Three Maltese friends to embark on 10,000-mile adventure for charity in scrap car

The first ever Maltese group will be taking part in what is only comparable to an old Top Gear adventure by participating in the Mongol Rally this summer. The 10,000 mile journey, which starts in the UK and ends all the way in Mongol Russia, will be done in a small Peugeot 205 that was destined for the scrap heap.

Team Balzarsky – consisting of Daniel Zarb, Christian Spiteri and Keith Baldwin – will be taking on the challenge. They will also be raising funds for Cool Earth, an environmental charity that works in partnership with indigenous communities to protect rainforests.

Speaking to The Malta Independent on Sunday, Zarb said that the team was aiming to raise £1,000 to help Cool Earth, adding “anything we collect over and above £1,000 will go to Puttinu Cares”.

Motorsports, particularly off-roading, has always been a passion of the three Maltese friends. The Mongol Rally, the self-proclaimed ‘greatest motoring adventure on the planet’, is all about taking run-down cars and crossing huge distances while raising £1,000 for a charity of your choice.

“So we started off buying this scrap car, which was ready to be chucked out, but since we’re all mechanics, we took it on ourselves to fix it up and get it ready for the journey” the Balzarsky team said. “The joy of taking a scrap car and a small engine – this is only a two-litre engine – and getting it ready for the journey is partly what it’s about,” they said.

The team have been working on ‘Lizzie’s Makeover’ (Lizzie being the name of the car) from reinforcing the handbrake bracket to adding a fifth gear, specialised tyres and fixing a donated roof rack.

The start date is 15 July and the race starts from London and ends in Russia, taking approximately five to six weeks.

“There are three main routes to choose from. Originally we decided to go through Turkey and Iran, but we’ve modified it a little because it’s been difficult to get visas. So we think it’s better if go through Georgia then Azerbaijan and take that route – but really the route might change as we go along,”

When asked about the challenges and problematic issues that could surface, the team said: “There are a lot of things to consider when crossing these countries with regard to culture and laws. Then – even more importantly – there are the roads: a lot of it will be off-road and in many areas, roads don’t even exist. The weather and climate will also be different, plus the fact that for a reasonable chunk of the journey we will be driving through deserts and mountainous areas – so it’s going to be challenging for sure.

“The most beautiful part will be finishing it! We always wanted to travel to see different people and how they live. The joy of the trip is also about getting rough and dirty, and managing with the food and water that you have. We will be visiting so many different countries and areas in the world – it really is a once in a lifetime experience” the team explained.

Check out ‘Balzarsky Goes Mongol’ on their Facebook page and see how you can sponsor them on their journey.