Mongol Rally 2006
Discussion
I couldn't help noticing in the lead-up to BTAP that Pistonheads has some of the most generous people I've ever come across, and I'm hoping that even just a little bit of that generosity will be turned in my direction.
You see, I seem to have got myself involved with the Mongol Rally. By involved, I mean I'm rather a long way along the path to driving a rust bucket with a one litre engine 10,000 miles across Europe and Central Asia all the way to Ulaan Baatar, the capital of Mongolia.
It's a charity drive: the idea is to raise money for Send A Cow, and this is where you guys come in - I'm looking for donations.
So if you're feeling generous, please head across to my Just Giving page, plug in a few numbers and a farmer in African will be forever grateful.
If you want to keep tabs on the lead-up to the trip, check out my new blog, which will hopefully upgrade to a full website when exams finish.
Ted, I hope it's okay to put this here?
Cheers all,
Dave
You see, I seem to have got myself involved with the Mongol Rally. By involved, I mean I'm rather a long way along the path to driving a rust bucket with a one litre engine 10,000 miles across Europe and Central Asia all the way to Ulaan Baatar, the capital of Mongolia.
It's a charity drive: the idea is to raise money for Send A Cow, and this is where you guys come in - I'm looking for donations.
So if you're feeling generous, please head across to my Just Giving page, plug in a few numbers and a farmer in African will be forever grateful.
If you want to keep tabs on the lead-up to the trip, check out my new blog, which will hopefully upgrade to a full website when exams finish.
Ted, I hope it's okay to put this here?
Cheers all,
Dave
oh god, I really want to do this too now...
trouble is I'm supposed to be going to a conference in spain starting on the 24th of July
maybe next year...
I've been planning a trip to ulaan batar and this seems like the ideal way to do it - cheap, adventurous, fun, and all for charity!
excellent, good luck to you!
edit: I've made a (very) small donation, too, I hope this helps!
>> Edited by D_Mike on Monday 16th January 22:28
trouble is I'm supposed to be going to a conference in spain starting on the 24th of July
maybe next year...
I've been planning a trip to ulaan batar and this seems like the ideal way to do it - cheap, adventurous, fun, and all for charity!
excellent, good luck to you!
edit: I've made a (very) small donation, too, I hope this helps!
>> Edited by D_Mike on Monday 16th January 22:28
D_Mike said:
oh god, I really want to do this too now...
trouble is I'm supposed to be going to a conference in spain starting on the 24th of July
maybe next year...
I've been planning a trip to ulaan batar and this seems like the ideal way to do it - cheap, adventurous, fun, and all for charity!
excellent, good luck to you!
edit: I've made a (very) small donation, too, I hope this helps!
>> Edited by D_Mike on Monday 16th January 22:28
Cheers Mike, every little bit helps.
love machine said:
Shame about the 1L engine restriction. I did the Plymouth Dakar in a 3L Capri. The next thing is to find a use for a V12 Jag (full race) 
I'll look at the site. Can we have a team of 5 with a litre each?
The second part of the 1L rule is that "any team with an engine greater than 1L must pay an extra £100 per 100cc." So yeah, if you guys help me raise enough, I'll happily go in something with a dirty great big V8.
Rather ridiculously, I've already had one lentilist refuse to give a donation because "it didn't sound very enivronmentally friendly." You're right, 1L engines are going to destroy the world.
Errr... I know it's a little bit against the spirit of the thing, but the site has raised a few problems for me. Having absolutly no back-up, the risk bourne 100% by the entrant, the likelyhood of breakdown and the chances of it being in the middle of the desert... makes it sound like a bit too much of an adventure/risk to life. The site harps on about "if you want luxury and all-in holidays, go somewhere else", but it looks to me like a pack of amatures having a laugh around the world will eventually end in serious injury or death, of which the organisors have basically exhonorated (sp?) themselves of all responsibility and may well walk away if something does go wrong.
Plus, raising money for charity (not suggesting that focusonme is doing this), means that all the money raised goes to charity. Not pay for "the lads" to go on a free holiday/adventure, as the site suggests.
I'll get off my soap box and wish you all the best. It does look like it could be fun.
I do believe I'm one of those who enjoys the mildly more comfortable
Plus, raising money for charity (not suggesting that focusonme is doing this), means that all the money raised goes to charity. Not pay for "the lads" to go on a free holiday/adventure, as the site suggests.
I'll get off my soap box and wish you all the best. It does look like it could be fun.
I do believe I'm one of those who enjoys the mildly more comfortable
up-the-dubs said:
Errr... I know it's a little bit against the spirit of the thing, but the site has raised a few problems for me. Having absolutly no back-up, the risk bourne 100% by the entrant, the likelyhood of breakdown and the chances of it being in the middle of the desert... makes it sound like a bit too much of an adventure/risk to life. The site harps on about "if you want luxury and all-in holidays, go somewhere else", but it looks to me like a pack of amatures having a laugh around the world will eventually end in serious injury or death, of which the organisors have basically exhonorated (sp?) themselves of all responsibility and may well walk away if something does go wrong.
Plus, raising money for charity (not suggesting that focusonme is doing this), means that all the money raised goes to charity. Not pay for "the lads" to go on a free holiday/adventure, as the site suggests.
I'll get off my soap box and wish you all the best. It does look like it could be fun.
I do believe I'm one of those who enjoys the mildly more comfortable
UTD, fair enough criticisms. I agree that the rally organisers advertise the rally in a very light-hearted manner, and hold no responsibility for what happens, but then I guess that's the attraction. There is definitely a "lads holiday" element to it, but I think it's up to each team to take it as seriously or as care-free as they wish. There's no *real* rules saying you can't take a expedition spec Land Cruiser and get to UB in two weeks, just that the original "rally" was done as a spur-of-the-moment lark by two mates, and they want to retain that atmosphere as much as possible.
There are two fundraising aspects of this trip - one is the charity one, which is being taken very seriously, and the other is the sponsorship side of things - i.e getting companies to help me along the way. There's no way I, as a student, can afford a road trip to Mongolia, run on a shoestring or not, so I ask companies in return for advertising. With their backing, I am in a position to collect money for charity - which goes directly to charity.
I'll happily admit I've had a fear lie-awake-at-night moments about things that could go wrong, but I'm not stupid and we have no intention of being dangerously unprepared. It's not something I've ever had experience of, but I daresay it's not something I'll ever get to experience again, so gotta make the most of it.
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