How did you end up doing the Rally with your mum?

S: Out of the blue my Mum asked if l fancied driving to Mongolia. I immediately said yes without a thought and then asked ‘where is it’? I think to be honest not knowing too much was great as l didn’t get too daunted.

Why did you want to do the Rally with your daughter?

D: Ever since I had a lesson around Goodwood from the legend that is Derek Bell I’ve always loved being behind a wheel. So the rally combined this with my love to travel. Having had that moment when you are a certain age (ahem!) & you revaluate your life after serious illness etc – l had the motivation to get off my backside & do something! My added bonus & privilege was having my daughters company for 6 weeks!

Did you have any mechanical knowledge or preparation before the Rally?

D: Did we have any mechanical knowledge – nah not really only the very basics. What we did have was a well prepared car – Sump guard, complete service, four spare tyres and the infinite belief that we would be fine!

The camaraderie of the other teams is proof of that, along with all the wonderful people you meet on the way. Complete strangers who will go out of they way to help when you are lost or break down.
Did you ever get sick of each-others company?

S: We spent every waking hour together and even shared a tent. The real fun began when reaching the Russian/Mongolian border – it was shut so we were stranded there along with a load of other teams, so we went back to the nearest town for beer and strawberry vodka  and proceeded to get drunk around a fire!

What was the worst bit?

S: After crossing the Caspian Sea we were anchored at the port of Turkmanabashi for 24 hours because there was no room for the boat to dock! There was only one toilet on board and the ship ran out of water so we drank beer and vodka.

What was the best bit?

D: During our 72hr wait at the border we found ‘Mark’ who became our convoy companion – little did we know he turned out to be the best mechanic and fixer ever!! We had an amazing journey through Mongolia – and best of all – Savanna found a wonderful husband & l got to get an awesome son-in-law along with the best experiences & memories ever. They even went on the Mototaxi Junket for their honeymoon.

So in conclusion ladies; if you despair about your young unmarried daughter, chaperone her on the Mongol Rally and pick your own son-in-law. She gets a husband, you get adventure. Everyone’s a winner.

Mongol Rally 2019 closes for sign ups on 5th June