A mere 9,000 miles lies between a Potters Bar group and their goal of raising £2,000 for charity in this year's Mongol Rally.

The problem is that the miles must be covered in three old bangers worth little more than £200 each.

Jonathan Burt, 33, from Albemarle Avenue, said he chose to take on the challenge after his daughter fell ill from pneumonia last year and received exceptional care from Great Ormond Street Hospital.

He has since recruited six friends to join him, who will all set off on July 19 in their recently-bought Austin Maestros to travel a third of the way around the world.

Mr Burt said: "One of my main aims is to raise money for Great Ormond Street Hospital, where my two-year-old daughter spent some time last year after catching pneumonia.

"She's now fully recovered thanks to their expertise, so I wanted to find a way of saying thank you."

Joining Mr Burt will be ex-Potters Bar residents Paul Hillyard, 32, Robert Cross, 32, Zoe Hillyard, 37, and Toby Welch, 32, along with Kentish Town resident Tamsin Davies, 32, and Hackney resident Adam Whitaker, 37.

Mr Burt said he and his friends had decided on this particular charity event because it seemed "the most challenging".

However, they have already faced their first challenge of the adventure.

He said: "I had to change my exhaust, and someone else had to change the clutch on theirs a couple of months after buying it. To be honest, if we make it to Mutton Lane, let alone Mongolia, I'll be pleased.

"But it is all about the challenge, really. It is definitely one of the biggest tests of my life. I've worked in the Ukraine and speak Russian, which should help us a bit, but there aren't too many roads out there. That's the difficulty. It's just a big field, with mountains, rivers and deserts.

"You're going into the unknown. It's all very well driving through the Czech Republic and Germany, but when you get to Russia and Kazakhstan you often have to deal with some interesting characters.

"You never know, we might meet Borat on the way."

Starting in London, the rally finishes in the Mongolian capital Ulan Bator about four weeks later. In a normal year just over half the teams finish.

Mr Burt, who works for King Sturge property consultants in London, has negotiated time off work to take part in the rally, so the team is racing against time.

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