HURREE DAVE AND ALEX - MONGOL RALLY 2009

Launch - and we're off!

2009-07-18T12:00:00.001+01:00

Dave and I were seen off by friends and family from Goodwood, we are now on our way east-east-east to Mongolia. As we'll be on the road everyday and camping at night, internet is pretty rare, so I shall be Tweeting from my phone. You can catch the Tweets in the little box below to the right, or visit my page here: http://twitter.com/alexjohnturner/

Au revoir amigos

Rally Raffle message

2009-07-16T12:00:00.003+01:00

Dear all that donated to Team ‘Hurree Dave and Alex’ on Justgiving,

Thank you very much for your kind donation. With your help, we’ve raised £1,073.60 online for Adventures For Development so far. The children will appreciate every penny. Below is the Rally Raffle list as far (hopefully more people will donate en route). The list is as random as I can muster at this hour. I hope we have picked a good ‘un for you. If you are luck enough to win a prize we will be in touch again.

RALLY RAFFLE

Handbrake cable – James and Roz
Right CV joint - Suzanne Bailey
Brake hoses - Michelle Tomlinson
Front left disc brake - Dave Young
Ignition coil - Michael Tite
Sump - Amy Lawrence
Oil filter
Drivers side window - Florence Rose Cobb
Passenger side window - Anton van Aswegen
Front left suspension - Brian Hillier
Gear linkage
Radiator - Leigh Baxter
Head gasket - Alex Mk1
Fuel lead
Fuel filter - Thomas Eschenbach
Camshaft
Carburetor - Elaine Henderson
Steering rack
Steering column
Windscreen - Mark Epstein
Front right suspension - Steve Clark
Gearbox
Front left light cluster - Anna Hillier
Rear right wheel and tyre - Yuk Yee Phang
Spare 1 left wheel and tyre - Sheila Marshall
Fuel tank
Spark plugs
Rear right suspension - Alex Marsh
Spare 2 left wheel and tyre
Battery - Lynn Deacon
Clutch – James and Sarah
Left halfshaft - Eloise Parker
Rear right drum brake - Louise Dresch
Rear left light cluster - Frances Kirby
Rear left wheel and tyre - Grace Craddock
Fuel pump - Gordon McKeown
Air filter
Front right disc brake - William Shiers
Rear left drum brake - Catherine Sunter
Alternator - Vic and Brian
Right halfshaft - Koen Maarschalkerweerd
Left CV joint - Rachel Douek
Front right light cluster - Juri Nishi
Front left wheel and tyre – Chris Turner
Rear window- Anna Walton
Rear left suspension - Mandy Mok
Rear right light cluster - Elizabeth Saldanha
Front right wheel and tyre - Charis Tsang

Paintin' in the park

2009-07-11T12:00:00.001+01:00

BBQ in London Fields
Note the Mongolian and robes

Stencil fever

Burger joy

The painting is coming along

Proof Dave would make a good teacher

More proof Dave would make a good teacher

We moved under a bridge after hours of rain

It's been a long day

Little Jim completing his masterpiece

Nearly done

A few more areas to fill
Home time I think

Work's Hurree-ing along

2009-07-09T12:00:00.000+01:00

We've been busy in the garage for many days tweaking the car to rally perfection.

Fog lights, on

The grid has been laid, let the painting begin

Our crates fit nicely, whoa

Dave and I working until the wee hours, yawn

Party – and decorate our car!

2009-07-02T12:00:00.001+01:00

Save the date: 11 July, from 1 o’clock. Save the place: London Fields.

Team ‘Hurree Dave and Alex’ will be having a leaving party to raise money for children’s charity, CYPPD, on Saturday the 11th of July, from 1 o’clock. It will be an all-day BBQ/car-decorating event in London Fields, fuelled by one or two drinks - it helps with creativity, apparently.

The decorations will happen just outside the park, near the BBQ area. We will provide some paint pens/cans of spray paint, but if you can think of anything better and jazzier, bring it. To decorate the car we will divide it into sections. A small donation (to cover paint supplies) will allow you to be creative all over your area of our vehicle, so the end product will no doubt raise Mongolian eyebrows.

The more the merrier, everyone and their dog is welcome. Since this event is for charity, could you please bring your own food and drinks, or pick them up in the area, there are plenty of places nearby that can provide this. And please bring along some coins for the children’s charity, Dave and I want to raise as much as we can for the little ones.

http://www.justgiving.com/hurreedaveandalex

Here is the obligatory Google map.

The grease monkey on our back

2009-06-28T12:00:00.007+01:00

Dave and I finally roll up our sleeves and dive into the deep end of wrenching/screwing/lifting/ripping/stripping/drilling/flushing/etc.

It's a stick up!

2009-06-24T12:00:00.003+01:00

Now that Dave’s back in London, we can start work on the car. Task one: stickers.

...and don’t fret. We have more stickers coming, custom ones too.

