Following our article last week-end, the Arnold Kontz Group has revealed details of the Expedition team comprising Miguel Costa e Silva and Catarina Cordeiro e Silva (both in their 40s and who have been married for 20 years) who will be setting off in a fully-equipped Land Rover Discovery II from Luxembourg to Dakar in Senegal, West Africa.

The team will link Luxembourg to Dakar; this authentic challenge starts from Luxembourg and crosses France, Spain, Portugal, Morocco, Mauritania and Senegal, totaling about 7,000 km.
The departure from Luxembourg is scheduled for 23 December, with all-terrain stages beginning in Portugal on 27 December.

The expedition consists of 55% asphalt and 45% off-road, with the latter passing through astonishing tracks in the interior and along the coast of Morocco, the coast of Mauritania and the interior of Senegal.

The challenge is to arrive in Dakar. The difficulties of this adventure are numerous, the biggest of which will be to cross the dunes of the Sahara desert - the 5th Sahara Desert Challenge.

The transcontinental all-terrain adventure wll include the participation of around 60 teams, split between cars and motorcycles, and more than 100 participants covering a dozen different nationalities.

The overall mission is one of solidarity in order to make a donation, through local NGOs, of basic and school medical equipment, aiming to improve the living conditions of disadvantaged populations living inside Mauritania. While the space available in the Land Rover Discovery II is reduced due to the equipment, etc., that are needed for the car and the team, they will contribute with school material provided by Chapier Office and medical equipment offered by the Emo-Tec Group.

Before arriving in Portugal, the Arnold Kontz Group Expedition team will make two connection stages, with symbolic stops in Paris (France) and San Sebastian (Spain). 26 December is to be a halt for the gathering of teams from the rest of Europe. The all-terrain stages begin in Coruche (Portugal) on 27 December, and continue for 15 days, according to the schedule, with the arrival in Dakar on 10 January.

The Garage Arnold Kontz Group has equipped the stardard-equipped Land Rover Discovery II with certain accessories added for the challenge. In addition, physical preparation has been essential, with the coaches of Feel Sport developeing a specific training programme for the couple focusing on muscular strength exercises and cardiovascular endurance, preparing them to endure the physical and psychological fatigue of travel and to face any adversity.