DEVIZES friends James Higgs and Damien Bottle suffered a scare just hours before they were due to set off on an 8,000 mile charity car rally to Mongolia when their vehicle broke down on the M4.
The pair were on their way to London for the start of the Mongol Rally on Saturday when their 41-year-old Morris Minor broke down near Reading. It turned out to be a fuel pump problem, which they were able to fix.
They made it to the first check point in Prague and yesterday were on their way to Kiev in the Ukraine.
Mr Higgs, 26, said: "The roads are terrible, they are badly rutted. Our normal cruising speed is 55 to 60mph but on these roads we are having to travel between 40 and 50 mph to protect the car."
More than 50 one-litre cars are taking part in the rally, which finishes at Ulaan Bataar. There are no support crews so the drivers have to be able to carry out emergency repairs.
Mr Higgs and Mr Bottle have raised over £2,000 through sponsorship which will be split between Save the Children and Send a Cow charities.
This is the second year of the Mongol Rally. Last year it took 24 days, but teams taking part this time are trying to complete it in three weeks.
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