Are you up for the challenge of driving across the Sahara Desert in a car that costs less than £500?
Pushing a car to the limit across some of the most gruelling terrain is all in a day’s work for the Dakar Challenge troop. Originally set out as an alternative therapy treatment for military veterans suffering with life-altering PTSD, the Dakar Challenge is now welcoming entries from the public for its March 2019 event, a first since its founding.
In the latest film you’ll be able to see the trials, tribulations and triumphs from this year’s Dakar Challenge event. The team included nine military veterans, all scarred mentally and physically by the wars in Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan, who joined together to accomplish the unthinkable – tackling the gruelling Dakar Rally route through Morocco in scrap-worthy Citroen Berlingos.
Not for the faint hearted, the aim of the Dakar Challenge 2018 was to regain some of the teamwork and camaraderie our war heroes experienced in the Armed Forces, by immersing them in a challenging and extreme environment, surrounded by people they share a common bond with - something so many veterans greatly miss.
Driven to Extremes was conceived by Mac Mackenney, Managing Director of expedition specialists Max Adventure, in order to fulfil a need to offer veterans suffering from PTSD an alternative form of ‘therapy’, where conventional methods of treatment may not have the desired effect.
The Driven to Extremes 2019 Dakar Challenge, which will take place in March, is now open for applications from the public - a first for this event. Promising more of the same, Mac Mackenney explains why it’s so special, and why we could all benefit from putting ourselves out of our comfort zones.
“The Dakar Challenge is more than just taking an old banger and seeing if you can drive it across the Sahara Desert. At first, we wanted to provide an alternative therapy to war veterans – the guys and girls that needed our help – but we realised that it’s not just our ex-troops that can benefit from this. I’m so excited to open the Driven to Extremes experience to everyone,” explains Mac.
“I’m always a little apprehensive about the start of any of our expeditions. Have we bitten off more than we can chew? Will everyone get along together? Will the cars make it? Have I gone a bit too far? At the end of every event, I think – wow, we really did that, and we made lifelong friends, gave our participants important life skills, got over major hurdles and made sure they made amazing memories in the process.”
If you think you’ve got what it takes, want to push your boundaries, see what a Citroen Berlingo really can do in sun, some sea and sand, or if you want to gain new skills, make new friends or just go on an epic adventure, drop Mac and the team an email on info@driventoextremes.org or visit the 'Driven to Extremes’ website and Facebook page.
https://www.facebook.com/driventoextremes/videos/641015049566432/
Driven to Extremes would like to thank their sponsors, for without their generous support, the life-changing 2018 Dakar Challenge would never have happened...
Max Adventure, Shell, Simon Dedman, Craghoppers, Atlas Overland, Toyota Gibraltar, Cooper Tires, Inmarsat, Adrian Flux, The Fat Chef, Directions Hair Colour, Dave Sheldrake, 5 Battalion REME, Maxtrax, Victron, Koni, Vango, Odyssey, DFDS Ferries, Motor Parts Direct, Mintex, Herts Insurance, Air-Seal Products, YB Tracking, Bloc, Goodridge, ICOM, Wynns, Sump Guard, Unique Polymer Systems, Designamite, ATS Euromaster, MOT Supercentre, Aware Promotional Merchandise, Tracks4Africa, 3 Battalion PWRR, British Garrison Gibraltar, British Embassy Morocco, Truscotts Honiton.
