2008 Africa Rally launches!

The first ever Adventurists Africa Rally launch on Friday 18th July was nothing short of a stonker. The teams come mainly from round the UK, but there are also Irish, Dutch, American, Tasmanian and Mexican teams taking on this ‘jungley deserty’ adventure. At just over 40 teams it was an impressive sight, and many have made some serious effort with the paint jobs, or fur/grass jobs as the case may be. (Click on images to enlarge). Great Balls of Fur team consisted of two Bedford Rascal vans completely covered in Cheetah and Zebra pattern fur respectively. Mix in the tweed suits, the bathtub in the back of one, the leather sofa and 6 foot lamp in the back of the other, and the picture is finished off only with their portrait of the Queen. Return of the Heroes’ car looked like they had borrowed their local astro turf hockey pitch. The whole car is plastered in a very good impression of lush grass and actually did blend into the green backdrop of Hyde Park. Apparently it will serve as camouflage in the jungle according to the team, although perhaps might stand out a bit in the desert? All in all a jolly good show with plenty of fancy dress and back slapping all round. By the time the chaps from the Cameroonian Embassy gave a speech to the teams the African drummers and dancers were about to play and the mood was building. The Deputy High Commissioner for the Embassy of Cameroon in the UK assured the teams a friendly and open reception from Cameroon, and welcomed the rally back next year, saying it was great for Cameroon to host the finish lines of adventures like this. The time soon came and Buddy - the host for the day - joined in the dancing, forgetting his role as a Victorian explorer for a moment and slipping into the character of 70s disco diva, but all for the cause. The atmosphere was noticeably building and when the time came the teams passed under the massive inflatable start line looking awesome. Then the Great Balls of Fur teams broke down less than 100 yards after crossing the start line! Thankfully it was fixed within an hour but provided a suitable opportunity to get the leather sofa and lamp out and read the Africa Rally Info Pack and the newspaper while one of the tweed wearing adventurists got to work on the first of many repairs! Scenes of tweed, leather sofas and bedford rascals in far flung deserts and jungles are set to entertain us, along with the rest of the teams' journeys over the next four weeks. Stay tuned to the updates.