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Pentagon window tint will save fuel

The Max Adventure team currently hold 3 long-distance driving records and in addition to these have driven hundreds of thousands of miles overseas, so they are pretty clear as to what vehicle modifications are necessary and what are just nice to have. Extra spot lights and all-terrain tyres seem obvious choices when planning to drive the full length of Africa non-stop, but others that are must-haves on their list include cruise control and tinted windows.

With a crew of 3 working around the clock, reduced glare through the panoramic windows fitted to Land Rover Discoverys is a must. Trying to sleep in the back while the bright sun shines through the glass is just plain uncomfortable, so heavily tinted windows need to be fitted. If the passenger doesn’t sleep properly, he’s in no fit state to drive and this then becomes a safety issue. At night, the glare of headlights through the rear and sides of the vehicles is greatly reduced as well.

Not only do tinted windows reduce the amount of light entering the cabin, but they reduce the amount of heat as well. With temperatures possibly reaching 40C on their Cape Town run, the team will have to either use their air conditioning or open the windows to keep cool, both will seriously affect their fuel consumption – by as much as 10%. By having tinted windows though, it allows them to stay cooler for longer and so ultimately saving fuel. This results in a greater range or even carrying less fuel in the first place, which means more nimble driving. Full article >

African referendum forces an early start

Planning the London to Cape Town record attempt is not just a case of getting into a car and setting off. In addition to the team and vehicle preparations, there is the route planning and departure date to consider. All previous attempts at the record have either been in December of January when the African rainy season has passed and the mud roads were at their driest.

Starting on the 6th January as per the current record holder Eric Jackson, had been the team’s original plan, but when their vehicle sponsor said they couldn’t help them with left-hand drive 4x4’s following a reconnaissance trip which uncovered right hand drives were banned, the team had to re-think and re-plan.

As an all British team embarking on a project to help British service personnel wounded in the current conflicts, it didn’t sit too well when talking to foreign car manufacturers and asking them for their support. Maybe Mac’s heart wasn’t in it, but after months of trying, he had not been able to secure interest from any other 4x4 manufacturers, so decided to go it alone.

A very tidy left-hand drive Discovery 2 was soon discovered on Autotrader and snapped up, not without a hefty cost though, fetching almost twice what a right-hand drive version would normally cost. Having been owned by a former RAF Pilot and current Captain for Virgin Atlantic, there was a good omen about the vehicle and Mac set about searching for the second. Full article >

Mac interviewed at BBC Radio Oxford

Following Mac and Chris' interview with Jo Thoenes at BBC Radio Oxford about the team's forthcoming London to Cape Town record attempt, Mac was invited back for a personal chat about his life of adventure.

Mac was asked to pick 10 songs that had strong connections with major events in his life, dating from his school days, right up to the present day. From the 10, five were picked to appear in the show.

Jo was brought up in Africa and her father, a former employee of Land Rover still lives in Kenya. Jan Thoenes is a keen motoring adventurer in his own right and has been extremely helpful with the team's planning through the east African leg of their 10,000 mile dash to Cape Town. Full article >

Max Adventure to scale the Alps

Following their acclaimed work for organising the logsitics for the largest ever medical research expedition at high altitdue on Everest in 2007, Max Adventure have been contracted to provide logistical support for the Xtreme Alps medical research expedition this coming August.

Perched nearly 15,000’ up in the Italian Alps precariously sits the Margherita Hut from which 40 medical scientists will study the effects of hypoxia – low oxygen levels.

The Xtreme Everest expedition of 2007, which was documented by the BBC Horizon team set out to explore what happens to the human body at high altitude. Why is it that some people don’t seem to be affected by the lack of oxygen high on the mountain, why others suffer terribly, even leading to heart attacks and strokes? It’s not down to age, lifestyle or fitness, it’s all genetics and isolating the gene that is responsible was the primary aim of the expedition. Full article >

Glue, Putty and Sticky-Back Plastic!

The Max Adventure team spent a day with the British Army's top vehicle mechanics who taught them how to keep their Land Rovers on the road during the London to Cape Town record attempt. With time of the essence, space at a premium and with no back-up, the team need to be able to deal with any mechanical problem they may encounter during the 10,000 mile run. Carrying unlimited spares is unrealistic, so the solution is to use improvised repair techniques.

The British Army call this particular type of repair technique 'Battle Damage Repair' or BDR. In the civilian world it's known as 'Bush Mechnics', making do with whatever you have at hand to keep the vehicles moving. In a military situation this could mean the difference between life and death and although the team's journey to Cape Town won't necessarily be that critical, it could mean the difference between success and failure.

The day was arranged by the Senior BDR Instructor, Staff Sergeant Chris McKenzie, along with four of his fellow instructors and representatives from 3M and Loctite who produce products that can fix a range of problems. Many of you will have heard of such tricks as using tights to replace a broken fanbelt, or crack an egg into the radiator to seal a hole, but in reality this won't really happen. Bumping along a dirt road for hundreds of miles would shatter any eggs carried, so expeditions tend not to take them and any woman on the team is unlikely to have packed her best hosiery! If it's an all-male expedition........well, say no more! Full article >

Transport Boss honours next expedition with his Patronage

Transport for London's most senior executive has kindly agreed to honour the next Max Adventure led expedition with his Patronage.

Transport for London Commissioner, Peter Hendy CBE, who was awarded his honour for keeping transport in London running during the 7/7 bombings of 2005, has kindly agreed to be the Patron for the 'Bus to Bollywood' expedition of 2011. The expedition's aim is to support children's charities in Mumbai by driving a double-decker bus 8,000 miles overland packed with charitable aid. On arrival in the city, the bus itself will be donated to one of the charities that uses buses as mobile schools around the slums.

Peter was a big supporter of the original 'Bus to Beijing' project that was subsequently cancelled by the newly appointed London Mayor, Boris Johnson. When the 12 chosen bus drivers were told the project was 'off', rather than sit around and feel sorry for themselves, they went on to complete the 3 Peaks Challenge and raise a staggering £22,000 for Help for Heroes in just 3 weeks. Full article >

Mac's latest article in Land Rover Monthly now!

Steve Burgess had been working on the plans for his Cape to Cape Expedition for five years when he handed Dan Evans his vehicle requirements.

The brief was simple…
“Build the most capable vehicle that has ever been produced in Land Rover’s 60 year history!”

Dan owns the company Protection & Performance and as one of the leading producers of roll cages for competition and expedition vehicles, even this job would challenge all of his technical skills. Full article >

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