From Chatteris to Tokyo: Fensport Duo to Drive a Toyota Yaris to Japan in Aid of BBC Children In Need
An intrepid duo are taking an aged Toyota Yaris on a marathon fund-raising drive, setting out this weekend, to cover 12,500 miles from Cambridgeshire to Japan. Dan Handley and Dave Brooks will travel on inhospitable roads and gruelling terrain, passing through 20 different countries to reach their destination in Tokyo.
They hope their spirit of adventure and one-off feat will help raise bumper sums for the BBC Children in Need appeal.
Dan and Dave are both car enthusiasts and work together at Toyota specialists Fensport Performance in Chatteris. Their cross-continent drive has been a long-held ambition, made possible thanks to backing of the project, received by winning the 2017 Motor-Vision Awards.
They chose the Yaris as a car they knew well, and which would be easily repairable should they encounter any problems. They have sourced a 16-year-old five-door model, powered by a punchy 1.5-litre petrol engine and costing just £1,000 – purchased with a donation from their local retailer Steven Eagell Toyota. It has been modified to help it withstand the rigours of the journey and to provide Dan and Dave with a home on wheels. The majority of the nights will be spent camping, preparing meals on a small stove, with an occasional stay in local hostels.
Starting out Sunday (12th August), Dan and Dave will cross Europe towards Turkey. They are allowing themselves eight weeks to reach the port of Vladivostok in eastern Russia, from where they will take a ferry to Japan, via South Korea. If all goes according to plan, they will arrive in Tokyo on 5th October, and spend a week there before returning by air to the UK. The car will return to the UK in a container. More details about their trip and details of how to contribute to their fund-raising can be found on their website here: www.chatteris2tokyo.com.
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