Launch Party - July 2010

The Launch Party is the annual kick-off for Julians' various challenges, organised by the man himself (at left) and set in a secret location on a remote hillside in darkest Devon - a two-day gathering where past challengers gather to swap stories, meet up with old friends and scare the newbies witless with wild and outlandish tales from the Dark Continent - and where it starts to dawn on us newbies just what it is that we've got ourselves into...
 
Some of the "old hands" are on their second or even third challenges and there are also splinter factions who have now spin-off their own challenges. It would appear that wherever you might feel like driving an old banger to, be it Africa, the Artic Circle, Transylvania or ex-Soviet Republics, there is a group that will cater for you.
 
Everybody receives their welcome pack and the various challenges break off into groups for briefings, Q&A sessions, do's & dont's and everybody begins sizing up the other people that we're going to be spending 3 weeks and nearly 4,000 miles in the company of. With the serious stuff out of the way, the party begins...