ambulances & current events firegeezer on 14 Jun 2008 11:51 am
Ambulance Entered In Cross-Continent Rally
The Ford’s first day in service, 1978
A 1978 ST. JOHN AMBULANCE HAS BEEN ENTERED in the famous Mongol Rally. This notable road race begins in London and travels 10,000 miles to the finish line in the capital of Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar.
There are no designated routes to follow nor any checkpoints. The drivers choose their own paths but are forbidden to use GPS devices. The rally will take the 300 teams across two continents, five mountain ranges, two deserts and as many as 17 countries.
The rules generally require the engines to be no larger than 1 litre, but occasionally exceptions are made for the entertainment value as is the case with the ambulance. Previous entries have included an ice cream van, a black cab and hearse.
“It’s not exactly your everyday thing,” says the owner Mark Logan. “We wanted a ludicrous vehicle and looked at a doubledecker bus and a fire engine, but the ambulance, bought from eBay, was the most plausible.” He will be joined on the adventure by three friends, Stuart Garnham, Mathew Booth and Russell Nunn.
The 1978 fiberglass bodied Ford truck is powered by a Ford Pinto 2.0 litre engine. It has been fitted with a reinforced suspension system, CD Player, IPod dock, four 6×9 speakers, CB Radio, Fridge, several 12volt DC power points, 240v 800w power inverter, roof rack, additional stowage space and a larger radiator.
The 300 entrants leave London on July 19 and will take most of them about 4 to 6 weeks to complete the trip.
The Mongol Rally is a charity event that raises funds for Mercy Corps, an organization that helps rural communities and herding families in Mongolia with economic, educational and agricultural programmes.
Read more about Logan’s preparations in the Harlow Herald HERE.
Mark Logan’s official team WEBSITE.
The Official Mongol Rally website is HERE.
Note: Several other teams are posting videos of their preparations on YouTube. Just enter “mongol rally” on the search box. There are also some videos from last year’s event on there.
