Hackney daredevils follow footsteps of Anthill Mob with Mongolian wacky race
A team of Hackney daredevils will embark on a 10,000 mile wacky race to Mongolia on Saturday, through deserts, mountains and steppe in a beat-up old car.
In the spirit of the Hanna-Barbera cartoon featuring Dick Dastardly and Penelope Pitstop, De Beauvoir Square residents - Wesley Thirkell, his brother Hayden, girlfriend Amy Marshall and friend Philip Ryan - will venture through 16 countries and negotiate 18 border crossings.
They will hope they won’t get attacked by bandits along the way.
Under the guise of “Team Evel Khanievel, Hot Rod and The Crew,” they are taking on the personas of the 2007 film Hot Rod.
In the film aspiring stuntman Rod Kimble embarks on a mission with his crew to raise $50k to fund his stepdad’s heart operation by performing “one big jump” – just so Rod can beat him in a fight and earn his respect.
They were struck with how their real-life characters were amplified versions of those in the film, not least being completely unprepared and oblivious of the scale of the challenge that lies ahead.
“Philip, with the long hair, is accident prone and not much of a help at anything, just like Dave in the film.
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“Kevin tags along on the whole thing and doesn’t add much beyond that like my brother Hayden, and in the past I used to race motorbikes so I’m more in line with Rod – plus I end up organising everything,” said 30-year old Wesley, who will dress up as a stuntman to complete the race.
“The whole point of the rally is not to take it too seriously. Of course you can drive there in a few weeks if you threw loads of money at it, but to make it tongue-in-cheek makes it more fun.”
With no on-road support, and no set route, the finish line is kept open for three weeks – but many of the 400 teams that will enter will never reach the destination.
“One group we know got to Azerbaijan and all their belongings and their car went up in flames and it took them two weeks to hitch to an embassy to get the paperwork to fly back,” added Wesley.
They want to raise money for dementia charity The Alzheimer’s Society and natural disaster and conflict crisis charity Mercy Corps, and their car will be donated to locals if they complete the route.
For more information visit www.Evel-Khanievel.co.uk
