Team The Great British Tuk Off

Who?

You may know one of us, all of us, or have arrived here by accident - either way, hi!

Having known each other for 10-15 years depending on the link, we think we should be able to deal with each other for a couple of weeks cooped up in a Tuk Tuk, right?

We’re the kind of people who sit having a pint in the sun, see a boat, and buy one! Similar minds and ideas will lead to this being either a great plan, or 3 people certain they are right, to find ourselves looking the wrong way out towards Sri Lanka!

Ed

By the time we’re in India I’ll be 30! Luckily I’ll have only ‘worked’ properly for about 5 years of that 30 though, I’ve managed quite well to avoid working, spending a lot of time all over South East Asia eating who knows what, I’m maybe too confident India won’t defeat me! Although, as girlfriend Becky constantly reminds me, I have never had an interest in India, so surely if I get through this experience and survive, a relaxing holiday to Goa will be easy!

For years the 3 of us have spoken about this sort of idea, and we didn’t want it to be another ‘if only’ moment. With the timing of it falling bang in the middle of April, it all felt right to me. Just get it booked and make our way out there! We have our reasons for doing this and I am just hoping we can raise a decent chunk of cash for 4 great causes!

All airfares, costs, food, fuel, spare engines, the lot will be out of our pocket - so anything you can donate will be divided equally between the 4 charities below!

Cheers guys! Ed.

Rob

So, I’m not really one for writing about myself so let’s see how this goes! I’m Rob; I will be 29 years old when we set off on this ridiculous adventure. I’ve been working as an engineer at Rolls Royce PLC for just over 12 years at the time of writing this. I like to think of myself as a “true engineer”, ever since I was old enough to hold a screw driver (and probably before) I’ve been making and breaking things, I just can’t help myself!

Cars have been my passion for many years now, rebuilding cars from the ground up and just constantly twiddling with them (my neighbours think I’m mad), so spending 2 and a half weeks fixing a Tuk Tuk in the middle of India when the other two idiots (or me) have broken it sounds fantastic.

As Ed already mentioned, we all have our own personal reasons for wanting to do this and support the 4 fantastic charities we have selected and I hope we raise a large amount of money to help these charities with the amazing work they are doing every day.

See you on the other side, Rob

Ryan

I still don’t really know how I have ended up writing this, in anticipation of sharing an unreliable, slow, uncomfortable, 3-wheeled vehicle with the 2 other introduced idiots down pretty much the whole length of India from North to South. All I can say is peer pressure is a wonderful thing! However, I’m mildly confident the 3 of us will make a good job of this trip, and make some awesome memories while getting lost along the way.

I will be 29 when we embark upon this voyage of epic proportions. I have also worked as an engineer for just over 10 years for a couple of different aerospace companies, starting out in Bristol where we all grew up. I’ve lived near Milton Keynes for the last 3 ½ years, and I am currently about 3 weeks away from moving to Seattle. Just to make the logistics and planning of the trip a little more interesting! Despite working in a similar industry to Rob, he is the self-acclaimed “true engineer”. Ed and I are happy for him to claim this title, because we appoint him the title of “Chief Tuk Tuk bodge master flash”. I am completely satisfied with being the chief driver/breaker of all things Tuk Tuk, and then watch Rob lie in the dirt, sweating, while I pass him a massive hammer.

All donations are massively appreciated, and we have all chosen individual charities that have affected our lives. All costs towards the journey will be paid for by us and all donations will be 100% to charity. I completely disagree with using anyone else’s money for this adventure, but don’t forget this will also be a huge challenge which is going to push the limits of our immune systems, navigation skill and teamwork, so please donate generously!

Thanks for taking the time to read this, and please follow our adventure!

Ryan

What?




To quote the Adventurists, the guys behind the Rickshaw Run “If God had made machines he probably wouldn't have bothered with a Rickshaw”.

Well that is what we will be in for 2 weeks!

3 wheels, 7 horsepower if things are all working well - helping to get us down the length of India, give or take 3000km (1865 miles).

The reason behind the vague distance indication above is that there is no route, we start in the North West corner of India near the Pakistan border, in Jaisalmer (in the middle of nowhere we found out after booking some flights into New Delhi) and hopefully finish 14 days later in Kochi.

No support, no route, thinking about it, all our money gets us for the fortnight is a Tuk Tuk, which is highly likely to implode! Let’s see if we can get near the almost 100 breakdowns one team had a few years back!

All to be coupled with possible 40+ degree heat, another thing we forgot to check before booking it!

For loads more on the Rickshaw Run, and info on what we have let ourselves in for have a look here; http://www.theadventurists.com/rickshaw-run or get on YouTube and watch a video or 2! Be careful though you may end booking something similar yourself!

Why?

Why not? Didn’t think you’d have a good answer to that!

Yes, it should be fun, memorable, a laugh, 2 weeks (and a bit!) off work but in reality the main reason, to raise some money!

We have all directly had our lives affected by at least one of the causes we are looking to raise money for! No, we won’t change the world with our donation but we can certainly feel that we are doing our bit.

Cool Earth - A UK-based international NGO that protects endangered rainforest in order to combat global warming

Cancer Research UK - Helping to fund scientists, doctors and nurses to help beat cancer sooner

Alzheimer’s Society - A care and research charity for people with dementia and their carers

CLIC Sargent - The UK's leading cancer charity for children

I think the best summary I have read is, “No set route, no back-up, no way of knowing if you're going to make it. The only certainty is that you will get lost, you will get stuck, you will break down and you will help save a bit of the world.

It's just you and your mates in a wholly unsuitable vehicle, traversing the subcontinent, enduring whatever **** the road throws at you.

We are more than happy to take requests in return for donations. These may involve pushing the physical dynamics of the human body and Tuk Tuk alike in return for hefty donations to charity. Examples can be manoeuvres of the ‘stunt-ish’ nature, speed challenges, turning a Tuk Tuk amphibious and such like.