Driving across the world ... in a 12-year-old Corsa!
A former shopkeeper has just days to prepare for one of the world's biggest charity challenges.
A whopping 10,000 miles and some of the planet's most inhospitable terrain separates Jake Slevin from his goal of driving a 12-year-old Vauxhall Corsa from Milan in Italy to the capital of Mongolia, Ulan Bator.
The 34-year-old from Cobbs Brow, Newburgh, has only just landed a ticket for the famous Mongol Rally and has yet to finalise his team or route.
But what he does know is that he wants to raise money for the Dyslexia Association – a charity close to his heart because he is a sufferer himself.
Fortunately it does not affect his map-reading skills which will be tested to the full as he negotiates unmade roads, rivers and ravines.
The rally encourages participants to take the bare minimum of resources and actively discourages the use of four-by-fours, modern or souped-up vehicles in general and sat navs.
Competitors, who set off from various European locations in the second week of next month, can take whatever route they like.
The course can be completed in as few as 10 days if a team goes flat out round the clock, but usually it takes between 30 and 50 days.
Many don't complete it, usually for mechanical reasons.
Jake, who until recently ran the Kite Shop in Newburgh, said: "This is one of the last major challenges in the world and I just could not resist it.
"I only got the ticket to take part at the last minute so I've only got 23 days to get sorted and that includes sponsors.
"The idea is that the first 1,000 goes to the charity the organisers are backing and then anything extra goes to causes of the competitors' choice."
Jake is used to long drives, having travelled all over Europe and beyond by car.
The Mongol Rally was first held in 2004 by just four participants but it has since snowballed into a major event and hundreds will enter this year.
Anyone wanting to sponsor Jake should ring 01257 463225.
Email to a friend
Print this page Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Local pages
Looking for a...
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Wigan
Thursday 02 September 2010
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 8 C to 22 C
Wind Speed: 8 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny spells
Temperature: 9 C to 20 C
Wind Speed: 8 mph
Wind direction: South east
