So what is the Banjul Challenge?

The 3 week Banjul Challenge is the worlds first-ever Banger Challenge that has spawned so many others and is now in its 8th year.

In December 2002 the first group of hopeful souls left the UK in a motley collection of vehicles, optimistically believing that the (dis)organiser Julian Nowill knew what he was doing, where he was going and had substance and experience behind his words. Despite later finding out to the contrary, this first event was a great success and most of the 42 Teams even made it to Banjul.

So why a "Banger" Challenge? Well, the event rules state that entrants' vehicles must cost no more than £100 to purchase, and although this rule is applied more "in spirit" rather than "in fact", past Challenges have seen ice-cream vans, 2CVs, VW Beetles and a whole host of aged vehicles that should by all rights be quietly rusting in peace at a local scrapyard, rather than being thrashed for thousands of miles under the merciless desert sun.

The Banjul Challenge heads South through Morocco, Western Sahara, Mauritania and Senegal, arriving at Banjul in The Gambia. The route travels mostly on tarmac roads, but the highlight is the two-day off-road crossing of the Sahara Desert. The journey is approximately 3700 miles and can comfortably be covered in three weeks (if all goes well). Those in a hurry have completed in under two weeks, but that is missing the point, really. This is NOT a race. There is so much of interest en-route that it makes no sense to rush your travels.

The Challenge really starts in Southern Spain, where hotel accommodation is provided. The Road Book provides the clues as the Participants bond over a beer (or two) in the hotel bar, and form into travelling groups for the journey South. Ahead lies Sand, Sea and... even more sand. Experience the heat of the desert sun, and the challenge of nursing a knackered car all the way to destinations that most people would only consider flying to.

This Challenge is only open to Left-Hand Drive vehicles. The route can be completed by almost any vehicle, and there is no distinct advantage to having 4x4 drive (except when others are stuck in the sand!). It is a condition of entry that All vehicles MUST be donated to the Control Committee in The Gambia. The vehicles are auctioned and the funds raised are distributed to local worthy causes. This is the only legitimate way to ensure that the best price is obtained and that the funds are distributed appropriately. Nasty things do happen to those who might flout this requirement, because it is illegal to sell your vehicle privately.

(Julian's official site can be found at: http://www.dakarchallenge.co.uk/ )