Drive from Cape Town to London in 10 days?
British duo Philip Young and Paul Brace believe it can be done, and in an 875cc Fiat Panda to boot.
If they succeed they believe they will set a new world record.
“We are feeling nervous and apprehensive, because it’s been nine months of planning,” said Young from his home in Oxford in England.
The pair are due to arrive in Cape Town next Tuesday (29 January) and plan to set off on February 1 from the Mount Nelson Hotel.
The 15 000km route will take the adventurers across two continents and through 11 countries in their bid to break the current record of 14 days, 19 hours and 26 minutes.
“We are not stopping other than to fill up and at borders - it’s truly non-stop, about 1 600km every 24 hours,” said Young.
That works out at around 66km an hour, every hour.
Their chosen medium of transport, an 875cc Fiat Panda, is compact in design to nip through traffic and congested spaces with ease.
The modified car has been fitted with a tracking device to ensure they do not break the speed limit.
“You hear a lot about eco cars - are they any good? We think we have one of the tougher, better models, but we shall see… this is the ultimate test-drive,” said Young.
He added that the small car would prove a bigger but welcome challenge for them.
They aim to raise £10 000 (about R141 000) for Farm Africa, a charity organisation which promotes farming in Africa.
“Farm Africa does a fantastic job in the best possible way, by helping local farmers to help themselves, but it all takes money. Our fundraising target is £1 for every mile we drive.”
TREACHEROUS ROADS
Young, who organises classic car rallies for the Endurance Rally Association, has had experience with the route.
His co-driver Paul Brace works for Eagle, Jaguar experts in Sussex. Some of their fears involve being stopped at night, losing time at roadside checkpoints or borders, bandits in Libya or the car breaking down on the treacherous roads in northern Kenya.
The drivers also hope to avoid the fate of some previous long-distance attempts. In 1914, a bid to go from Cape Town to Cairo was aborted after the driver was eaten by a leopard.
To keep on the road without stopping, the pair will eat self-heating food, and take turns driving. - Cape Argus