If nothing goes wrong, everything has gone wrong.
THE UN-ROUTE
One of the first thing's I have to clarify with people when begin ranting about the rally is that IT IS NOT A RACE! It offically starts outside of Prague in the Czech Republic and end's on the shore's of Lake Baikal in Ulan Ude, Russia with the primary aim of getting your vehicle to the finish line by whatever mean's necessary and taking the most ridiculous route possible. Team MAGA will be beginning our adventure on the island of Jersey (where 3/4 of the team are from) and will be taking the 'southern' route through Turkey and across the Caspian Sea. From there we will go through all the 'Stan countries (except Afghanistan for obvious reasons) and along the infamous Pamir Highway to Mongolia hoping to complete the journey in around 50 days. On this 12,000 mile adventure we will go through these 19 countries-
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United Kingdom
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France
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Belgium
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Germany
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Czech Republic
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Slovakia
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Hungary
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Romania
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Bulgaria
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Turkey
11. Georgia
12. Azerbaijan
13. Turkmenistan
14. Uzbekistan
15. Tajikistan
16. Kyrgyzstan
17. Kazakhstan
18. Russia
19. Mongolia
The 'hopeful' route back
If the rally was not hardcore enough Team MAGA has every intention, state of vehicle depending, to drive back west through Russia before going north into Scandinavia and the Arctic Circle then at some point actually returning to our home country to think up the next crazy adventure.
THE TEAM
Antony Scott- Jersey
Scuba Dive Instructor
Has spent more time with inboard diesel marine engines than their automotive petrol equivalents- surely they are the same right?!
After realizing life in an office on an offshore tax haven was not for him Antony left 'the rock' in 2010 to explore and scuba dive around the world, with the last 3 years spent living in the Caribbean & travelling Latin America. Has been to 78 countries and would love to visit them all.
Drinking rum, hiking/trekking, playing Frisbee, going on epic dive trips and photography are his vices.
Voted most likely to be chased down a street by some angry local girl's father for trying to steal her away.
Ben Crozier, Australia
Bar tender
Did two weeks of work experience as an automotive electrician once, 12 years ago.
Hailing from various parts of Australia, Ben decided that the best way to continue his 10 year electrical career as an instrumentation technician was to adopt the life motto of “Fuck it, why not?” and abandon it all to travel the world. 39 countries and countless stories later, and currently a bartender residing in Edinburgh, Scotland; he is an avid traveller and works best when things go horribly wrong.
Loves a good [insert alcoholic beverage here]; the great outdoors; and the thrill of the unknown.
Voted most likely to land us in an Uzbekistani jail cell for the night.
Amy Hayhurst, Jersey
English Teacher
Common sense, a keen sense of danger and an uncanny ability to learn the basics of any language she comes across Amy can bring more to the team than she believes.
Having lived in both Jersey and London, working far too many years in the finance industry, Amy finally left the UK in 2016 to pursue her dream of living in Italy. She resides in Rimini near the country of San Marino and works as both a teacher to pre schooler's and a babysitter.
Enjoys nothing more than spending time at the beach relaxing or playing on her skimboard, loves dogs and driving/camping about the European countryside.
Voted most likely to get the team out of any sticky situation her teammates put them in.
Nick Scott- Jersey*
Accountant
After qualifying as a chartered accountant, Nick took inspiration from his brother and went on the trip of a lifetime around the world for 15 months with his girlfriend Nicky. 4 years later, married and the owner of a fluffy pooch called Alfie, Nick can’t wait to get back on the road again.
Over the last 12 months Nick has undertaken the challenge of playing rugby again after an absence of 11 years, dedicating 4 days a week to training. He is very active and enjoys all sports and outdoor activities. A perfect day for him ends with a frosty beer in front of a setting sun.
Voted most likely to find a new hobby and probably injure himself at some point.
*joining us to Georgia only due to his job
THE CAR- 'Tatanka'
After months of trying to figure out what kind of car we wanted and much browsing online this little beast of a Fiat showed up almost out the blue. Her spec's are-
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1242cc 4 cylinder 60hp engine (great for hills at altitude)
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27,000 miles (will be nearly doubled)
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5 doors (enough to escape quickly in an emergency)
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Remote central unlocking (locking button does not work)
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CD Player/radio (to listen to inaudible Kazak channels)
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Working fans (no A/C which will be fun in the desert)
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Good headroom (a must when two of us are 6 foot+)
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A fancy number plate (had to have something to stand out)
Unfortunately our team lacks imagination and so couldn't think of an appropriate name until now- Tatanka (Sioux for Buffalo & also in Dances with Wolves) has a solid ring to it I think.
