The mammoth effort required to conquer the Dakar Rally can test even the most professional of teams with the biggest budgets. But the beauty of the event is that it is still open to those with the passion and the adventurous spirit to line up on the startline alongside their heroes.
This year two Britons, Andrew Graham and Gavin Neate, saw their dream become a reality. From an idle chat and a pipedream born in a UK workshop, plans were drawn up to enter a 1985 Land Rover and take on the sand dunes.
After many trials and tribulations, sweat, tears, a lack of sleep and mechanical frailty hanging over them, they made it to the finish in the most unlikely of circumstances. Here is their story.
The end is near
After 14 days and nearly 5000 miles, disaster strikes. At the end of the penultimate stage of the 2024 Dakar Rally, a British crew pick up a misfire in their 1985 Land Rover. This debut entry in the classic class (for pre-2000 machinery) looks to have succumbed to the world’s toughest off-road endurance rally, hours
