This is the big one. Sure I want to race in Dakar, sure I wish I was a rally driver for real but in reality I work in an office, I have a job and a mortgage and children but here I am faced with taking on the second longest endurance rally on earth and I don’t mind admitting I am crapping myself.

But buckle up buttercup, we are going to Africa in a major way. Guincho Racing is the platform by which my childhood fantasies are realised, off road into Africa is just the beginning, but my god what a beginning. The AFRICA ECO RACE starts on the 22nd January 26 and will take us from  the north of Morocco (Tangier) over the Atlas Mountains, into the Sahara desert into the mythical disputed zone of Western Sahara before joining the vast endless deserts of Mauritania and finishing in Senegal on the banks of Lac Rose in Dakar. This is a tribute to the original Dakar done properly under FIA racing conditions, and it will be the maddest adventure to date.

Over 6,000kms of racing across the wildest parts of Saharan Africa, taking part in a full blown endurance rally as one of the least experienced, least supported teams in the race will make an incredible challenge even harder. Sleeping in tents by our car at night, fixing the problems as they arise and riding the camaraderie wave of excitement all the way across the Sahara desert to the rolling plains of Senegal is a moment of adventure and excitement I can not describe effectively.

I am genuinely fizzing with excitement, nerves and trepidation. We have built the car ourselves with a little help from the professionals and a lot of sponsors along the way, but essentially anything that breaks is probably our fault and definitely my problem to fix. I have no idea how large a problem we will face or when my knowledge runs out, but much beyond a blown tire or a fan belt and I am entering the murky world of mechanical guess work. (I am crapping myself)

The route is a mystery, all I know is that finishing is winning in my book, and we will do everything in our limited knowledge and power to get to Dakar in the next 2 weeks.

As you read this (Friday 23rd Jan) we are heading to Tangier for the start line of this amazing journey, we will be entering scrutineerimg to check our car meets the regulations and safety requirements over the weekend and then we will be racing from Sunday morning. Where possible Instagram will be updated, but you can also follow along through a dedicated WhatsApp group updating along the way when we have service and you can follow our Garmin GPs system to see where we are in real time. 

We would love you all to follow.