A Croydon teacher braved torrential rain, criminal gangs and serious mechanical problems in a 10,000 mile journey to Mongolia in an old banger.

David Lewis from Thornton Heath and his team mate Kieron Norris made the incredible journey across 11 countries, seven mountain ranges, three deserts and numerous rivers all in a car that cost only £175 off of internet auction site eBay.

The team called themselves the Dulwich Dons, as both men work at Dulwich College prep school.

Kieron is the head of information technology and David manages the school’s server.

On July 19 they joined the 300 other teams as they left London’s Hyde Park to drive a third of the way around the earth to finally end up in Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia.

The only rule was that every vehicle should have had an engine no larger than one litre Throughout the Mongol Rally the teams were plagued by mechanical problems, torrential rain, muggings, border crossings gone wrong and a host of other problems that almost ended their adventure.

Kieron said: “It was such an amazing experience for the two of us.

“We drove through 16 different countries and had about 25 mechanical issues with the car along the way.

“I think that Russia was probably the most eye-opening country we went through.

“It was the vastness of it that got to us and the contrast between rich and poor.

“There is no middle class in Russia, just lower and upper.

“When we drove through it was huge, as far as they eye could see were field of rapeseed, you could almost see the curvature of the earth.”

He added: “We were worried about our safety at some points in the trip.

“In Kazakhstan we were handed a phone with an English speaker on the end who told us to leave the area immediately because it was unsafe for us to stay.

“However we were shown some amazing generosity and kindness throughout our trip.

“In one instance a man in Russia, who we met a 2am drove us to a hotel, translated for us and disappeared into the night.”