The ‘Baguette Bandits’ And The ‘French Toast Troop’: Seven Maltese Youths Taking On 2022 Mongol Rally
Would you drive from Malta to Russia and back in a run-down car that might as well have been scrapped, with all your best friends?
Better yet, would you do it solely for charity and the thrill that the adventure brings with it?
No? Well, you don’t have to. But seven Maltese youths are taking on next year’s edition of the legendary Mongol Rally.
For those of you who are unfamiliar with the Mongol Rally, it is an intercontinental car rally that begins in Europe and ends in Ulan Ude, Russia. The Rally has three fundamental rules; an engine limit of 1200cc, fully unsupported, and a minimum of €500 raised for charity.
Lovin Malta spoke to this group of seven people who are planning to take on the 2022 Mongol Rally. They’ve called themselves, ‘The Baguette Bandits’ and ‘The French Toast Troop,’ divided into two groups with their own respective junkyard beauty.
The two cars for these teams
“Being that seven people don’t fit into one car, we will be using two vehicles, the first one being a Peugeot 106 for The French Toast Troop, and a Peugeot 205 for The Baguette Bandits,” one said.
Passionate about motorsports and avid lovers of the great outdoors, ‘The Baguette Bandits’ are made up of Luke Borg Grech, Isaac Vella, and Theo Camilleri, while ‘The French Toast Troop’ are comprised of Claude Borg Grech, Zach Casha, Christian Schembri, and Liam Darmanin.
“It all began when Claude had bought a Peugeot 205 off Facebook Marketplace for 80 euro. Both Theo and Claude had been aware of the Mongol Rally prior to the purchase, thus the opportunity arose for the adventure of a lifetime.”
“All seven of us had met to discuss the possibility of taking part in the rally and decided that we fit in perfectly as competitors. We then started looking for another small car and ended up finding a Peugeot 106 which we also purchased for less than €300. A few weeks after we had bought both tickets and started preparing the cars. The 106 is already rocking a zebra livery, and the 205’s livery is in the works,” Luke told Lovin Malta.
Zebra livery being prepared for the Peugeot 106
So what’s the plan like?
“The plan is to be in Prague by the 16th of July 2022 and begin the rally on the 17th. Our planned route takes us through Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakistan, Mongolia, and finish off in Russia hopefully by 28th of august for the Finish Line party. After the finish line party, we will be driving the car back to Malta, but this time through Russia, giving us another opportunity to visit and tour other countries.”
On their way back to Malta, they will then be going through Russia, Belarus, Poland, Czech Republic, Austria, Italy, and Sicily, for a total of roughly 12,000km!
The two groups also expressed their excitement for the adventure and the opportunities that it presents, such as meeting new people from a broad range of cultures and countries.
They are also focused on raising money for charity, with each team being required to raise a minimum of €500 towards the Cool Earth charity organization. Any excess above that can be donated to a charity of the team’s choice. These two teams are planning to raise at least €1000.
You can follow their journey on instagram: @french.toast.troop and @the_baguette_bandits.
After being canceled twice in a row due to COVID-19, the rally is being greatly anticipated by adventurous souls all over the globe. All tickets from the last two canceled editions have been postponed to 2022, making it the largest rally to date.
Would you ever consider taking part yourself?
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