Hah!  We have some statistics for you, courtesy of The Adventurists’ Intern in the Department of Statistics, Combobulations, Whatwhats and Whatnots. We are told it’s completely accurate, and features both existing and imaginary numbers* (also called ‘forecasts’).

As said mad peeps say:

In 2001, Mr. Tom bought a tiny Fiat 126 for cash on a side street in the Czech Republic. Boasting a hunting knife, a cigar and no luggage, he and Mr. Joolz set out with a hangover to drive to the most stupid place they could think of – Mongolia. They failed miserably but the seed of mayhem had been sown and in 2004 the first Mongol Rally took place with 6 teams.

Since then the numbers have rocketed up to around 300 teams from a mind-boggling multitude of countries. Women, men, goldfish, grandads, sisters, sons, CEOs, students, paraplegics, paramedics – the Rally attracts all sorts.

As well as fighting to make the world less boring, the Rally saves a bit of it too. Each team is asked to raise a minimum of £1,000 for charity and teams have now raised over £2 million for charity.

Imagine, there you are, digging your rear left tyre out of a particularly sandy bit of Gobi Desert, drenched head to toe in salty-gland-juice. 10 days previously you were thundering up and over the Pamir Highway, one of the highest motorable roads in the world. Your only map – a 30cm inflatable globe, previously punctured partying in Prague, ingeniously repaired with an unknown granny’s denture adhesive you found in the glove compartment. Your only contact with the outside world – a dead carrier pigeon. Your only spare pair of pants – currently in use as a fuel filter. This is proper adventure. Will you make it? No one knows. Will your fellowmen ever comprehend the incomprehensible scale of your 10,000 mile epic? Probably not. Welcome then, to the Mongol Rally.

Any predictions? Thoughts? Comment here, or on The Adventurists’ post.

* Trying desperately not to make a pun using the pronoun/number ‘i’ :P