On 4th November 2012, Austin Vince, ‘the godfather of DIY Adventure Motorcycling’ (says MCN) and director of the legendary Mondo Enduro and Terra Circa films, struck out into the largest desert in the world with his team of six riders on Honda XR400s.
Their goal was to penetrate the infamous ‘Empty Quarter’ of the Sahara where no unsupported motorcyclists have ridden before. They also wanted to demonstrate and showcase how, in only 4 weeks door to door, a bunch of regular guys, with hardly any specialist gear, could have an affordable world-class travel adventure! 
It was an Anglo-American team because Austin believes adventure motorcycling can be a political act. With US/Nato campaigns in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya etc, western/Arab/muslim relations are at an all time low. The team were determined that by the end of Mondo Sahara, at least some African muslims would have encountered Brits and Yanks that weren’t in armoured cars or searching their house. The Islamic Republic Of Mauritania has the FCO’s and US State Department’s highest level of travel warning/no-go embargo. Mondo Sahara set out to challenge that, and start to win the world back from the politicians and the generals, one village at a time.
The film of this journey, Mondo Sahara, is now complete, is going to be premiered tonight and will be released for sale later this month. We’ll bring you a review tomorrow!
For more info see www.austinvince.com
