FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Updated: July 16, 2008

Team of Three to Take on African Challenge

Somerville, MA - A team of three New England residents are preparing to travel across the rigorous terrain of the Sahara Desert in a 1.6 litre, less-than-superior vehicle as part of the inaugural Adventurists: Africa Rally this July.

Jessie Evans and Aparna Polavarapu of Boston, MA and New York City-based Doug Thisthlethwaite, are undertaking an expedition from England to Cameroon to raise money and awareness for the Africa Rally’s official charity, Send A Cow.

The League of Adventurists International Limited (the company known for organizing the more highly traveled Mongol Rally) has organized their first trans-Saharan adventure, set to commence July 18th, 2008. Evans, Polavarapu and Thistlethwaite, the Sandbox Savants, will meet with 40 other rally teams in London, before breaking off for a drive across Europe and Africa. Evans and Polavarapu are two of fourteen women participating in the rally. There is no official route, however, the Sandbox Savants plan to travel from London to southern Spain then make their way through Morocco and Western Sahara, Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Nigeria before arriving in their final destination, Cameroon. Route details, which remain subject to change as country conditions change, are posted along with other trip-planning updates on the team’s website, http://www.sandboxsavants.com.

All participants must raise a minimum of $2,000 for charity and drive in a 1.0 litre vehicle as part of the rally rules. Cars with larger engines, must pay a “penalty” of $200 per .1 litre over. The Sandbox Savants will be driving a Suzuki Samurai with a 1.6 litre engine and are the top fundraisers with $4,464 raised thus far for Send A Cow. Unlike other rallies, this is not a race to the finish. The Rally provides an opportunity for participants to raise money and awareness for charity while adventuring across less traveled terrain. Currently the Sandbox Savants are seeking local sponsors to donate to their charity, as well as to sponsor the team car, which was purchased in London and will be sold in Cameroon, with all proceeds going to Send A Cow.

For further information about the Sandbox Savants, their trip and how to sponsor them, visit http://www.sandboxsavants.com

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Team Contact Information:
Jessie Evans
10 Wheeler Ave
Medford, MA 02155

Phone: 617-909-9836
Fax: 617-432-1084
E-mail: evans.jessie@gmail.com
Team website: http://www.sandboxsavants.com
Adventurists: Africa Rally website: http://africarally.theadventurists.com/