Vivaro halfway through transcontinental adventure

Here’s the team at the start of this amazing Vauxhall Vivaro adventure

A GROUP of former soldiers and support crew in three new Vauxhall Vivaros are now well past the half-way point in their 12,000 mile transcontinental expedition to raise funds for Help for Heroes.

The all-new British-built Vauxhall Vivaros embarked on a 12,000 mile road trip across Europe and Asia, from the Luton factory where Vivaro is produced before travelling to south-west Ireland to begin the expedition early in July.

The three former soldiers and crew including a mechanic and a medic are crossing two continents and 19 countries in their quest to raise £10,000 for the charity.

The route from Europe’s most westerly road to Asia’s most easterly takes in Ireland, Wales, England, France, Belgium, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Mongolia and Russia.

“This is the opportunity of a lifetime for the three former soldiers to take part in a memorable  two-month journey to help them re-adjust to civilian life,” said Steve Bryant, Brand Manager, Vauxhall Commercial Vehicles.

“It’s also the perfect opportunity to demonstrate that the all-new Vivaro is built to take it all.”

The trip is fully funded by Vauxhall and other participating equipment sponsors including Max Adventure, Craghoppers and Continental.

The team underwent careful selection to ensure they were physically and mentally fit for the conditions they will face and could adapt as required to cope with emergencies.

The former soldiers are Ian Wright, of Kent; Kes Bradley from Yorkshire and Stefan Godfree, from Bedfordshire and they are supported by two mechanics, a doctor and exploration leader.

This week the new Vauxhall Vivaro crossed into Mongolia and notched up over 270 hours on the road with more than 8,000 miles of the trip behind them and about 4,000 to go before they end on the south-east Siberian Steppes and Chinese Border at the Mask of Sorrow later in August.

You can follow progress of the expedition at https://www.vauxhall.co.uk/siberiachallenge where you will find video footage, a Twitter feed and a tracker and link to their Just Giving page.