Kingsley is the UK's single largest consumer of tea after Yorkshire and after a chance encounter with a news item on the Rally on BBC news, decided that it would be a jolly good way to spend a couple of weeks. When not behind the wheel of a Mongol chariot, Kingsley is a musician and music producer playing everything from original rock, jazz and 80s and an occasional University lecturer teaching at both the University of Sussex and the Brighton and Hove City College. With an almost casual disregard for the notion of things that cannot be done, a good knowledge of sci-fi films and shared ownership of a black and white cat named after the only survivor of the alien manifestation of the Nostromo, he is looking forwards to learning new skills such as digging cars out of sand.

When not looking like Brian May, the other Mark can be found whiling away his hours as an IT Consultant in London. In his spare time, he vainly attempts to throw together barley, hops, water and yeast in the hopes of producing something drinkable. Never one to shy away from life's strange little adventures, Mark sees his role on the journey as that of communications officer. How many languages can he ask for directions in? There's only one way to find out.

Mark is a huge Mexican wrestling fan and was seeking new masked challenges in the rings of Mongolia. Also, he has always been fascinated by the silk road and the romance of great trading cities of Samarkand and Bukhara. When he heard his friends were planning to drive through these places in a small car with the objective of hopefully arriving in Uaanbaatar, it was too much of an opportunity to be missed. And even better it's in support of a worthy cause. When not practicing his crossbody press or Mongolian chop Mark will be spending the months up to the journey study maps and planning routes that might break the car and may very well involve sleeping under the stars.