Thrills, laughs and three dead goats on the road from Budapest to Bamako

If Hungarians have a reputation for being homebodies, it is largely undeserved. Ever since the Magyar conquest of 896, Hungarians have set out to explore the world beyond the Carpathian basin, on foot, by horse, rail, car and, most recently, airplane. But just in case anyone needs any additional proof that Hungarians will go to any lengths for a good road trip, we now have the first annual Budapest-Bamako rally, which last week came to an appropriately madcap conclusion in the dusty West African capital of Mali.

The Budapest-Bamako is the brainchild of local internet entrepreneur and former radio "shock jock" Géza Villám, who wanted to give local rally fans an option to the more famous Dakar rally. "The Dakar is way too expensive and physically too demanding," Villám says. "There was no cheaper and more comfortable alternative, so I knew I had to create my own race... I saw a void and filled it."

Villám (left) settled on Bamako as the destination for several reasons, including a long-time affinity for Mali, whose most famous city is the legendary Timbuktu. After first envisioning a direct drive south through the Sahara Villám decided on a safer and more scenic route around the Western rim of Africa totaling eight countries and 7,632 kilometers. (The B2B website features an interactive route map.) Participants were given a total of 15 days to reach the final destination, with pre-planned stops - and various entertainments - along the way. On December 26, almost 100 hearty souls departed Hősök tere in an assortment of cars, 4x4s, mini-buses, motorcycles - and one all-terrain vehicle. Among the participants were an American, a Brit, two Croatians, two Czechs, an Indian, a Russian, and two Slovaks.

Three goats, two cars, one couple

Incredibly, all but two of those who had set off from Budapest reached their final destination. (One crew turned back at Venice, while another - the Indian-Russian team - didn't get started until a day after everyone else had left, having forgotten to get the car's papers in order.)

Not that there weren't loads of little and big challenges: Villám himself had to ditch his car in Spain after it developed an electrical problem, and then make his way to Bamako in rental cars and by "hitchhiking" with other participants.

But according to Villám, the casualty list can be counted on one hand: "two cars died, one car was totaled, one couple broke up and three goats got run over." (The three goats were killed by the same driver, while the breakup was offset by another couple's decision to get engaged while on the way to Bamako.) This stands in contrast to the disasters that befell this year's Dakar, which was "red-flagged" a day before its scheduled finish to the deaths of a driver and two young spectators. Likewise, two well-known Hungarians who participated in this year's Dakar - sports reporter László Palik and his co-driver Gábor Darázsi - dropped out with mechanical problems.

As for who "won" the rally, aside from "everyone who went" the answer is threefold. The Slovak team - Juraj and Daniela Ulrich - came out on top in the "timed" event, which, partly due to this year's tragedies in the Dakar, will be replaced in the B2B2 by a more complex and intellectual challenge involving treasure hunts and satellite-map driven "geocaching" exercises. What Villám calls the "Mother Teresa Award" went to the three-person team from TV2's show "Naplo," for charity work along the way. Finally, there was the "Low Budget Team Award," which went to a group that actually managed to turn a profit on their adventure by selling their mini-van in Bamako for roughly €3,000 more than they paid for it in Budapest. (Villám says the impromptu car market the B2B spawned in Bamako indicated that next year's participants might want to consider 4 wheel drive Toyotas and diesels, or anything that can be used as "bush taxis" if they want to recoup their costs.)

Not just passing through

While happy to see B2B participants making straight deals with locals at the end of the rally, Villám stresses that next year's event will be even more focused on what his wacky racers can do for the communities they pass through, many of which are deeply impoverished. (Mali had a brief brush with famine earlier this year.) "Next year every team will have to choose and 'adopt' a village along the way," he says. "They have to supply clothes, medicine and toys to the village. They'll also have to spend a night in their village and meet the locals."

Finally, next year's rally will include a special category for those who think that driving from Hungary into the heart of Africa isn't enough of a challenge: hitchhiking. "They can travel with anyone except a Budapest-Bamako vehicle," Villám laughs. "I can promise less organization and more chaos for next year's event."

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