Brothers to enter Mongol rally in cherry-picker

The brothers will travel about 10,000 miles with the cherry-picker

Two brothers from Perthshire are planning to complete the 10,000-mile Mongol Rally in a cherry-picker.

Outdoor instructor Ben Robertson, 52, and his younger brother Trevor, 44, will begin the adventure in July 2010.

The pair, from Blairgowrie and Meigle, will be competing under the moniker "The Bald Avengers".

Mechanic Trevor said:"The organisers had a list of vehicles they would like entrants to use... We thought we'd choose the most obscure one."

The brothers plan to drive down from Perth and join 300 other vehicles at the British motorsport circuit Goodwood, in Sussex. They will then head for the Mongolian capital Ulan Bator.

The pair will leave the cherry-picker behind for locals to use once they have completed their estimated six-week journey.

'Dangerous countries'

Trevor said: "We liked the idea of a rally to Mongolia in a vehicle which is totally unsuitable for the trip.

"It also allows us to carry more things. We're hoping that we can fill up the van with medical supplies and other goods they don't have in Mongolia. It can be anything - even Mars bars."

Trevor said the cherry picker will be attached to a van that is "absolutely not suitable" for crossing sand dunes, which could cause problems in the Mongolian desert.

"We know there's going to be quite a few hardships on the way, the language barriers, the risk of bandits, and of course we're going through dangerous countries like Iran," he added.

"Hopefully we'll meet some of the other racers and we'll be able to drive through these dangerous parts as a caravan."

The "Bald Avengers" are raising moneys for several charities, including the Christina Noble Children's Foundation, Cash4Kids and Tayside Mountain Rescue.

The first Mongol Rally took place in 2004. Competitors can choose a variety of routes to Mongolia.