A NEWPORT man will drive 10,000 miles in a 1.1 litre car as part of a fundraising rally to Mongolia.

Huw Jones, 40, of Cefn Road, Rogerstone, will spend around six weeks driving an old Peugeot 106 across the Middle East as part of a rally organised by The League of Adventurists.

Mr Jones will be joined by friend James Belbin, 37, from London, to form the team the Silk Road Raiders, as they travel through 19 countries including Slovakia, Austria, Hungary, Serbia, Bulgaria, Turkey, Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Russia.

Each of the 450 teams decides their own route and vehicle with the only rule being that the vehicle has to be smaller than 1200cc and under ten years old.

Mr Jones and Mr Belbin bought the Peugeot for £350 at their own expense which they are currently modifying.

Mr Jones said: "We've already started to purchase equipment like tents and sleeping bags however we still have a long list of equipment to get."

The cars will start from Goodwood race circuit in Sussex on July 24 and will meet the other teams from the UK, Spain and Italy for an organised party in the Czech Republic before they all head east for the next part of the rally.

At the end of the rally, Mr Jones will leave the car in Mongolia for use by a charity or for the charity to sell and keep the profit.

The friends are also raising money for The Christian Noble Children’s Foundation which works with abandoned or neglected children in Mongolia.

Mr Jones said they want to raise at least £1,000 for the charity and have already raised £425.

For more information, see www.silkroadraiders.com