THREE friends will be tackling the Sahara Desert in a 15-year-old fire engine with one potentially making it into the record books.

Martin Maisey, 47, from Little Somerford, thinks he could become the first man to finish the 10,000km-long Paris to Dakar Rally by travelling by motorbike, car and lorry.

Mr Maisey, who competed on a motorbike in 1999, in an aeroplane in 2000 and a car in 2003, will be joined by friends Andy Nurden, 51, from Crudwell, and David Massey, 54, from Hereford.

They will all leave behind successful businesses next January to embark on an adventure Mr Maisey compares to the Wacky Races.

Mr Maisey, a retired motocross rider, said going in an old rescue fire engine was not as mad as it may seem.

"It may be a fire engine but it has the equipment to do it," he said.

"When the fire engine was built the airport it came from spent money doing it up with four-wheel drive.

"We are not really doing it in a 15-year-old fire engine because we have stripped it down to its bare chassis and it is going to have £40,000 spent on it.

"We are going to put on new suspension and roll cages and navigation equipment."

Mr Maisey said the £40,000 to fix up the fire engine was covered although he expects his team to pick up some sponsorship.

Distances driven each day on the rally will vary from 400km to 1,200km.