30 May 2000
For immediate release

More than a hundred prospective participants are set to attend a special Open Day arranged as a prelude to the Inca Trail - the long distance classic car rally and 4x4 adventure trail planned for 2001. The day is being held by rally specialists HERO (the Historic Endurance Rallying Organisation), at the National Motor Cycle Museum, Birmingham, on Saturday 10 June.

Many crews will be arriving in their competition vehicles: a mixture of 4x4s and classic cars, which they intend using on the event, set to cover 24,000km through six countries of South America, starting from Rio de Janeiro on 6 October 2001. Several of the vehicles being brought along are ones which were used on HERO's 1998 London - Cape Town rally, which will give newcomers to long distance endurance work the important opportunity to see and ask about successful preparation for events of this kind.

Central to the day will be the opportunity to hear from Inca Trail rally organiser, John Brown. John will provide entrants with vital insights into the detail of the event following his recent return from his epic 46,000km route survey, which took no fewer than 14 weeks to complete. He will also be showing a small selection chosen from among more than 1,000 photographs shot during his time out on the road.

During the afternoon a number of speakers will give expert opinions on practical specifics relating to the event, filling in the picture of all the complex aspects of preparation that need to be taken into account in the weeks and months leading up to October 2001. Topics include car shipment, medical matters, and opinion and discussion of the all-important matter of choosing as well as preparing the right vehicle for this enthralling challenge.

"I have just come back from a truly unforgettable trip", said Clerk of the Course John Brown. "We found incredible roads, saw wonderful sights, and had an enthusiastic welcome everywhere we went. I'm looking forward to telling everyone about it all."

Many old hands as well as a great number of newcomers, both from Britain and further afield, are due to attend on 10 June, and applications are still coming in. Full information on the Inca Trail as well as the Open Day is available from HERO: telephone 01886 833505; e-mail [email protected], or direct from the event website: www.hero.org.uk/inca