5 ridiculous road trips that won't cost a fortune
Gumball 3000 a bit tame? We got you...
We’re all familiar with the Gumball 3000 - a star-studded celebration of speed and adventure where the rich and famous spend a fortune for the chance to drive their supercars 3000 miles across beautiful parts of the world. It’s glamorous, fast, and, if we’re being honest, a little bit tame. And as most of us don’t have £50,000 to drop on an entrance fee, let alone a supercar, I thought I’d seek out the best budget motoring adventures.
5. Rickshaw Run
theadventurists.com
Kicking things off in splendid fashion, on three wheels rather than four, we have the ridiculous Rickshaw Run. Sure to push even the hardest of adventurers to their limit, the challenge is to get your 7hp tuk tuk from one end of India to the other while raising a shedload of cash for charity.
After staggering out of the mother of all parties, the teams are sent on their merry way with no set route across India’s terrifying road network. There’s no backup, only a finish line location and 2.5 weeks to get there. Ruddy marvellous.
4. Maroc Challenge
marocchallenge.com
If my recent Camel Trophy story got you itching to load up a Landie and hit the desert, this could be the perfect challenge for you. Open to any car over 16 years old, the Maroc Challenge lets you live out those Paris-Dakar fantasies across Morocco through some of the harshest terrains on Earth. 4x4s are welcome but we recommend something underpowered and 2 wheel drive for a bit more drama.
Cars are split into classes but it’s more about having fun than outright competition. The route changes each year but it’s usually about a week long over the entire length of the country.
3. The Shitbox Rally
shitboxrally.com.au
The Shitbox Rally - with a name like that it could only really be from one place, couldn’t it? The task for the upcoming 2019 event is simple, get your $1000 car from Perth in Western Australia to Sydney in the East via Uluru in the middle. Sounds easy enough until you realise this involves driving a total wreck right across the Australian outback. Thousands of square miles of nothing but hot desert and animals that want to kill you. It really is the last place you want to break down which is exactly what makes this rally so exciting.
No 4x4s are allowed, that would be way too easy, so it’s up to you and your teammates to navigate the 3000 or so miles of dirt roads without getting stuck. Obviously, you will, but with checkpoint campsites along the route every night, another team will be along soon to help you out… We hope.
2. The 2904
the2904.org
Off-roading and searing heat not your thing? Well, well done for reading this far, this one’s for you.
Inspired by the Cannonball Run, the 2904 challenges you to drive the 2904 miles from New York to San Francisco as fast as possible. Nothing new there, you might think, but wait, there’s a catch. Each team’s entire budget for the rally is just $2904. That includes purchasing and modifying your car, your fuel, your food, your speeding tickets and any other purchases along the way. Receipts are checked!
The 2904 record was set in America’s cheapest (twice-written off) AMG Mercedes purchased from a dead stripper, with a time of 32 hours and 2 minutes and an average speed of 91mph. Time-saving is everything and it’s common for teams to fit long-range fuel tanks and not stop for bathroom breaks. Police don’t take kindly to this sort of thing, so best to choose something discrete… or an A-Team van.
1. The Mongol Rally
Team Let's Get Lost
The daddy of all budget motoring adventures must surely be the fearsome Mongol Rally. Over 10,000 miles from England to Mongolia in a car barely capable of crossing a car park, never mind a third of the Earth’s surface. Only sub-1-litre cars are allowed, £1000 must be raised for charity, there is no set route, no time limit, and absolutely no support. Blimey.
It takes a certain type of idiot to attempt this fool’s errand, and I’m afraid I’m one of them. Passing over the smooth roads of Western Europe is easy but the proverbial really hits the fan the deeper you head into the car-killing deserts and dictatorships of central Asia. Not for the faint of heart, the Mongol Rally proves you don’t need to spend a fortune to have the ultimate road trip.
So those are my top 5, what would your ultimate motoring adventure be?
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Comments (19)
Team #vdubsurfwagon's mk2f polo chillin in the foothills of the Himalayas on last year's Mongol Rally. Best thing I've ever done, highly recommend for anyone who feels like doing something stupid 😂
Excellent choice of car! I've had a couple of those myself. Are those Mk2 Jetta wheels?
Nice! As far as I'm aware they're just the standard steelies but fitted with much fatter tyres
What about the European Mountainsummit and the European 5000 rally, low investment, great adventure!
I’m keen to drive my Defender from UK to HK. Any route suggestions much appreciated!
Extremely angry the picture for the "shitbox rally" features an Alfa 147
It's because it's an unreliable shitbox
Blasphomy!
Sign me up!