Japanichiban is proud to help sponsor the team of Scott & Collin who set out on their journey tonight!

Japanichiban will pay the guys all contributions to the friend finder for the month of August and if there is enough support will continue through to September as well. So far to get the ball rolling and open up the account we gave a deposit of $100.

You can also donate directly to the guys at their site if you’re not interested in using the friendfinder service here.

Follow their journey!

It began in 2004 with six teams and grew steadily larger until they were being overwhelmed by thousands of applicants for the two hundred spots on the list in 2007. The rally was also able to secure corporate sponsors in order to expand their operations; some small names such as Chevrolet and General Motors were a part of the lineup. The rally has two main goals:

1.) To provide the adventure of a lifetime for all participants.
2.) To provide donations and media awareness for several
charities in Mongolia.
Founder Tom Morgan states:

“Nowadays, there are so many organized tours and guide books to every place you want to visit that adventure has become impossible to find. The idea behind the League of Adventurists is to organize events in which participants can go off the map. At the same time we’re raising money for charity, and we’re close to our goal of raising $1 million a year through such events.“

It sounded like quite a good time. Scott decided that if given the chance, he’d like to participate, and promptly set about drawing up plans for a rally that he had a very slim chance of even getting in to. Although it is possible to do the rally alone, very few do, for many reasons. Scott knew a lot of people, but very few that had 1.) the time, 2.) the funds, and 3.) the willingness to participate in such a trial. But he knew one person who would be game: his longtime friend Collin. He proposed the idea and was met with a great deal of enthusiasm.

Fast-forward seven months. Although he missed out on the initial sign-up (again, all the spots were gone within a few dozen seconds), Scott received an e-mail stating that he was selected from the waiting list to be one of the participants in the 2009 Mongol Rally. Yay.