HOW does a night for two, all in, at the 'Yak and Yeti' sound?

It could prove to be the most luxurious hotel for miles around for two businessmen when they join teams from 23 countries in the adventure of a lifetime, driving 16,000 kilometres from China to France.

Waddington's David Hardman and Phil Dean, of Dunsop Bridge, who both run companies in East Lancashire and share a passion for classic cars and long distance driving, are one of the crews who will be looking forward to a good night's sleep at the hostelry.

They will also spend time under canvas as they prepare to undertake one of the world's most demanding "rally raids."

The entrants in the Peking to Paris Motor Challenge, which starts in just over a month, include Lord Montagu in a 1915 Prince Henry Vauxhall.

Last run in 1907 and won by Italian nobleman Prince Scipione Borghese, the Challenge celebrates the 90th anniversary of the first international rally.

David and Phil will leave Peking on September 5 in their 1964 Aston Martin DB5. The 3995cc car is as near standard as possible, in keeping with the spirit of the event. The only extras allowed are the fitting of a roll cage, a low compression cylinder head to allow the car to cope with the poor fuel that is the norm in some of the countries, heavy duty suspension, sump and engine guards, heavy duty tyres usually seen on a Land Rover Discovery and two racing seats and harnesses.

The pair competed in their first rally last year and took a class win in the 'Targa Espana' with the Aston, as well as having covered over a 1,000 miles on some of the most remote roads and tracks in Scotland over the past few months.

One of the major areas of preparation has been the map reading, Phil's domain. He said: "David sent off for the complete set of maps. Little did I think how many there were and what area they would cover when spread out.

"Plenty of midnight oil has been burned as the correct direction is critical if we are not to lose the car in a ravine or down a hole in the desert."

The route will take the 95 entrants through Tibet, Nepal, over the world's highest roads in the Himalayas, along the road past the Mount Everest base camp and into India.

Pakistan, Iran, Turkey and Greece are next on the maps, with one of the most popular parts of the route being the south to north roads in Italy, when the cars cover the route of the famous Mille Miglia road race

They hope to arrive in Paris on October 18, where David and Phil's families will waiting.

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