Two teams tackle Mongol Rally for Backup
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The rally, which takes place in July and spans 10,000 miles from the Czech Republic to Ulan Ude in Russia, requires participants to ride a very small vehicle, with no support or set route to the finish line, which must be crossed in four to eight weeks.
Team Backup, comprising Salvador Avila, Ethan Forde and Duncan McLean, are aiming to raise £50,000 for the charity, with team The Nomadic Numpties of ‘Turbo’ Anthony Hall and ‘Henri’ Abby Cooper targeting a further £1,000.
Team Backup will ride a 2001 Toyota Yaris with over 121,000 miles on the clock. Meanwhile, Team Nomadic Numpties are looking for ideas from the industry on turning their car, Poppy, into a mobile mirror ball.
“It won’t be easy, and the drive is fraught with danger,” says Duncan Mclean, a video and projection designer based in London and New York, who has worked in theatre, TV and large-scale live events for the past 15 years. “There will be highs and lows, the car will breakdown - a lot - and friendships will be pushed to their limits.
“But our goal is to raise £50,000 for Backup and we’re aiming to get manufacturers, hire companies, theatres, producers, various productions and other freelancers to sponsor the team on the rally.”
Henri is a freelance production manager and sound engineer whilst Turbo is part of the busy lighting design team at TSL. With both being so actively involved in the industry, it is no surprise that Backup is one of their chosen charities for the Mongol Rally, which they decided to enter on the spur of the moment while they were at a show at London’s Excel exhibition centre.
“We’re doing this because it’s a way of extending our knowledge of the wider world and, more specifically, because it challenges every aspect of our skill sets,” says Turbo. “We will be coaxing our fairly ancient car, Poppy, across 10,000 miles of inhospitable terrain, interacting with a huge variety of local people, seeing amazing sights and funding two excellent charities, Backup and Cool Earth.
“We’ve seen various technicians and other industry people need help. Backup is there for them, it’s an excellent charity and one close to our hearts.”
Team Backup see the Mongol Rally as a once in a lifetime adventure and one of the biggest challenges they will ever undertake.
“It will really take us out of all our comfort zones,” concludes Duncan. “Why are we supporting Backup? There is no other charity out there that supports our side of the industry, and the work they do is invaluable. Everyone has a link to someone who has been helped by backup, so it made complete sense for it to be our charity of choice.”
(Jim Evans)
