This summer, Bob and Erik Petersen will drive from London to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia in a 1993 Ford Fiesta with a 1.1-litre engine. Erik turns 30 this summer and figures this is as good a way as any to celebrate. Bob works as a driving safety instructor. Make of that what you will.

Obviously, they haven't selected such an ill-suited vehicle at random. They're participating in the 2007 Mongol Rally, the rally where attempting to win is actively discouraged and every car is required to be at least 10 years old and possessed of the automotive equivalent of a gerbil on a wheel under the bonnet.

The rally stands for a number of things. Mostly sheer idiocy. But also good causes. Every team must raise money for charities, including MercyCorps. It's a lovely organisation and the Petersen men figure that if they're going to risk a head-on collision with a yak, it might as well be to raise money for folks like this.