Route master

2009-06-14T12:00:00.006+01:00

Our route map:

Due to recent political activities in Iran, we have thought of a plan B route (if need be). Instead of exiting eastern Turkey near the town of Van, we could hug the Black Sea a little longer and go north into Georgia - as the Turkey/Armenia border will be a little slow to traverse - then make it to Azerbaijan. From the port town of Baku we would jump onto the ‘ferry of death’ over the Caspian Sea to Turkmenbashi, Turkmenistan.

But yes, our initial route is still favoured. Dave and I are more excited about seeing Iran over maybe only Mongolia, think of the relief/exhilaration of seeing a yurt!

Our sponsorship message

2009-05-31T12:00:00.010+01:00

Dear friend,

As you may have heard, we, David Hillier and Alexander Turner, are rallying a completely inappropriate car from England’s home counties all the way to Mongolia’s home counties – well, Ulan Bator – in the name of charity. All the money we raise is going to the Children and Young People's Protection and Development (CYPPD). This is a brilliant non-profit, non-governmental organisation working in Mongolia to support children who are homeless, being abused or at risk of abuse and who are at risk of trafficking and other exploitative activities such as child labour.

We do welcome straight donations to the charity (www.justgiving.com/hurreedaveandalex). However, as we’re all going through tricky financial times and we’d feel a little cheeky just asking for money, we have come up with the following two alternative and fun ways of supporting the cause.

Rally Raffle
When you make a donation you can choose to enter our Rally Raffle. Correctly draw the part of our car that fails first – whether it be an integral mechanical part or a non-essential piece of bodywork – and you can subsequently win a prize that we will pick up en route. The first three failing parts will win a prize or, if your entry puts an end to our adventure, you scoop all three!

To enter the draw, type ‘Raffle’ into the comments section (remember not to hide your email address on Justgiving as we will need to email the winner/s) and we will randomly select a car part. You may also email us directly at rally@alexand.co.uk

Party – and decorate our car!
We will be hosting a party to raise money for CYPPD. The date hasn’t yet been confirmed but rest assured it’ll be before we actually leave! We will divide the car into sections. A donation will allow you to be creative all over your area of our vehicle, so the end-product will no doubt raise Mongolian eyebrows. The decorations will happen on the night of the party and we will provide some paint pens/cans of spray paint.

Donations:
http://www.justgiving.com/hurreedaveandalex/

The charity:
http://www.childrensprotectionmongolia.org/

Download a printable PDF:
http://www.alexand.co.uk/rally_cyppd.pdf

Email us:
rally@alexand.co.uk

Hurreedly plodding along

2009-05-18T12:00:00.000+01:00

We’ve obtained our Carnet du Passage. YES! Though we’re still awaiting visa news. Only today I remembered that we both need all the jabs to keep us safe from rabid dogs, rusty screws and whatnot. What else have we forgotten?

Umm. Replacement...

Skids are for kids

2009-05-10T12:00:00.005+01:00

Since we bought the car, Dave has been looking after her up in Manchester. I went to visit last weekend and the three of us were finally united. I am happy to report the seats are comfortable and it's actually quite a hoot to drive (plenty of wheel spins were had) - very much like a big go-kart.

The Children and Young People's Protection and Development (CYPPD)

2009-04-27T12:00:00.003+01:00

So far, our route and car choice/developments have taken precedence on this blog. We shouldn’t be forgetting the reason as to why the rally is happening. David and myself have chosen to raise money for a charity called ‘The Children and Young People's Protection and Development (CYPPD)’. It’s a brilliant non-profit, non-governmental organisation working in Mongolia to support and protect vulnerable children. CYPPD supports children who are homeless, being abused or at risk of abuse, children at risk of trafficking and other exploitative activities such as child labour.

We are planning a fund raising party over the next couple of months, so stay posted.

http://www.childrensprotectionmongolia.org/

Stan plan (man)

2009-04-19T12:00:00.009+01:00

A looming visa application deadline forced Dave and I to organise ourselves. Now we have decided our route through the 'stans'. Most of the blue flags below represent border crossings.

Visit the map: here.

MOT

2009-03-20T12:00:00.002Z

After successfully passing a vehicle identity check, scraping the paint from the headlights, replacing the paint covered wiper blades and getting a new front nearside Dave took the Seicento for an MOT. It passed.

YES!

Our Fiat

2009-03-02T12:00:00.000Z

Dave picked up the Fiat at the weekend. Here are a few more photos of the 1.1 litre beast. If we replace the front left it SHOULD sail through the MOT.

Finally

2009-02-24T12:00:00.000Z

We finally have a car! eBay has found us a tidy little Fiat Seicento Sporting. Well, tidy except for the front of it. It only has 34,000 miles on the clock and there’s a fish sticker in the rear window – two plus points for reliability, hopefully.

It’s ‘Sporting’ too, so we should get a good time round The Nürburgring.

Colours

2009-02-10T12:00:00.000Z

Whilst browsing the net I came across this rather inspirational painted car. I thought I’d share it with you.

Press coverage

2009-02-06T20:00:00.000Z

We were featured in January’s issue of Truck and Driver. Dave looks twice the size of me. Click on the below image to view it larger.

