Nissan Micra - The car of choice for Mongol Rally Racers

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Nissan Micra at Mongol Rally

By Chris Jefferies

Hundreds of teams of daring motorists are due to undertake a gruelling four-week driving challenge next month, and two of the British teams taking part have something in common. They have both chosen to drive a Nissan Micra.

Jim Keating and Dave Maraid-Reynolds, as well as Richard Puchalka and Andrzej Staszek will be hoping that their sturdy Japanese hatchbacks will carry them a third of the way across the surface of the earth to complete the Mongol Rally.

This 10,000-mile driving challenge starts on July 23rd and runs from the south-coast town of Chichester to Ulan Bator in Mongolia, requiring the drivers to have strong mechanical skills, while their cars must also be up to the task.

The big catch is that the motor involved cannot be larger than a 1.0-litre and that, as any true petrolhead will tell you, makes for quite a challenge.

Drivers must also have a strong sense of direction, as there is no set route - it is up to them how to cross the highly varied terrain, which ranges from dusty, arid deserts to barren, icy wildernesses.

Two brave teams

Richard and Andrzej, both aged 22, are taking a sense of youthful adventure into their Mongol Rally adventure, as they told the Sheffield Telegraph.

"Our background in car mechanics is at best non-existent and our ability to even change a tyre would come into question," Richard admitted.

Under the name Well N' Truly Baatared, the team are relying on their ten-year-old 1.0-litre Micra, which they bought for just �1,050.

However, the boys will face stiff competition from a pair of slightly more experienced motorists from north of the border.

Jim and Dave will be starting their epic journey in Edinburgh, and between them they boast a limited grasp of Russian and some engineering experience. Not to mention a Nissan Micra that they picked up for just �800.

Dave told The Scotsman that he has plenty of experience in ad-hoc repairs, so he feels confident that he will be able to cope with whatever the rally throws at him.

"I'm pretty resourceful. Being able to replace the differential with a handful of toothpicks, an empty can and some pre-chewed gum will come in handy in a desert in the Ukraine, I feel," he told the local newspaper.

Neither team can be in any doubt as to the severity of the challenge, however, as the Mongol Rally is more than just an exotic adventure.

The hostile terrain and the intense strain placed on the vehicles means that there are serious risks to be faced along the way.

Nontheless, the teams will battle on, as all of this is in aid of a good cause - the Mongol Rally raises upwards of �300,000 a year for a range of worthy charities.

Both teams will be raising money for Christina Noble Children's Foundation, while Jim and Dave also hope to raise funds for CCLASP, which supports children and families of children who have been diagnosed with life-threatening illnesses.

The right wheels for the job

When it comes to the choice of car, many different approaches have been taken down the years, from a using Vauxhall Nova to using a Renault 4L (as driven by Nick Hewer of The Apprentice fame in 2008, nonetheless).

However, the Nissan Micra is so popular amongst entrants that the Japanese best-seller even gets a mention on the official Mongol Rally website.

"There is nothing like staring down the bonnet of a Nissan Micra at hundreds of miles of dirt track and foot high rocks," the organisers claim.

A hatchback mainstay for almost 20 years, the Micra was launched in the UK in 1992, and it has garnered a reputation for reliability, with Top Gear Magazine describing it as "nigh-on bomb proof".

The latest version, the 2012 Tekna, starts at around �12,000 on the road, while used models can be found for as little as �295.