A Nottingham Evening Post journalist is to drive almost 10,000 miles from the UK to Mongolia in a 14-year-old 1.1 litre Ford Fiesta.

Florida-born feature writer Erik Petersen plans to celebrate his 30th birthday by taking part in the Mongol Rally.

He will be joined for the adventure by his father Bob, (62), and the pair will be among the drivers to set off from Hyde Park on July 21.

From there the exact route will be up to them, but they will need to pass through checkpoints in Prague, Odessa, Kiev, Moscow, St Petersburg, Rovaniemi, Istanbul, Samarqand, Uchta and Tsagaannuur before arriving at the finish line in Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia.

Erik hopes they will be able to complete the journey in just three weeks.

He told HoldtheFrontPage: “It’s going to be the stupidest thing either of us have ever done, but I think that’s probably the point.

“It’s the only way to turn 30!”

Unlike most car rallies there is no prize for winning, and each car has no support team.

Every car in the race must be at least ten years old and have an engine no larger than one litre – unless the team pays a penalty.

The duo ready for the off

During the trip Erik and Bob will mainly sleep in the car or a tent, only staying in hotels when they pass the occasional town or city.

They will also need to carry at least two 20 litre petrol cans, as petrol stations are few and far between on parts of the route.

Usually, just over half the teams taking part make it to the finish line in one piece.

Erik said: “I’ve written stories about past participants, including a pair of Nottingham University students who took a couple of months to do it.

“I did a big piece and it sounded really interesting. Last year I found a couple more Nottingham people and took the articles back to Florida to show my father.

“I said ‘we should try this’ and we started half joking but then decided we should.”

He added: “I’m really excited. My dad likes cars and repairing them and I like travelling to weird places.

“I’ve been to Mongolia once before but this is definitely my most ambitious trip. And we both usually stay in hotels so that will be a big change!”

Erik ponders the trip

Erik worked as a journalist in Kansas City before moving to the Evening Post three-and-a-half years ago.

As he prepares for the trip he will write a regular column in the paper’s motoring section.

He has also begun gathering sponsorship for the trip, as each team has to raise a minimum of £1,000 for the rally charities.

Erik and Bob have chosen to support MercyCorps, which supports rural communities all over the world and helps them to become more self-sufficient, and the Christina Noble Children’s Foundation, which runs an orphanage for street children in the Mongolian capital, Ulaanbaatar.

To sponsor Erik, go to www.justgiving.com/mongolbob or www.justgiving.com/mongolbobandson