Max is ready to tackle the challenges on the adventurous Mongolian rally (From Keighley News)

Max is ready to tackle the challenges on the adventurous Mongolian rally

10:00am Friday 17th July 2009

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A Cononley man is set to take part in the world famous Mongol Rally.

Max Brear, 28, and university friend Neil Rzechorzek, also 28, will set off on the five-week 10,000-mile journey to the Mongolian capital this weekend.

And their journey will take them through Europe, Turkey, Georgia, across the Caspian Sea and bring them face to face with notorious Russian border patrols.

Max, who was a house captain at Ermysted’s Grammar School, in Skipton, and captain of the school’s cross country team, said the pair had been lured by adventure.

“The rally is notoriously difficult and given the distance, harsh terrain and mode of transport, it is not surprising that many teams simply do not get to the Mongolian capital,” he said.

“We both enjoy travelling and after a long period of intense working and studying, we decided it was time for an extended trip.”

The pair, who met at university in Bath, will be making the journey in a six-year-old Suzuki Jimny.

They need to raise at least £1,000 for the charity Mercy Corps — which supports a wide range of Mongolian projects — and once they reach their destination, they will hand the Jimny over to a local good cause.

Under rally rules, teams can use any type of vehicle but it must be under ten years old and have an engine no more powerful than 1.3 litres.

Max, who now works in London for Barclays Bank, said: “Neil and I are really looking forward to crossing the Caspian Sea by ferry into Turkmenistan and driving across the Mongolian Steppe, a vast grassland eco-region that forms a crescent across the Gobi Desert.

“We are most dreading the notorious Russian border patrol teams who often require significant bribing before they let you in and out of the country, along with the ongoing challenges of continually breaking down, a few teams have actually been chased by armed gunmen.” It will not be the first charity trip Max has undertaken — in 1998, he mountain-biked around China with the Yorkshire Schools Exploring Society and has completed a coast-to-coast race with Steve Cram for his COCO charity.

Max and Neil have gained the support of a few sponsors, including Keighley Suzuki specialist KAP, whose Andrew Webb, another former Ermysted’s pupil, has carried out much of the work on the car.

Anyone who would like to sponsor Max and Neil can contact Max at maxbrear@hotmail.co.uk or visit their website at justgiving.com/stopyakkinggetcracking.

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