Driving from London to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia sounds like a risky, but fantastic adventure. But making that same drive in a tiny econobox with a one-liter engine? A fool’s errand. Yet in this year’s Mongol Rally, some 200 foolhardy teams will attempt to navigate 8,000-plus miles across Europe, several -stans, remote mountain ranges and part of the Gobi desert in a parade of Ford Pintos, Minis, Yugos and Trabants. The list of acceptable vehicles, The Hall of Crapness, with suggestions and commentary from rally participants, is downright hilarious – on the Citroën Ami 6: “Not just underpowered, hideous looking, too!” The idea for the rally grew out of the tale of two brits who purchased a run-down Fiat in Prague back in 2001 and decided to drive it to the most ridiculous destination they could think of. Though they didn’t reach Mongolia due to border problems, they swore to return and in 2004 the Mongol Rally was born, with the one-liter engine rule (or, this year, .125 liter for scooters or motorbikes) as an homage to that little rust-bucket of a “car.” Of the 43 teams that set off on last year’s rally, 27 made it to Mongolia, 14 reached Ulaanbaatar, one team was stoned by a Mongolian nomad, 3 teams were chased by armed bandits, and 3 teams had their car’s engine quite literally fall out on the road. But the official website is quick to point out: “Every team had a very memorable trip.” The rally is short on rules, and just reaching the journey’s end is considered victory enough. This year’s kick-off will take place at Hyde park in London, at 12 noon, tomorrow, July 22. For an idea of what the entered teams are facing, check out the Bad Colonies Motoring Collective’s extremely detailed page listing all their preparations, or patmofire’s video slideshow of his 2005 trip (we’ll forgive him the soul-stirring soundtrack, as arriving in Ulaanbaatar in one piece must have been very life-affirming, indeed.)




Elsewhere:
- The Mongol Rally (Wikipedia)
- Rally Mongolia 2006 (The Adventure Capitalists)
- “VW Bugs in the Mongol Rally” (Team Yakatak)
- Team Newyorkistan (New York’s first rally team!)
- “Mongol Rally is International Race in a Tight Space” (NPR)
- The Wrongolia Diaries (Team Wrongolia, 2005)