Farmington Hills, Farmington

Resident plans drive from U.K. to Mongolia

By David Wallace
C & G Staff Writer

FARMINGTON HILLS — In “Back to the Future,” Doc Brown famously ended the movie by saying, “Roads? Where we’re going, we don’t need roads.”

He might as well have been talking about the Mongol Rally, which starts in London and ends in Ulaan Baatar, Mongolia’s capital, this summer. A Farmington Hills resident, Scott Brills, read about the rally in a magazine a year ago and knew he had to be a part of it.

A United Kingdom organization, the Adventurists, puts on the rally, which requires that participants use a small car and navigate their way to the Mongolian capital.

“It has to be a 1.2 liter engine or less, and 10 years old or less,” said Brills, 26, a 2000 graduate of North Farmington High School. He plans to undertake the adventure with Collin Otto, 25, a 2001 graduate of Walled Lake Central High School.

They are the only people from Michigan participating, and Brills plans to head to the U.K. early to purchase a qualifying car.

“We’re looking for something that won’t fall apart, something that’s large enough to fit both of us, which includes 6-foot-3 of me, and all of our gear,” said Brills.

They’ll have to put skid plates on the bottom of the car.

“You’re going to be going through places that don’t have roads,” said Brills.

And no GPS, either — those participating need to use old-fashioned maps and compasses.

So, approximately 650-800 years ago, Mongol hordes descended across Europe and Asia to establish an empire. Now, in the present day, hordes in relatively primitive conditions are about to descend on the Mongolians.

They bring with them a commitment to help the impoverished nation.

“Each team, as a part of the Mongol Rally, has to raise at least 1,000 pounds, which is $1,500, give or take, of charity, minimum, just to do this,” said Brills.

Brills and Otto plan to make their contribution to Mercy Corps, an Oregon-based charity that works all over the world, including in Mongolia. And participants donate their cars at the end of the rally.

Additionally, Brills hopes to connect with fellow Rotarians in Ulaan Baatar, which he said has five rotary clubs.

Brills and Otto tentatively plan a northern route to Mongolia that would take them through 14 countries. Some of those are rather rarely seen stamped in American passports, such as Kazakhstan and Tajikistan.

“The idea of being able to go somewhere in the world that a lot of people will never go to and to see with my own eyes what it’s like, that is something you can’t buy,” said Otto.

The Adventurists organization does not offer much support, said Brills.

“And during the race itself, you’re on your own,” said Brills.

“Well that right there is the fun of it,” said Otto. “I mean, no danger, no fun.”

And if past Mongol Rallies provide a guide, there is danger beyond people getting in over their head in a foreign land. Posted on Brills and Otto’s Web site, www.mongolrallyguys.com, are statistics from the 2005 rally. Apparently, two teams were robbed at knifepoint, a Mongolian nomad shot at one of the participants and missed, and bandits chased three of the teams.

“It’s still a small percentage when you weigh all the people that are doing it, and you just kind of have to go about it thinking, OK, people in the world are mostly good and if you do run into any situations, you can kind of talk yourself out of it, if need be,” said Brills.

In 2005, 27 of the 43 cars reached Mongolia. Fourteen made it to the capital.

So, what will the guys do if their car breaks down in Middle of Nowhere, Kazakhstan?

“I have thought about that. I don’t know exactly what I would do,” said Otto.

“Neither of us has really very much mechanical experience,” said Brills. He then elaborated, based on others’ experiences during the rally.

“If something goes wrong, use body language and you explain, ‘Hey, this thing is broken. Can you help me fix it or tow my car?’ And it’s seemed to work for pretty much everybody. But I’m going to be trying to take precautions and make sure everything is in tiptop shape before we leave London,” said Brills.

They laughed when asked what their friends and families have said about the adventure.

Otto said the comments include, “Wow, that sounds amazing,” and “Better you than me.”

“My mom said, ‘That sounds awesome, good luck,’ and my dad thought I was crazy,” said Brills.

The idea tends to polarize people into those who would love to do it and those who would never do it.

“It’s really one or the other,” said Brills.

Those who would like to donate to the charitable cause can do so at the Web site. The rally starts July 18.

“Any of the money that comes in is going either straight to the charity or going to buying this used small car — it will cost about $2,500 or so. We’re going to be donating the car at the end to charity,” said Brills. The guys are paying for all of their expenses out of their own money.

You can reach C & G Staff Writer David Wallace at dwallace@candgnews.com or at (586)498-1053.