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Blokes, 3 Pandas and 8,000 Miles - The 2005 London to Mongolia Rally
- -1091 days to go |
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The
Mongol Rally is like no other. Most people associate rallying with raw
power, speed and flair. The rules of this rally make it an entirely different
beast. The cars on this rally aren't very good. They are restricted to engines of less than 1 litre, which restricts the choice to cars like 2CVs, Reliant Robins, Pandas. Teams are not allowed any mechanical or moral support, the route takes us through countries with some of the most difficult languages to learn or understand, over some silly terrain (5 mountain ranges), in unbearable climates (through 2 deserts with temperatures fluctuating between 40°C in the day and sub 0°C at night.) For good measure, some of the countries in question are even throwing in impromptu revolutions - just to make things that bit more interesting. We'll be leaving behind the English traffic.  And swapping it for Mongolian traffic  Add to this the need to drive non-stop for 3 plus weeks in order to complete the journey in time to get home and keep our jobs, and we have...The Mongol Rally. By all accounts it is utter madness. Last years run involved only 6 cars, and yet encountered all manner of problems; protracted border crossings, breakdowns, detention by Russian guards requiring bribery in exchange for release, hallucinations at the wheel, huge detours to rescue fellow competitors, crashes, the lot. This year, with a field possibly as large as 80 vehicles, the event promises to be chaos on a large scale. |
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