Here dear reader, are the three fools, nay idiots, who made this somewhat silly journey. We’ve known each other a fair while now and as we’re used to travelling long distances (Weymouth, Weston-Super-Mare, Chesham, Croydon) to watch our rubbish Non-League football team, so we thought this driving across continents & deserts lark would be a doddle really. And if we’re honest, it was. Apart from someone falling asleep at the wheel in Kazakhstan. And the 7 month pregnant girlfriend when we started. Ahem.
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| GARETH |
Car owned at the time of the Rally: Mazda RX8
Mechanical Knowledge: Zero
The man who it could mostly be said as being responsible for us getting involved in this malarkey and is therefore the person Paul and Dan’s parents would have firmly laid the blame with had they died very stupid deaths gotten a bit lost somewhere along the way. It was his email that got him accepted as a marshall for the start of the 2008 Mongol, which in turn bagged him and Dan a place for 2009. Stupid boy. All the more stupid when you consider he’d never so much as changed a wheel on a car.
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| DAN |
Car at the time of the Rally: Perodua Nippa EX
Mechanical Knowledge: Can open a bonnet.
Whilst not directly responsible for their actual entry on the rally, Dan should not escape censure. Mainly as he's the one who discover the event and egged Gareth on with the words “UK to Mongolia? In a highly unsuitable car? Cracking idea!”. On more than one occasion. And not always under the influence of beer either. Oooops! Had previously only owned one vehicle prior to Percy the Perodua. And that was a 1972 Ford Mustang with a 5.0 litre V8 engine. So it was something of a change of automotive scene for him really.
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| PAUL |
Driving at the time of the Rally: Peugeot 307
Mechanical Knowledge: Knows what a car is. Allegedly.
Of the team members, Paul probably deserved the least amount of sympathy. Simply because he played no part in entering at all. He just got drunk with the other two idiots one saturday evening after football and thought it sounded great fun. Bright lad. Oh and his missus was 8 months pregnant when we left. Which is why he had to scarper a bit sharpish in Western Kazakhstan. A chequered motoring history has our Paul. Usually involving giving Dan a lift, who was present at the expiration of no less than three of his last 4 motors.
