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Blokes, 3 Pandas and 8,000 Miles - The 2005 London to Mongolia Rally
- -1126 days to go |
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The
100 days left interview: The clock is ticking and there's only 100 days left. I wonder if you could tell us how you think the following aspects of trip preparation are going: Car preparation: RICH: The car has had a bit of a rollercoaster ride over the 2 months that we've owned it. At the time of purchase it was running really well - and in our endeavours to improve it we've had a few setbacks which are detailed at length in the 'news' section of the website. The net effect of it all is that although breaking things and suffering a few failures - the car is probably a bit better off for all the new bits its got on it. Some of the key potential faults have become actual ones and have been fixed, and most importantly we've now got some idea about how to go about diagnosing and fixing these faults. Life will certainly be a bit tougher once we're out of range from the AA (they've been pretty central to events thus far). But all in all I'm pretty happy with the car prep. I'm still a bit of an autophobe, but at least have some clue now. I know Ben is doing well in this area which is good for our chances. BEN: I have become one with the car. Not in the sense that I am fully aware of its workings and totally confident in my ability to fix them. More in the sense that if the car isn't working, I'm definitely not happy and my moods don't improve until the Panda is rolling again. There is nothing so satisfying (well not a lot of things anyway), as getting the car going again through your own efforts. For a brief unthinking moment the other day I got a bit depressed that there wasn't much left to do with the car. Thankfully, I was completely wrong. Future work includes replacing the radiator and heater matrix, adding an oil cooler, rally lights. I keep on thinking about more and more things to do with the car. Amazing. Fundraising, donations and sponsorship: RICH: It's going quite well now. Between us we've made a massive effort to rouse corporate interest. Without the head start we were given by friends, family and Racetext, things might have got a little demoralising though. I've sent over 200 letters to companies myself, with a very low response rate initially. The toughest part is getting companies to realise the marketing opportunity that our efforts present - with our approaches generally reaching the 'sponsorship' departments of big companies. As soon as they spot the word "charity" they're all assuming we want something for nothing - rather than understanding the fact they could get local and national exposure for just a hundred quid or so. That said - we've had an excellent response over the past couple of weeks with plenty of donations of parts and visual/mechanical expertise - so the effort has not been for nothing. The key thing is that we will definitely be raising the minimum/full £1000 required - and with that we are able to make a significant impact to the communities we are supporting through the charities. BEN: Rich is doing a great job contacting companies for sponsorship, but it's a bit of shame that his efforts haven't got the results they deserve. We are eternally grateful to the companies who have offered help so far. It's great that they have a bit of faith in us about this adventure. We also have a couple of big possibilities that would be amazing if they materialise. I've also got to admit that at the start of this, the charity aspect was on the sideline for me. It was all about the adventure. Now the more I hear about the charities and their work, the more pleased I am that we are involved in helping them. Route planning: RICH: We've not really gone about this yet in truth. There's been far too much else to deal with, and the key focus has been to get the Panda to actually go anywhere at all. Given that we didn't make it past the High Street on our first road test - it seems a little presumptuous to start planning out the roads we'll be taking in Kazakhstan! I'm pretty relaxed about all this too - in that I can't see really how we'll ever know in any detail which way we're going until we're actually on the road. I'm sure any well laid plan will be shot to pieces by local advice once we're underway anyway - so I'm looking forward to wing-ing it to a certain extent. One thing I would like to look at though is planning a few key places to go through en route. It only dawned on me the other day that we'd probably be having a one-off opportunity to see some fabulous landscapes and landmarks - so if we can factor those in then great. But for now - the plan is to head east - and if we hit the ocean, then we've gone too far. BEN: I'm looking forward to researching the route a bit over the next few months. I love road trips, and the possibilities of finding amazing places on route. At the moment we are planning on taking the northern route, i.e. through Moscow. This does entail a long time travelling through Russia. I've got to admit that this leg of the trip is worrying me a bit. The stories from the guys who went last year, combined with those from other sources, aren't very reassuring. This section looks like it's going to be one of the most expensive parts of the trip, and probably the most worrying too. Paperwork: RICH: We've done what we can so far, sorting the car insurance and keeping the car tax up to date. There's a whole heap of stuff still to sort, like European/world insurance, visas and the like, but most of these can only be applied for 3 months prior to travel….which is like…a few days away! This will be a bit of a nightmare I think, costing quite a lot with no tangible benefit until we reach the countries in question. This also represents the biggest potential waste of money - where we might potentially shell out for visas to countries we may not ever reach. (But no…no negative