On 24th July 2010 Mike, Alan and Filippo will be heading off in a 1.2l car for Mongolia as part of the Mongol Rally. We'll be travelling through Europe, into Turkey, then Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, some other 'stans' then through Russia into Mongolia. We're also heading along the Pamir Highway, one of the highest 'highways' in the world, along the border of Afghanistan. Basically we're taking a wholly unsuitable car through some of the most remote parts of the world with absolutely no support system to back us up. All in all it should be a pretty crazy time.

We need your help though. This isn't just for a laugh, we're raising money for the CNCF - Christina Noble Children's Foundation, who do all sorts of good for children in Mongolia. We are aiming to raise £1,100 from you lovely people so any sort of donations will be welcome.

Just for the record this is not an easy, or safe trip. This is taken from the Mongol Rally website:

Is the Mongol rally safe?
No, of course it's not safe. You will be driving through some very remote places in wholly unsuitable vehicles with no support system whatsoever. It is a highly risky and dangerous thing to do. In the past team members have been mugged, attacked or involved in serious car accidents which have left them permanently damaged. You need to understand that while the website is written in what we like to think is a light tone, the Mongol Rally is really very, very dangerous and taking part massively increases your chances of dying compared with staying at home. Consider it carefully and read the rules page of the website to familiarise yourself with the fact that there is absolutely no back-up or support provided. You need to be sure you're made of the right stuff to undertake the rally. Afterall, if you want safety guarantees, or indeed guarantees that anything will happen a certain way, then there are plenty of package holidays to be had.