Mongol Rally: It's the journey, not the destination
Approximately 200 adventurers left London this past Saturday to begin making the 8,000-mile trek known as the Mongol Rally. The three-week journey will cover two deserts, five mountain ranges and an untold number of countries with the
Aside from all the challenges that will inevitably present themselves along the way, probably the greatest obstacles are the vehicles mandated for the event. All four-wheeled machines are limited to 1 liter of displacement, while the two-wheeled contenders are allowed to max out at 125cc. The vehicles are chosen as much for their quirkiness as they are for their road going prowess and while certain modifications are allowed, heavily adapted vehicles can be subject to fines.
You can follow the progress of the teams, see the five recommended routes and check out the charities the Mongol Rally will be benefiting at their site www.mongolrally.com.
[Thanks to Christian for the tip!]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
James 1:19PM (7/25/2006)
oh, yes... it's so stupid, but sounds so fun... anyone got a spare Fiat Panda knocking around for next year?
*j*
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James 2:25PM (7/25/2006)
Anybody know of anything crazy like this in the Western Hemisphere? There seems to be no shortage of crazy Brits willing to take off in an old Citroen into the Sahara or deep into Asia, but are there similar events over here involving trying to get a '85 Escort from LA to Panama, or a '73 Cutlass from Laredo to Brazil, or something suitably insane?
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xanto21 3:02PM (7/25/2006)
Hyde Park-Mongolia! Nice! It sounds pretty good and funny. Maybe my uncle's old SEAT Fura deserves a 2nd life instead of doing nothing inside the garage.
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Daniel Cowan 3:05PM (7/25/2006)
If that was our Mini cooper, I don't think my brother would like that. Hopefully, he never tries it in our desert here in Las Vegas.
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Scott 3:48PM (7/25/2006)
Closest thing to this type of event is the BABE Rally. Autoblog posted a note on this event back on April 6th, 2006 “Crazy BABE seeks bangers to mash from big apple to new Orleans." http://www.autoblog.com/2006/04/06/crazy-babe-seeks-bangers-to-mash-from-big-apple-to-new-orleans/#comments
The event was successful enough for the organizers to announce plans to run the event again in 2007. In Europe, similar events fill up within minutes of opening registration.
www.baberally.com
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Tim C 4:23PM (7/25/2006)
Go on Daniel, get out there and pretend you're Paddy Hopkirk. The Cooper was built to rally and it'd surely enjoy a good thrash now and then. Maybe you could wait until your brother is on holiday.
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Christian Buss 5:14PM (7/25/2006)
Her guys,
I'm running ground support for a team, and will be joining the rally from Kazakhstan to Mongolia. Would love it if you guys took a look at our team and website. We're sending live updates every couple of days:
http://www.teamlandyacht.com
http://www.teamlandyacht.com/blog/hijetset.html
-Christian
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Daniel Cowan 12:29AM (7/27/2006)
My brother is 16, but I hope he doesn't teenage it too much. Tim, I had to find out who Paddy Hopkirk was. I am not so familiar with the BDRC as you are. If I ever see another comment by you, maybe we can exchange ideas about what to do with the Mini.
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