Italian Mongol Rally crew, Herodotus Express, stuck in Dushanbe

A new update from Marco Prayer Galletti and Andrea Zerbini, who are participating in the 2017 Mongol Rally, the charity event that from England to Siberia covers almost two entire continents.

Source: Courtesy of Marco Prayer Galletti

As we have already explained in the past few weeks, this is not a race like all the others: the car must be at least 20 years old, cost no more than 500 euros and have an engine not exceeding 1200 CC. The vehicle chosen by Marco, software developer, and Andrea, archaeologist, is a 1988 Fiat Panda 4x4 "restored" in a Florentine workshop before departure. Last week we left our "heroes" in Iran, a country they found extremely welcoming and hospitable, but then the car started acting up: it's leaking oil, has starter issues and a completely smooth tyre. They are now stuck in the capital of Tajikistan, Dushanbe, waiting for a mechanic to weave his magic wand. All going well, in the coming days the Italian crew will enter China to take on the Pamir Highway, the ancient Silk Road.