SuperCarry 1.3

2009-02-03T20:00:00.000Z

A possibility:

If Dave and I are to adhere to the rules set out by the Mongolian government’s age restrictions and The Adventurists’ capacity limits, along with respecting our press links (Truck and Driver magazine) desire for a commercial vehicle. Then the above vehicle seems to be the only one for us. Does anyone know of one going cheap?

Afternoon Tea with Colonel John Blashford-Snell

2009-02-01T20:00:00.000Z

On Saturday Dave and I popped down to Bristol to attend one of the official 'Tea and Cake rally dos'. The Adventurists brought along Sir John Blashford-Snell, one of the greatest explorers (and story tellers) of the 20th Century. He was hilarious and very inspiring. Warning us of the prevalence of the plague and lack of veggie food in deep Mongolia. I'm currently rethinking my vegitarian-ism.

We also met two teams that we're sure to stay in touch with. Here are their team pages:

http://mongolrally09.theadventurists.com/theracemonkeys
http://mongolrally09.theadventurists.com/stenaleessurfclub

Happy New Year!

2009-01-01T20:00:00.000Z

2009 is going to be a big one. The rally in the summer will be my highlight. Along with the Paris marathon in April, a personal challenge that will hopefully act as a fund raising exercise of sorts.

Wishing you all the best.

Trash trailer

2008-12-17T20:00:00.000Z

I came across the official trailer for the Mongol Rally DVD on youtube. Thought I'd share it with you.

I am a twit

2008-12-16T20:00:00.000Z

I'm thinking about using Twitter on the road so that we can update family and friends remotely. I know it's a good 7 months until we leave, but ah, I'm enjoying setting up all these devices.

One problem: I haven't got a clue how to make it work with my phone. Does anyone know?

http://twitter.com/alexjohnturner

www.com

2008-12-02T20:00:00.000Z

I am covering every single corner of the internet with info on our rally. I don’t care if people want to know about it, I want to talk about it. The kids, a demographic I still see myself firmly within, love the social networking site facebook. So I’ve made a group for all our loyal fans (ha!).

If you have an account, please join. If you don't have an account, have a look.

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/group.php?gid=60464608568

Ready, Flickr set, go!

2008-11-28T20:00:00.000Z

I have created a set on my Flickr account where Dave and I can showcase inspirational snaps of what we can expect to see on our rally to Mongolia, along with images of our preparation etc. This will eventually be joined by photographic proof of us alongside our chosen vehicle in Ulan Bator.

Currently it only has images grabbed from The Adventurist’s site and Mongolia’s wiki page. This shall be amended when we actually have something to show.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/alexanderjohnturner/sets/72157610536135453/

Quite a distance

2008-11-23T20:00:00.003Z

Recently I have been looking at world maps/globes/google maps on quite a frequent basis. One can understand why – I’m still terribly excited about the trip.

Most people planning such an adventure would remember roughly how far away Ulan Bator is. No. Not me. Every time I see the distance a lump forms in my throat. Thought I’d share that.

Visit the map here.

Also, if anyone can recommend places to visit between London and Ulan Bator, please tell us. If we visit the recommended destination and enjoy ourselves we'll buy you a crappy souvenir as a prize – how about that? Please email with suggestions: rally@alexand.co.uk

Slim pickings

2008-11-17T20:00:00.002Z

The rules imposed by The Adventurists and the Mongolian government narrow our choice of automobile down to what I’d call slim pickings. This, obviously, wasn’t going to be hard enough for Dave and myself. So our hopeful media alliance with Truck and Driver has narrowed the selection further by stipulating it also had to be a commercial vehicle. Great. Here’s what we’re thinking:

The Bedford Rascal/Suzuki Supercarry would be first choice on most peoples list.

The Rascal also comes in pick-up form, which has caught our eyes.

A Rascal camper would be ideal (for comedy reasons).

Citroën C15 is on the list too. The diesel is far too big at 1.9. There was a 1.1 petrol and I think sub 1L versions were released on the continent.

If you can think of any other small capacity commercial vehicles please email us: rally@alexand.co.uk

Press

2008-11-11T20:00:00.000Z

An article about our rally is being published in Truck and Driver magazine. Due to this media link we are planning to use a commercial vehicle. Does anyone know a kind dealer/manufacturer/person who could help us find a rugged, reliable van with an engine under 1.0 (if more than 10yrs old) or under 1.2 (if less than 10yrs old)? Ask around.

Health haze

2008-09-14T20:00:00.000+01:00

Having just completed my first triathlon, with a haze of healthiness still clouding my mind I signed up for the Paris marathon. I’m slowly starting to train now, ramping it up between January and April.

Hopefully we can somehow use this to raise more money for our chosen Mongolian charities.

Motorcycling, dogs, theatre and Arthur's seat

2008-08-27T20:00:00.000+01:00

Over the weekend I got some long distance riding under my belt. My flatmate and I planned a trip to see an old friend who has a production on at the Edinburgh Playhouse for the festival. We took our time riding between London and Edinburgh, visiting friends on the way.

Success

2008-08-18T20:00:00.000+01:00

David Hillier and I have successfully obtained a place on the Mongol Rally 2009. How exciting. The Adventurists - who organise the rally - have given us our own page, which can be found here.