An Angus man has set off on a trip of a lifetime, driving 10,000 miles from Prague to Siberia on the Mongol Rally.
Jack Stott, 20, of Oathlaw, joined three other thrill-seekers on Monday for a journey which should take five weeks to complete.
The four team members have crammed themselves into a 1.0L 2002 Nissan Micra, bought for £450, for the greatest motoring adventure on the planet, raising funds for the Dundee Maggie’s Centre.
The rally thunders across the mountains and desert of Europe and Asia each summer – with no backup, no support and no set route.
Jack is joined by Kieran Tincombe from Wadhurst in England, Angus Johnson from Belfast and Ryan Delaney from Perth, Australia.
He said: “The idea of taking part in the rally started during a ski season in France where I met all the people taking part.
“It was a pub conversation to begin with but the next thing I knew I was applying for visas to countries I hadn’t even heard of before.
“I’d always wanted to do a rally of this sort before but not on this scale.
“I realised it was a chance to see parts of the world I would never see otherwise and is also a great way to raise money for our chosen charity.”
The route the team has chosen takes in Turkey, Azerbaijan, across the Caspian sea to Turkmenistan, on to Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Russia, Mongolia and back to Russia to the finish line.
They are raising funds for the Maggie’s Centre, in the grounds of Ninewells Hospital, which has strong family connections for Jack.
His sister, Rebecca, is fundraising officer at the centre, and his father Bruce of Kirriemuir-based Delson Contracts Ltd. has sponsored a Maggie’s penguin which sits in Kirrie square as part of the Maggie’s Penguin Trail.
Jack’s team is sponsored by Bruce Linton of James Keiller Gin, and Jack’s mother Helen of Delfield Pilates.
The team has a Just-Giving page for donations on
https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/mongolrally2018team