thoughts). We've also kept a tight ship with regards to the admin side of things, with a cracking website, records of all the letters sent and a log of all the spending and upgrades done. BEN: As Rich has said, we're yet to start getting visas and travel documents. The same goes for our injections. This isn't a part of the planning that I'm looking forward to, as I've got a bit of a mental block when it comes to filling in forms. The way to look at it is this is the easy bit. Forms are going to be a hell of a lot harder when you have to fill in forms in a foreign language, in triplicate, listing all your possessions, at a border, in a small room with a guy with a Kalashnikov. And in terms of personal mental and physical preparation; how are you feeling about the trip? RICH: I'm feeling great about it. The one and only anxiety I've got is about having a mechanical failure and not being able to continue. I'm confident about being able to cope with spending a month in the car pretty much non-stop. I've been at the gym and have lost a stone of weight - and feel fit and able to cope with the rigours of outdoor life. Mentally I'm ready for it too. I've had a tricky year in some respects with a family bereavement and a relationship ending so the chance to do something massively challenging and worthwhile is a real boost. To be honest, departure day can't come soon enough (so long as the car goes). BEN: Rich is a tad more physically prepared than I am for it. Despite my best intentions I haven't gone anywhere near a gym. For me it's a bit more important as I have a habit of falling asleep at the wheel. I'm hoping a bit of cardio-vascular exercise before the trip should help me stay awake for longer. So after writing this, I'm going to turn over a new leaf and get down the gym, honest. I'm also a bit worried about my back as it tends to seize up after a few hours in the car. I am doing some exercises at the moment to sort this out, but if I'm honest, not frequently enough. I'm confident we'll get there, and in our ability to fix the car on the way. My only worries are for our personal safety. I'd feel a lot more confident if I could speak a little bit of Russian. I'm going to give it a go, but I'm not expecting a miracle. I can't wait to get going, as the trip is going to be a complete break from normal day to day problems. You can't really worry about stuff back home, when there is so much to think about on the way. What are the most frightening aspects of the trip? RICH: I'm doing a good job of mentally blocking the bad bits out of my mind. There's so much that could go wrong that it almost doesn't bear thinking about. And that's pretty much the thought path I've taken - focusing on what we can do. That said though, the two biggest worries I guess are where to sleep and the fear of failing really early on in the journey. The latter would be a real let down, but would be compensated in part by the comfort of having had the fun preparing and also raising all the charity money. The sleeping worry is one I don't have an answer to. What do we do when we're shattered and we just need to pull over and sleep? Will we have problems doing so? Only time will tell. BEN: There's certainly a lot to worry about on this trip. Keeping on the right side of the authorities, keeping on the right side of the locals, keeping on the right side of the road and keeping on the road (in all senses). Russia worries me a bit, as does falling asleep at the wheel. This all sounds very negative; don't get me wrong I am so excited by this trip. If there was nothing to worry about, it wouldn't be an adventure. You may as well drive round the M25 three times a day, every day, for a month. And which bit are you looking forward to most? RICH: The freedom and the sheer adventure. Though clichéd to say, it is a total step into the unknown and one I'm really looking forward to. There's so much hard work that Ben and I are doing now to give us a chance of taking part and succeeding, that every day on the road will be a real reward for what we've done. The best bit is that once we leave, the charity money will be raised and it will no longer be an issue. We'll be able to kick back and make the most of it all. I suppose - if I look ahead, the bit I'm most looking forward to is reaching some of the most desolate yet beautiful places on earth, and wondering how the hell we got to be there! BEN: It's the second half of the trip I'm looking forward to most. Kazakhstan onwards will be a total culture shock for me. I've only travelled in Western Europe and the States, and these places are nothing like them. I've got to admit I'm a sucker for standing staring at amazing scenery and big skies. I'm really looking forward to the sky at night; the stars are going to look awesome out there. Anything else? RICH: The only other thing to say is that I think Ben and I are gelling well as a team. We spent a while finding our feet, and with so many things to sort out and so many possible ways of doing so - this was always going to be a difficult exercise to do without experiencing tension. We've come this far, and I think we know each other a lot better for having thrashed a few things out. It's actually pretty cool to know that we're both gunning for success and we've put a good bit of trust in each other in our efforts to sort things out - be it mechanics, planning, arranging sponsorship or whatever. BEN: Before the trip I didn't even think twice about doing the trip with Rich, we've known each other for years and have always got along great. Going on a trip like this can put a bit of strain on things, as all of a sudden you are relying on the person going with you, and in the same way you've got a responsibility towards them. This is where what Rich mentioned kicks in. It's at this point that you start to work and think as a team rather than a couple of mates. Sounds corny, I know but working like this is a step up. |
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