‘We have 10,000 miles ahead of us’

Eight weeks, three deserts, two best mates

Archie Forsyth & Ned Hiley

We are a pair of teenage friends who have a passion for older cars and of course, a Nissan Micra definitely counts as an older car. We bought ‘Martin’ to go on a rally to Mongolia (the aptly named Mongol Rally), in fact a few hours after the picture was taken we set off on our adventure, a couple of 19 year-olds in a car eight years older then they are!

Each team must identify their own route, but ultimately we share one aim: to reach Ulan Ude, Russia, from the start location just west of Prague. So we have to get to the Czech Republic before we even begin! Then we are in for a 10,000 mile transcontinental trip across five mountain ranges, three deserts, and approximately 1/3 of the globe over a period of five to eight weeks. Ned has done a lot of work on the engine, replacing key components and adding extras such as LED spotlights and the roof rack. We have replaced dampers, springs, discs and pads, and of course, being a rally, we’ve added stickers from our sponsors.

There’s a serious point to all of this of course, as we want to raise a huge amount of money for our chosen charities: Cool Earth, the official charity partner of the Mongol Rally, the Stroke Association and CALM, The Campaign Against Living Miserably dedicated to preventing male suicide. Despite the fact we are a youthful team, we know that we make up for with enthusiasm what we lack in experience. In doing the rally, we hope that we can promote the expansive and prospering classic car community. Our Mascot is Dusty and you can find us at teamdustymartini.co.uk if you want to see how we got on.