London: Two British-Indian friends plan to raise 25,000 pounds for the British Heart Foundation (BHF) by attempting to drive a car from Gravesend town in Britain to Amritsar in record time, a media report said on Tuesday.
On February 1, Jagjit Singh Grewal and Rapinder Singh Cheema will set off in a sport utility vehicle from Gravesend’s Guru Nanak Darbar Gurdwara on Saddington Street, travelling through 17 countries before finally reaching the Golden Temple in Amritsar in 14 days, kentonline reported.
The duo hope to set a new record for cross-continental travel in the shortest time and be recognised by the Limca Book of Records in India.
They hope to drive up to 2,400 km a day on the European leg before slowing down to about 480 km once they reach more difficult terrain in Asia.
“We will be sleeping in hotels and we will not break any speed limits,” Grewal was quoted as saying. “The Limca Book of Records currently has a record set in 2013 for 16 countries in 40 days,” he added.
Grewal and Cheema planned the challenging trip in 2011 “just for fun”. But it changed to a fundraiser for the BHF Mending Broken Hearts Appeal after Grewal’s father died of a massive heart attack in February 2012.
“We were planning this trip in 2011 but just for fun. But then my father died and everything got put to one side. Raps (Cheema) was a great support and in August this year we were talking about the road trip again and thought why not do it for charity and dedicate it to my father,” Grewal said.
The two friends have already raised nearly 5,000 pounds over the last three years and have secured backing from several sponsors for their India trip.
IANS