My appologies for the two year delay, but I think you'll agree that they are worth a look! Some how they got missed from the photo collection added after the rally, but in fact the Mongolia photos bring some pretty crazy memories flooding back, and they really show what the Mongol Rally is all about. Check back in another couple of years and maybe I will have dug up all the video footage that we shot!

 Check out  The Mongolian Photo Gallery

Article originally written for the Poole Grammar School yearbook and AutoSimSport magazine.

After 6 years studying at school. I decided to take a gap year before University, leaving me with plenty of free time and a thirst for adventure. I discovered the Mongol Rally, a car journey across the globe from London to Mongolia to raise money for charity. I loved the idea, and despite initial resistance from my parents I began making plans...

We heard from the Mongol Rally organisers today that Colette, our 1987 Nissan Micra sold at auction last month for 712,185 MNT (Mongolian Tugrik), which is £294.75 GBP.

Considering we purchased the car for £300... drove it 8558 miles, crashed it properly once and later used it to bump start another car countless times, broke the rear springs and exhaust mountings... £5.25 depreciation is pretty good!

Above: the messages we left on Colettes back window in the lockup in UlaanBaatar, Mongolia (click for larger pictures)

 The highest price paid was for Team YAKsi Taxi's very shiny and nice Renault Kangoo Taxi, which sold for a whopping £1759, and the lowest price paid for any car was a mere £8.28 for a Volkswagen Polo.

"How does "the greatest adventure in the world" sit with you? What about 8,000 miles, 2 deserts, 5 mountain ranges, roads ranging from bad to non-existant no support crew and all this in a car you swapped for a bag of crisps? Stir in the odd party in far-flung parts of the globe and cook for about 3 weeks and you have an inkling of The Mongol Rally." - Taken from the Mongol Rally Website

The Mongol Rally started a few years ago when a couple of guys decided to drive from London to UlaanBataar in Mongolia to raise money for charity. Since then the event has been run every summer. Last year over 150 teams entered, raising a total of over £200,000 for charitable causes.

The Mongol Rally can be loosely compared to events like The Dakar Rally or "Long Way Round" in terms of what we are trying to achieve. However, there is one major difference that sets The Mongol Rally appart: we will be on our own. No sat nav. No support crew. No fancy, off-road vehicles. Further to there being no heavy-duty vehicles with us, our own vehicle cannot be either. It must be a sub 1ltr car. Think of Micras, Polos, Novas. Slow cars that are barely equpiied to do the weekly shopping run!

That is the appeal of the Mongol Rally; it's a real adventure, and its certainly no holiday. Its the kind of experience you can't buy, nor can we guarentee to see the finish line. In addition, we will have raised a great deal of money for charity, which after all, is why The Mongol Rally came to exist in the first place.