Peter and Graham prove their driving skills as 'Florence' finishes first!
A DELIGHTED Team Spuds, aka Newtownabbey men Peter Moore and Graham Elliott, were celebrating in Paraguay at the weekend after completing their crazy 4,000km drive through the mountains and rainforests of South America.
Peter from Ballyclare and Graham from Straid, both 27, completed the wacky two-week adventure as part of an extreme charity challenge - the MotoTaxi Junket 2010.
The former Ballyclare High School pupils drove 'Florence', their traditional 125cc mototaxi - a vehicle described as "half sofa-half motorbike" - from Cuzco is southern Peru, across the Andes to Bolivia, through the rainforests and across the salt pans, finally crossing the finish line in Asuncion, Paraguay on Saturday (August 14).
The daring duo, who were just glad to have made it to the finish in one piece, were ecstatic when they realised that they were the first team to cross the line.
"It wasn't until we pulled in that we realised we were the first team to finish," Peter told the Times. "We were a tad dirtier and hairier than when we left Cuzco two weeks ago, but the joy of coming first and the cold beer that was rapidly thrust into our hands made it all worth it."
By Monday morning only five teams out of the 30 starters had managed to finish the Junket. Many had abandoned their bikes at various locations in Bolivia and bussed it to the finish line, while others were still unaccounted for.
Following a great send-off from the locals in Cuzco on August 1, Peter and Graham made good time over the mountains to the Bolivian border, but when they got there they were forced to wait for three days while the authorities sorted the export papers for 'Florence' to leave Peru.
"For the next five days things went well," Peter recalled. "We had no mechanical issues and we were covering up to 300km a day.
"We finally reached the Argentina border, but they refused entry to the bike on the grounds that it didn't belong to us and we needed yet more paperwork. We had no option but to backtrack for two and a half days to the Paraguay border and give that a go."
On their way to the Paraguay border, things started to go wrong with Florence - punctures, broken spokes, a faulty battery and a cracked exhaust mounting.
"As we approached the border we discovered another 15 broken spokes. Graham had no option but to re-build the wheel. Meanwhile, our second session of welding proved to no avail and the exhaust was now held on by bits of wire. Finally we got to the Paraguay border, which was a dozen oil drums across the road, but we were more than happy when they rolled the drums out of the way for us to pass."
With just 50km to go, it looked like Team Spuds were home and dry. But yet another broken wheel jeopardised their bid to reach the finish line.
"We had 20 broken spokes this time, so there was no possible way we could drive on. We thought we'd have to give in and put Florence on a truck for the last stretch, but our attempts to get a truck to take us into Asuncion never succeeded," Peter explained.
"We started pushing Florence towards the finish line hoping that someone would come to our aid and then, thankfully, we spotted a motorbike repair shop. After a three hour pit-stop and some questionable work by the mechanic we were back on our way to the finish."
Thanks to generous family members, friends and local businesses, Peter and Graham have already exceeded their fundraising target for Operation Smile - an organisation which treats children with cleft palates in developing countries. Providing simple surgery, the charity helps ensure that children aren't doomed to spend their lives marginalised from their communities and families because of an easily treatable facial disfigurement.
"A huge thanks to our friends and family back home who helped us get here and raise an amazing sum of over 3,000 for Operation Smile. A very special thanks go to Stephen Mawhinney Motors (Ballyclare), Kilcross Animal Feeds and Doagh Farm Feeds," Peter added.
Peter, a veterinary student at Cambridge, and Graham, who works at Kilroot Power Station, are now enjoying a few weeks holiday before travelling back to Northern Ireland next month.
Anyone who would still like to make a donation to Team Spuds' MotoTaxi Junket fundraiser can do so online at www.charitygiving.co.uk/peterandgraham
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Weather for Newtownabbey
Tuesday 07 February 2012
Today
Sunny spells
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