After the two successful world record-setting drives from Tierra del Fuego to Alaska along the “Panamericana” with a record time of 11 days and 17 hours, and a second record-setting drive from Melbourne to St. Petersburg in 17 days and 18 hours, here is another attempt: This September, the team of Rainer Zietlow, Marius Biela and Matthias Prillwitz will once again attempt a new spectacular record in Volkswagen Touareg: From Nordkapp, Norway, to Cape Agulhas, the southernmost point of Africa.
The team will drive in a north-to-south direction through Europe and along the entire African continent through countries in eastern Africa. The drive starts at Nordkapp, Norway, the northernmost point of Europe, on Sunday, 21 September 2014. The destination is the southernmost point of Africa, Cape Agulhas where the Indian and Atlantic oceans meet. Rainer and team are planning to reach Cape Agulhas in around 10 days.
The route is over 17,000 km long, and it passes through the countries of Norway, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Hungary, Serbia, Bulgaria, Turkey, Egypt, Sudan, Ethopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe and South Africa. Awaiting the adventurers are deep potholes in Sudan and Ethiopia, countless switchbacks in the African highlands and the infamous “Road of Hell” with its corrugated and volcanic rock surface in northern Kenya. Temperatures typically range from freezing in Norway to 48 degrees Celsius in Sudan.
During the record drive, the team will post daily reports on their experiences on their website: www.touareg-capetocape.com. They will also have a blog with photos and a brief video which will provide information on each day’s stage. The current position of the Touareg will also be shown on a virtual map that is updated every five minutes.
The team has pledged to support “Food & Trees for Africa” with the planting of about 600 trees around the city of Johannesburg in October 2014. These trees will make the entire “Touareg CapetoCape” project CO2 and climate-neutral, including the record drive and the scouting tour early this year.
Waiting for Rainer and his team at the most southern point in Africa will be the Executive Mayor of Cape Agulhas Municipality, Councillor Richard Mitchell who will officially certify the record in front of a media contingent and representatives of Volkswagen South Africa and other sponsors.
Once the team has rested for a few days, it will embark on their return journey to tell their amazing story starting in Cape Town followed by Port Elizabeth, Durban and Johannesburg before heading back into the rest of Africa to complete their roadshows and homecoming in Germany.
