9.10.2003
Daewoo Challenge Reaches Seoul

Adventuring Britons Richard Meredith and Phil McNerney received a heroes' welcome today at the factory which made the car that carried them halfway round the world on an amazing, action-packed charity drive.

Hundreds of employees at GM Daewoo's Bupyung plant at Incheon, South Korea clapped and cheered as the pair drove their Daewoo Kalos family hatchback into the factory at the end of their marathon drive from London to Seoul.

Filmed by TV and led by a local girls' band, the triumphant procession was welcomed by Nick Reilly, GM Daewoo's Chairman and Chief Executive. He told them: "What you have achieved is nothing short of astonishing. You showed courage, perseverance, stamina and determination - often in the face of great odds - and we are very proud of you."

He then presented the British duo with a check for 60,000 euros which is to be handed over to SOS Children's Villages, the international child welfare organization. The donation will be used to finance the construction of a "family house" at the SOS Children's Village in Bharatpur, Nepal.

Richard Meredith and Phil McNerney defied sandstorms, bureaucracy, gun-toting rebels, rioters, last-minute route changes and some of the most inhospitable terrain in the world to complete their remarkable 19,000km 25-country charity drive in a near standard Daewoo family hatchback.

Meredith, a 55-year-old author, and McNerney, a 26-year-old Merseyside university graduate, set off on June 9 from the UK headquarters of GM Daewoo in Luton, 50 kilometers north of London, driving a 1.4-liter Kalos.

Although basically a standard model straight off the production line, the car was equipped by GM Daewoo with strengthened suspension, under-body protection, enlarged fuel capacity, extra lights, a bull-bar, stronger tires and roof luggage box.

With no support crew or any form of back up, Richard and Phil set their sights on Incheon in South Korea, where the Kalos had been built. "When we set off there were many doubters," recalls Richard, of Newport Pagnell, Bucks. "Before the trip I was frequently asked: 'Why a Daewoo?' and my response was: 'Why not?' Yes, Phil and I were nervous, but more about what we were going to face than about the car."

The intrepid pair's nervousness wasn't misplaced. Among the many hazards they faced were sandstorms in Afghanistan which blocked their path, rebels armed to the teeth with Kalashnikovs en route to Pakistan, a rioting mob in Bangladesh, and the impounding by customs officials of the brightly decorated car at several border crossings.

The Afghanistan problem was overcome by an astonishing multi-national effort involving German and Dutch Air Force units and a massive Hercules military transport plane. Richard and Phil persuaded the commander at the German air base at Termez in Uzbekistan to allow Dutch airmen under his command to fly them over the troubled spot to Kabul, a mercy flight which prevented Richard and Phil having to abort their mission.

There then followed a nerve-wracking drive from Kabul into Pakistan which Richard and Phil described as "the most frightening experience" of their lives and which they were advised to complete before nightfall. Shelled buildings, warnings about land-mines, military tanks by the roadside, rebels wielding Kalashnikov rifles, desert heat, dust and crumbling roads all combined to ensure the pair breathed a huge sigh of relief once at the Pakistan border.

In Bangladesh it wasn't landslides or military tanks which blocked their progress, but rioting mobs protesting at a political assassination. Richard and Phil were in the center of the capital Dhaka but their Kalos was at the nearby airport, and to enable them to join the car they hired an ambulance which, with sirens blaring and lights blazing, took the "injured" couple through the seething mass.

Amongst the drama, however, have been some very peaceful and fulfilling moments. The drive was in aid of SOS Children's Villages, one of the world's largest child welfare organizations with nearly 450 custom-built villages around the world. Richard and Phil visited 14 of the facilities during their epic journey.

" The joy on the faces of the children has been an inspiration to us," said Richard. "On our journey we have seen much of the nastier and unpleasant side of life, but the kids have more than made up for it. They have left a lasting impression on both of us."

As the two celebrated their arrival at GM Daewoo's international headquarters in Incheon/Seoul, Richard praised their gallant car: "Its performance and reliability were outstanding. Considering the condition of some of the roads the car stood up incredibly well. GM Daewoo has also been marvelous in its support, advice and endless help in sorting out problems. We couldn't have hoped for a better or more enthusiastic partner. "