Second London – Cape Town driving record attempt in aid of Farm Africa

Two British drivers set off from London early this morning in an attempt to break the London to Cape Town World Driving Record, set in February this year by Farm Africa supporters Philip Young and Paul Brace.

And as with this year’s earlier record drive, this present record attempt is being made in aid of Farm Africa.

Experienced endurance rally drivers Robert Belcher and Stephen Cooper drove off  from the RAC Club on Pall Mall in London. Their record attempt will see them drive  their British-made 2005 Land Rover Discovery 3 through 13 countries – England, France, Italy, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe and South Africa.

The record was set by Philip and Paul in their Fiat Panda on 11^th February at Marble Arch, London at 5.28pm UK time – 10 days 13 hours and 28 minutes after leaving Cape Town.

Robert and Stephen will be attempting to bring that record time down to less than 10 days. To cover the 10,000 miles needed in that time, the pair will need to maintain an average speed of 42mph, 24 hours a day. Sea and river crossings, delays on borders and fuel stops will need to be made up for, but without breaking each country’s speed limit. To cover as many miles in the day as possible, Robert and Stephen will drive around the clock with one resting whilst the other is at the wheel.

With little room for delays, the attempt will rely on any vehicle issues being resolved in less than an hour with swift passage through border crossings and a trouble-free drive through Libya and northern Kenya.

While the majority of the route will be undertaken on standard ‘sealed’ roads, the pair will still need to navigate rough and bumpy terrain including hundreds of kilometres of ‘unsealed’ dirt roads as they head through central Africa.

Driver Robert Belcher said; “Despite continuing improvements in Africa’s transport infrastructure, there are still countless issues that could arise on this journey. We’re driving through often volatile regions, areas where we could be seen as potential targets and border crossings can be notoriously slow processes that would cost us precious time. Not to mention if we have car problems then our attempt could be quickly scuppered.

“Having said that, we’re full of the spirit of adventure, we’re well prepared and are both very much looking forward to the challenge. This is an ambitious record to aim for, but we have every reason to believe we can achieve it.”

The team are following in Philip’s and Paul’s footsteps in more ways than one by also fundraising for Farm Africa. Why not support them by making a donation today?

You can also follow the teams progress here.