rally greats such as Pat Moss and Peter Harper, with their works Minis.

In 1968, a 20-year-old Mr Young stood on Westminster Bridge to watch the start of the London to Sydney Marathon. When the next one came around in 1977, he was on the start line in an MG Magenta that he had built himself. He went on to compete in the 1980 Himalayan Rally, in the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Morris Minor.

He was supported on the rally by Cowley-based firm Unipart and MG in Abingdon prepared the car for him.

Inspired by the plans of a Sunbeam Tiger owner to take his car over the Alps, Mr Young later organised the 1988 Pirelli Classic Marathon, the first international event for classic cars.

It ran to Cortina in Italy before returning to London’s Pall Mall and was broadcast by the BBC to an audience of more than six million viewers.

Philip Young died in hospital in Bangkok on March 11, after being involved in a motorcycle accident in Burma.

He is survived by his partner Jane and daughter Emma.

A private family funeral will take place in the coming weeks and a public memorial will be held in May.