This year's Mongol Rally, that sees over 500 cars racing across a 10,000 km stretch across 15 countries, will see one ambulance making the trip. Indian ad filmmaker Mahesh Mathai will keep expert Australian driver Amanda Williamson company behind the wheel
This year's Mongol Rally, that sees over 500 cars racing across a 10,000 km stretch across 15 countries, will see one ambulance making the trip. Indian ad filmmaker Mahesh Mathai will keep expert Australian driver Amanda Williamson company behind the wheel
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ad filmmaker and co-owner of popular Mumbai nightclub Bluefrog, Mahesh Mathai is off to race at the Mongol Rally in an ambulance, to raise funds for charity. pic/ Bipin kokate |
The rally is called The Festival of Slow, and rightly so, since participants are allowed to drive 1-litre cars that are deemed "comically unsuitable", through rough terrain that spans across over 15 countries. Organised by The Adventurists of the Rickshaw Run fame, the Mongol Rally begins simultaneously in Spain, Italy and the UK on July 18. The rally takes approximately four weeks to complete, and there are no winners. The official website points out matter-of-factly how "in a normal year just over half the teams make the finish line in one piece".
Ad filmmaker and co-owner of popular Mumbai nightclub Bluefrog, Mahesh Mathai's No Right Turn is one of the teams taking off from Goodwood Motor Circuit in the UK. The teams can chart their own path from Europe to Mongolia, and Mathai's list includes Bulgaria, Turkey, Armenia, Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, before he and expert Australian driver Amanda Williamson cross Russia to Ulan Bator in Mongolia.
The rally raises money for charity, and each team has the responsibility of generating at least u00c3u0082u00c2u00a31,000. The funds are then directed to various projects in Mongolia. "An ambulance has been used before, and we thought it was a brilliant idea since we can go one step further and donate the ambulance to charity too," says Mathai, the man behind adfilm company Highlights Films. Besides the mandatory u00c3u0082u00c2u00a3 1000, Mathai hopes to raise another Rs 10 lakh to support organisations like Magic Bus (conducts programmes to develop life skills needed for children to build a better future), back home.
The duo knew it wouldn't be easy to acquire a used ambulance, and after failed attempts at procuring one, (in the past, ambulances have been used to smuggle arms), Mathai finally bid for one at an auction in Wales. Their ambulance has not been modified for the journey, so that a Mongolian hospital can use it once they are are done with the rally.
What was tougher though, was procuring visas for over 13 countries. "The process is long and tedious. We are hoping to pull it off because the rally is a great excuse to visit all the places one only reads about in books," smiles Mathai. Staying fit and preparing to eat anything, is all the prep Mathai says he needs. He has participated in several rallies across India, and is here for the sheer risk and adventure involved. "Amanda and I have driven on rough terrain before. I can fix the car, as long as nothing major goes wrong. The rest, we will figure out along the way," he adds. For this journey, Mathai plans to log in his adventures on a blog whenever he is on the road and within signal range. With less than a month left for this rally to begin, Mathai already has plans to participate in The Adventurist's forthcoming African and South American Rally.
