Mac Mackenney - Leader

At 19 Mac joined the British Army as a helicopter technician, specialising in Arctic Warfare as part of a rapid-deployment unit. Exercises in northern Norway and eastern Turkey gave him his first taste of extreme environments.

Always wanting to be an RAF pilot, but failing the initial medical with suspected heart disease when applying at 17, he was re-tested at 20 and given the all-clear. A 2 1/2 year battle to get himself released from his Army contract saw him join the RAF just after his 24th birthday. 2 years of training followed, but Defence cuts of the early 90’s meant that the goal-posts had moved. If not good enough to make the grade as a single-seat fast jet pilot, there were no other options to fly helicopters or transport aircraft. Mac was offered a ground job, but this was never going to do, it was always ‘pilot or nothing’ as far as he was concerned.

Having longed to be a military pilot for 20 years, Mac wasn’t going to rush into the first job he could find, so opted to travel the world. He joined Dragoman Overland, an adventure travel company, as an expedition leader and mechanic, where he spent 6 months touring Africa. It was fun, but lacked any real sense of adventure and challenge.

Returning to the UK, he applied to participate in the arduous Camel Trophy competition, sponsored by Land Rover and from 10,000 hopefuls, represented the UK at the international selections in Spain. He finally had found his new passion in life – adventure motoring.

He started work as a freelance off-road driving instructor and was soon discovered by the renowned explorer, Sir Ranulph Fiennes. Following a gruelling selection process, Mac was chosen to join an elite 7-man team in an attempt to circumnavigate the globe by amphibious Land Rover, to celebrate the company’s 50th year. The most demanding part of the expedition would be crossing the Bering Strait, so the team spent 10 weeks on the edge of the Alaskan peninsula, just 55 miles from the Russian mainland, where they tested their equipment to the limit.

Budgets within Land Rover were cut and this meant an end to the planned expedition, but Mac’s abilities had caught the eye of both Ranulph Fiennes and Land Rover. He was soon appointed Ran’s right-hand man for his forthcoming North Pole expedition and was taken on as an expedition consultant to Land Rover. Vehicle expeditions to the former Soviet country of Georgia, three long-distance driving records, a humanitarian mission to Albania during the Kosovan war, testing new clothing and launching new vehicles all followed.

In 2003, Mac decided to swing his efforts towards a more environmental cause, using Land Rovers to access areas difficult to reach in order to clear abandoned cars and other waste. Although an outstanding success and in great demand, sponsorship support was not forthcoming, so the project was reluctantly put on hold. Maybe Mac was ahead of his time?

An expedition across the Sahara in an MOT failed Rover 200 saloon car returned Mac to his true passion of adventure motoring, in whatever form. He was called to Canada and the US where he worked launching new cars with one of his idols, Garry Sowerby, holder of three long-distance driving records, including the world circumnavigation record.

In 2006 he was dragged away from motoring to help a team of doctors wanting to climb Everest while undertaking medical studies on themselves and over 200 volunteers trekking to Base Camp. It was the largest ever medical research expedition at high altitude and one of the largest ever expeditions to the mountain, involving over 400 people and 120,000 items of equipment in 1,000 containers, each one having to reach it’s correct destination at one of 7 pre-designated camps between Kathmandu and the summit.

Through acting as a consultant to the Royal Geographical Society, he was contracted to work for the London 2012 Olympics. Their plan was to drive a double-decker bus from London to Beijing as part of the closing ceremony.

Mac has visited 60 countries, driven across continents, across deserts, over mountains and in the Arctic. His next challenge to lead a team in an attempt at the London to Cape Town endurance driving record is a culmination of a lifetime of adventure.

Blogs by Mac Mackenney