Dan, a Maths Ph.D student and George, who is studying for a Masters degree in Physics, are due to set off from London on July 30 in a car with a mere one litre engine.
Competing with 50 teams from across the UK, the pair will drive through a total of 11 countries with roads ranging from bad to almost non-existent, no carefully marked course or support vehicles and obstacles including two deserts and five mountain ranges. They hope to reach Ulaanbaatar in Mongolia in three weeks' time.
They will travel through countries as diverse as the Netherlands, Germany the Czech Republic, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan to reach Mongolia, which lies in the centre of the Asian continent and is the sixth largest country in Asia.
The Mongol Rally is a fund-raising event for two charities: 'Send a Cow' and 'Save the Children in Mongolia'. The 'Send a Cow' charity enables poor farmers in Africa to become self-reliant by providing them with livestock, training and advice. The charity works with some of the most vulnerable groups in Africa, including children orphaned by war, families affected by AIDS, and disabled people. The 'Save the Children in Mongolia' charity helps Mongolian children, many of whom are homeless, with shelter, medical treatment and food.
Competitors must raise at least £1,000 for the 'Send a Cow' charity and have a car, preferably old, with an engine no bigger than 1,000 cc.
To sponsor Dan and George please contact Helen Craven tel (0117) 928 7978 or email Helen.Craven@bristol.ac.uk. For more information on the event please go to www.mongolrally.co.uk