| Plymouth - Banjul Challenge | Described as the poor man's Paris to Dakar Rally, the Plymouth - Banjul Challenge is a far cry from the money and glory found in the famous Rally and is perhaps a bit more akin to Whacky Races. Rather than spend millions finely honing the perfect rally car, vehicles entered into the challenge need to have cost less than £100. What's more they must be left hand drive because they remain in The Gambia, being auctioned off to raise money for local charities. Teams consist of two people in one car, and they have no support network. But because things can, and do, go wrong they travel in convoy so if the worst happens and a car has to be abandoned in the Sahara the occupants can be carried by other teams. Ian and Tom's team name is The Pizza Delivery Boys. A nod towards one of their corporate sponsors. |
If you had to climb mountain roads, face sand dunes, cross mine fields and tackle baked earth terrain wouldn't you want something a little more substantial than a 2CV? Then again, you could avoid the situation altogether and maybe go for a nice drive in the Dales. Ian Foxley and Tom Welch have opted for the longer journey and have entered the Plymouth - Banjul Challenge, a charitable version of the Paris to Dakar Rally, with their 20 year old bright pink 2CV van, called MyFanwy. Bizarre as it may sound the 2CV is seen as quite a good choice for the challenge and Ian explains why. "The design spec of the 2CV was to allow a French farmer to cross a ploughed field with a tray of eggs on the back seat without any being broken. Driving a 2CV is like riding the waves, they're very comfortable." "MyFanwy's got four gears and they all work, although third is a little crunchy but only because we've taken the gearbox out a few times. The challenge is... well, just that. Certainly not something for the faint hearted as many people would question the wisdom of driving a 20 year old car as far as Cambridge, never mind the other few thousand miles. "We're going from York to Portsmouth. We take the ferry to Northern Spain, then it's straight to Gibraltar, we'll be there for new years eve before travelling across to Morocco. From Morocco we cross the high Atlas Mountains. "We then drop down to Marrakech, and that's the first chance we get to stop for about a day. Then it's on to the Western Sahara.
 | | The tent poles are built into the roof |
"There are two twitchy bits. In the High Atlas Mountains we have to make sure no bandits and drug runners stop us, then there are minefields in the Western Sahara. You have to hire a local guide to take you through. After that we have to go down into the Sahara itself. "We believe there's about 400 miles where there's no road. It'll be a mixture of baked earth, rock and rubble and sand dunes." You may be wondering how an aging 2CV is going to cope with the journey. Needless to say MyFanwy has seen a few modifications. For starters the fuel tank is bigger than normal, giving a range of up to 500 miles, then there's the clever arrangement on the roof. What looks like a normal roof rack slides out to provide the frame for a tent. Mounted below this are some lightweight boards, made from recycled plastic, that can be used as 'sand boards' to prevent the narrow wheels from sinking in Sahara sands. These are the same stuff you'll sometimes see embedded in boggy ground to help grass take root. Added to that they're equipped with snow chains for the mountain crossing. They should make sure they'll keep climbing. There are two sides to the charities being supported. When the cars reach their destination they're auctioned off, with all their associated bits of gear, and the money goes to local Gambian charities. The cars are often bought by Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and get a new lease of life. Ian hopes MyFanwy's built in tent facility will make her an especially valuable vehicle. Separately the pair are raising money for the Make A Wish Foundation. A UK charity that grants wishes for children living with terminal illness. The intrepid adventurers set out from Whitwell-on-the-hill on the 27th December after spending a fraught boxing day making final preparations. | 
