“Imagine you’re lost in a massive desert, hundreds of miles from civilisation, driving a car your granny would be embarrassed by,” reads the website of epic charity fundraising event, the Mongol Rally.
“Then all of a sudden all your wheels fall off and the search for tools turns up a dirty sock and two dried apricots. That’s the Mongol Rally.”
The Mongol Rally is an annual charity fundraising event that puts teams behind the wheel of a 1.2L car, on an unspecified route from London to Mongolia. The ACRF is proud (not to mention a little nervous) for two very brave teams to be competing in this incredible cross-country race, all in the name of charity.
Both teams herald from Tweed Heads in NSW: ‘The Mongol Rally Roos’ (Ben Lockeridge and Rhys O’Sullivan) and ‘The Khangaroos’ (David and Peter Baker).
Both teams have been campaigning for some time now, and have already secured a generous charity donation from the Tweed Heads Bowls Club, and sponsorshop from Melton & Associates (IT consultants) and the JMR Group (accountants and auditors).
The Mongol Rally Roos explain through their blog: “Teams choose their own route. There are no checkpoints. There is no support and no liability taken on behalf of the rally organisers. Essentially, teams run this race entirely at their own risk, all in the name of charity and adventure. Both of us are big fans of the work the ACRF do, so we have chosen them as our primary charity for the Mongol Rally.”
Meanwhile, the Khangaroos team have said “While the Mongol Rally is about having a good time with friends, getting lost in foreign countries and trying to hold your car together with zip ties, it’s also about raising money for charity.”
The first Mongol Rally took place in 2004 with 4 teams participating, and has since grown to over 350 teams taking part each year. The challenge of taking a car not suited to desert driving, means rally participants are assured that their journey will be a ride to remember.
The rally will start on the 13th of July 2012 and should the teams arrive successfully in Mongolia, their cars will be donated and held at auction for the Development Mongolia Charity. Indeed, arrival at Mongolia is worth celebrating in such a way – with the itinerary required (Europe, Turkey, Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Russia) many have not made it to their destination.
Click here to watch the Mongol Rally video which will give you some idea of what our supporters will go through on their journey. We wish both teams all the best and safe travels for this adventure of a lifetime. We really appreciate the lengths in which they are going to to raise funds for cancer research.
You can support the teams via the links below:
Mongol Rally Roos Blog
Mongol Rally Roos Fundraising
Khangaroos Blog
Khangaroos Fundraising
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