Danish teens attempt 15,000 km Mongol Rally in 20-year-old Skoda

Four Danish teenagers from Silkeborg are attempting the Mongol Rally in a 20-year-old Skoda Fabia without air conditioning, aiming to cover up to 15,000 km from Prague to Öskemen in northeastern Kazakhstan, DR reports.

The team—Martin Haarup, Eddie Young, Max Søltoft, and Nikolaj Hokland—are competing under the name Fabiatastic Four. The rally’s rules are simple: drive the route in the most unsuitable car possible, and solve any breakdowns independently. They are also raising funds for Cool Earth and Médecins Sans Frontières.

After two weeks and roughly 6,000 km, they have reached Tbilisi, Georgia. The car has already required two garage visits: a mechanic in Romania replaced the spark plugs, and in Turkey, they fitted new suspension.

“The engine was spluttering at first, but now the car is running almost too well,” Hokland said.

Highlights so far include navigating Turkey’s Death Road—a narrow mountain route with 29 hairpin turns—in fog and darkness, and watching the daily hot air balloon launch in Cappadocia.

The real challenge begins after crossing the Caspian Sea by ferry from Baku, Azerbaijan. From there, they will drive through Kazakhstan, where roads often disappear entirely.

“The rally only really starts once we cross the Caspian. We’ve driven on gravel so far, but in Kazakhstan, there won’t be any roads at all,” Hokland said.

The team hopes to reach Öskemen by 22 August, though Haarup admitted: “The question is how much of the car will be left, and how many problems we’ll have along the way.”