Hello all,
I just thought i'd let you all know that we successfully finished the Mongol Rally last week! A huge thanks to all those that answered my "spec me" threads and offered advice.
Our 2001 Citroen Saxo 1.1 performed admirably, and got the three of us to Ulaan Baatar in one piece.
If anyone fancies having a read of our blog: http://www.scillymission.com/blog/list-of-entries
Some rough notes:
I just thought i'd let you all know that we successfully finished the Mongol Rally last week! A huge thanks to all those that answered my "spec me" threads and offered advice.
Our 2001 Citroen Saxo 1.1 performed admirably, and got the three of us to Ulaan Baatar in one piece.
If anyone fancies having a read of our blog: http://www.scillymission.com/blog/list-of-entries
Some rough notes:
- 8,500 miles driven in total
- Finished in 29 days and 17 hours (Target was 28 days, but stranded in the Ukraine with car issues for 3 days and 3 days impounded at the Mongolian border)
- Only 2 punctures the entire way
- By the end, the front shock absorbers had gone completely and the gearbox was slightly knackered (only 1st and 4th gears worked well)
- 14 countries in total (UK, France, Belgium, Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Austria, Hungary, Romania, Moldova, Ukraine, Russia, Kazakhstan, Russian again (Siberia), Mongolia)
- Longest border wait: 52 hours at the Russian/Mongolian border. Impounded due to waiting for import tax money from the organizers. Left for 3 days and 2 nights in a concrete impound yard.
- Hottest temperature: 43 degrees centigrade (Russian heatwave that started forest fires, which we witnessed some of)
- Coldest temperature: -6 degrees (whilst impounded at the Russian (Siberian)/Mongolian border
- Hardest time: Travelling 6 days without seeing another team, without speaking English to anyone. Psychologically very testing.
- Best time: Many! Convoying with 10 other teams through the Altay Mountains in Siberia was rather impressive.
- Longest drive: 36 hours through Hungary, Romania, Moldova and Ukraine
- LOTS of bribes paid - "Too big lightbulb tax" for example. Mackey has the joint highest fine of the rally, $150 in Russia (Rostov) for crossing a white line on a motorway. This was bargained down from $300, as the police had his driving license and documents and refused to give them back unless this large bribe was paid. Also police tried fining us for having more than 1 spare wheel. "Spare wheel tax"
- Smallest bribe: £2 for me speeding in an area without speed signs. 78kph in 60kph zone. Will also got caught doing 81kph in a 60kph, but let off after finding out what we were doing.
- Favourite country: Mongolia - absolutely no roads apart from around the capital, roads that were listed on maps as A roads (ie. A30 type roads) were in fact tracks carved through the desert by previous vehicles. Scenery was stunning - snow capped mountains, rolling hills, lush green grassland, desert stretching for hundreds of miles. Incredibly friendly people.
- We crossed 4 rivers - rivers that just interrupt the road, no such thing as bridges and so were forced to cross them in the car. At one point, headlights were underwater for 40ft. Very nerve racking.
- Highest altitude - around 3000m above sea level for a few days.
- Words written in the blog: Approximately 50,000
- No real arguments! Only petty disagreements that ended up with a silent car for a few hours.
- Camped in a wide variety of places - mountains, deserts, forests, ploughed fields, even woke up in a swamp. Stayed in a number of hostels and locals houses. Stayed in 1 nice hotel - Presidential Suite for £48 a night!
- Missed: Toilet facilities, showers, clean water, dependable food!
- Cheapest fuel: 40 pence a litre.
- Cheapest cigarettes: 45 pence for 20 Marlboro
Last edited:
