Gareth's Mongol Rally adventure begins

The time has finally come: Gareth and his team have set off on their grand rally adventure to the Mongolian capital of Ulaan Baatar.

Having begun their journey at Goodwood Racecourse in Sussex, the first foreign country they'll arrive in is France. From there the team will wind their way through Germany, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, before finding themselves on roads less-travelled in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and other strange places.

'Forget health and safety'

The aim is to arrive in Mongolia, a third of the circumference of the world away, sometime in September – all in a Suzuki Swift, which in the event of any mishaps the team must repair themselves.

Before setting off, Gareth had this to say:

"It's a scary journey ahead, but also a very exciting one. None of our team has much in the way of mechanical knowhow or much sense in other areas, so it should be a real challenge. We're driving an old, under-powered car through thousands of miles of dusty roads, in countries that have never even heard of 24-hour breakdown services. We might need a few miracles to succeed."

Raising thousands for charity

Of course, Gareth isn't just taking part in the Mongol Rally for kicks. The event also raises thousands for charities including Mercy Corps and the Christina Noble Children's Foundation.

You can still support this insane adventure by sponsoring Gareth's team, named "For Those About to Rally We Salute You", on the Mongol Rally website.

We just hope Gareth comes back in one piece... after all, he'll have a lot of work to catch up on when he returns in September!

Look out for further updates on the team's progress as the Mongol Rally continues.