Red Dwarf actor Danny John-Jules and former racer and current feature film rider, Steve Keys are currently taking part in their maddest biking challenge yet. After the success of Viva Valencia, the trip where they donned pink leathers and rode pink Yamaha R1s from the UK to Spain, this new project will challenge them even further.
Challenge 125 will see them heading to Valencia for the final MotoGP round this weekend and this time the ride will be very different and definitely more challenging. Riding 125cc motorcycles, with just £125 each to cover all fuel, food and accommodation no one is even sure they will make it.
In conjunction with the national motorcycle campaign, Get On, a competition was set up to find a non-rider to join them on this trip. After whittling it down, the winner was chosen as George Nickless from Manchester, a novice rider and trainee plumber. George said “I still can’t believe this is actually happening, and can’t help thinking whether or not we can survive on such a tight budget! It’s going to be a once in a life time adventure and now’s my chance to prove to these guys they made the right choice selecting me to ride to Valencia with them.” As part of his prize for winning the competition, George will also get to keep the Yamaha YBR125, along with a customised Alpinestars jacket and kit and a custom designed Arai helmet.
The aims of the trip are to raise awareness for their chosen charity, Riders for Health and to promote motorcycling as an affordable and viable means of transport and have as much fun as they can on the way.
The trio left the UK on Saturday November 3rd armed with just £125, their wits and a cheeky smile to make sure they cover the cross-European trip on their Yamaha YBR125s, without going over budget or doing anything illegal! Danny, who is currently starring in the new series of Red Dwarf, said “I can’t wait to get on the bikes and prove to people that this is possible. It was Steve’s idea and at the time it seemed like a fun thing to do, but now I’m starting to appreciate the challenge we are undertaking. Let’s hope I’m not proved wrong!” To check on their progress log on to www.motoventures.co.uk or check them out on Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Challenge-125/163106433788978 or follow them on Twitter at www.twitter.com/Challenge125
Challenge 125 is the latest Riders for Health fund raising event for MotoVentures. RFH makes sure that via the use of motorcycles, millions of people across Africa receive regular, reliable health care, often for the first time in their lives. More details on their work can be found at: www.riders.org