Can I use someone else’s car on the rally?
Yes you can. As long as you have a copy of the original Vehicle Registration document, we can make up a ‘Letter of Authority to Drive’ which you can show to Customs officials and Police Officers when overseas.

Why can we only take a maximum of 4 drivers in each car?
Keeping the weight of your vehicle down is key to successfully negotiating the Sahara Desert. Adding an additional driver not only adds their personal weight, but that of their clothing & equipment, plus extra water, food and tents. Not only this, but the room inside all but the largest 4×4 vehicles is quite limited and it just wouldn’t be a comfortable experience for them.

We would recommend the following team numbers…

Small car (Nissan Micra etc) - no more than 2 drivers
Medium car (Ford Focus etc) - no more than 3 drivers
Large car (Land Rover Discovery etc) - no more than 4 drivers

Can I undertake the rally alone?
Unfortunately not. If we have problems, there may be some long days on the road and we have found it is too much driving for just one person. It is much better to have at least one other person to share time behind the wheel to ensure your own safety and that of the team and other road users. We’ve found that a medium or large sized car with 3 drivers is the best combination and this is what we had when we beat the record for the fastest drive from London to Cape Town.

Where will we be sleeping?
Accommodation will primarily be at campsites, but in many overnight stops there will be the option to upgrade to a hostel (auberge) or hotel room. This will be on a first come first serve basis, but to avoid having uncomfortable nights sleep, it is best to bring a good quality sleeping bag and mat.

Our first night together is in Los Barrios, southern Spain, just a short 20 minute drive from Gibraltar, whilst our last night will be in a hotel in Morocco.

Are there any rest days on the rally?
Half way through the 14 day event, we’ll spend 24 hours in the desert oasis town of Zagora, where you’ll get your vehicle checked over and be able to stock up with supplies

In addition to this, Day 2 will only involve a 20 minute drive to Gibraltar in the morning where you can spend the day touring the ‘Rock’. Later that afternoon we’ll then have a 1 hour drive to our overnight accommodation in Tarifa, the most southerly point of Europe.

Where is the best place to find a used car?
In order of preference, we would suggest the following online resources to find a suitable car in terms of the numbers available to choose from and the most reasonable prices…

How many teams will be on the rally?
For this event, we are capping the number of entries at 18 teams. This equates to 40 people as some teams have 3 per car.

How many support crew will be on the rally?
There will be 2 support crew in one 4×4 for every 12 people / 6 cars that take part in the rally. This equates to 6 crew in three 4×4’s, which will be made up of…

Expedition Leader - 25 years experience of operating vehicles in extreme conditions (-60C to +50C)
Moroccan Guide - over 10 years experience guiding 4×4 vehicles throughout Morocco
Expedition Doctor - experienced GP and A&E doctor specialising in remote wilderness medicine
Chief Mechanic - serving British Army vehicle mechanic, skilled in ‘Battle Damage Repairs’
2nd Mechanic
Media specialist - Freelance filmmaker & photographer

What is the ratio of support crew to teams taking part?
For every 6 teams taking part in the rally, there will be at least 1 support vehicle and 2 crew.

Do we drive in a convoy or travel independently?
Each team will be provided with a copy of the route that they can use to navigate from on their smartphone. In order to do this it simply involves downloading a free App onto your phone called Maps.me. As modern smartphones are GPS enabled, this means you won’t be using up any of your mobile data and will provide accurate route and location information even when you are far from a mobile phone signal.

On the tarmac sections, this will allow teams to travel independently, with the support crew following up the rear to recover anyone who has problems. If teams wish to stay close to the support vehicles though, that will be fine.

For the desert sections though, we’ll need to stay pretty tight as getting regular hatchbacks and saloon cars along the original Dakar Rally route will not be easy and it will be a team effort to get through!

Why are the ferries to and from the UK not included in the entry fee?
We considered including them in the entry fee, but there were 4 main reasons why this wouldn’t work:

  • The cost of the ferries is based on the size of the vehicles and the number of passengers inside them. If we included it in the entry fee, to cover our costs, we would have to assume that every team was driving a large 4×4 with roof rack fitted and consisted of 4 team members. This would unfairly penalise the small cars with just 2 drivers.
  • For those teams on a budget, there is the option of taking a cheaper ferry crossing from Dover to Calais and then using the toll free roads through France to get to Spain.
  • Teams joining us on the rally may live on the continent and so the ferries are not needed by them.
  • Some teams with time in hand may wish to take a more leisurely drive down to southern Spain and back.

If we wanted to save money and drive through France on the toll free roads, which way would we go?
The following website lists the best way to get through France toll free and without adding too much time compared to using the toll motorways:

https://about-france.com/tourism/no-tolls-routes.htm

What is the saving by taking the cheaper ferry and toll free roads through France?
Approximately £300

This is based on taking the ferry or Eurotunnel from the UK to France and then using the toll free roads through France, compared to taking the Portsmouth to Bilbao ferry. This does though include a night in a hotel on the way down which is approximately £80 for 2 people sharing a twin room.

How much time do we have to get from Gibraltar to Bilbao for the ferry back to Portsmouth?
1 1/2 days.

The distance of 650 miles is estimated to take 10 hours, primarily on fast motorways and dual carriageways. Unlike the UK with its heavily congested roads, those in Spain are largely devoid of traffic and actually enjoyable to drive. The plan would be as follows:

Gibraltar to Salamanca - 408 miles / 6:30 hours
Salamanca to Bilbao - 247 miles / 4:00 hours