The Plymouth-Dakar Rally
Crocks rev up for Sahara and ice-creamLONDON (Reuters) - Chris "Chip" Wilson says he has a secret weapon when he heads off on Friday for a gruelling car rally across seven countries and hundreds of miles of scorching Sahara -- ice-cream.
Chip's souped up ice-cream van is one of about 90 vehicles revving up for the annual Plymouth-Dakar rally, a chaotic chase down the Atlantic coasts of Europe and Africa in the name of charity.
Unlike the more famous Paris-Dakar rally, competitors must build their vehicles for under 100 pounds and when they arrive are expected to auction them off, donate the proceeds to charities in Gambia and then fly home.
Chip, who installs windows for a living, has named his van Fatboy Slimfast. "It was the most inappropriate vehicle we could find," he said.
"We took it on a test run the other day. It overheated; the clutch cable tore out; and the electrics packed up. We've already gone through one engine and a gearbox. At the moment it has no floor.
"But imagine the smiles when we roll up in the middle of nowhere in Africa and start serving ice-cream. Apart from anything else, it'll help our case with the border guards."
Alongside Chip and his co-driver Neil Scudder are dozens of teams from Britain, the United States, Germany and Russia. They go by names like Team Rustbucket, The Milk Sheikhs, Team Sheikh E Mota and the Desert Prats.
"It attracts a weird mix of the normal and the oddball," organiser Julian Nowill said of the 3,700-mile (6,000 km), three week challenge, which first started last year and is already fully booked for 2005.
Last year, the racers included a large-breasted erotic novelist, he said, and her boyfriend -- a celebrity hairdresser. Competitors faced a series of unexpected challenges, including a self-appointed border guard who threw up an impromptu barrier and started charging 10 euros (seven pounds) per car.
"After negotiations failed, we just rammed it down," said Nowill.
"This is everything that the Paris-Dakar is not," he added. "It's got no money, no support and the vehicles are crap. Despite the name, it doesn't start in Plymouth, because the ferries from there don't suit us. And it doesn't even end in Dakar.
* Ray, 12/18/2003 01:57:29 PM
