A HALESOWEN adrenaline junkie is hoping Al Qaeda will not scupper his plans to rally through the Saraha Desert to Dakar this weekend.

Last year Simon Lisseter and his friend Adam Rogers, from Wordsley, were stopped from driving in an international rally across Africa after terrorists began kidnapping Westerners in Mauritania.

However, one year on, the pair have dusted down their customised black Alfa Romeo and will drive out this weekend (December 18).

Adam, aged 27, and Simon, aged 31, will travel to Plymouth, head through Spain, Morocco, Western Sahara, Senegal and Mauritania before ending in the former British colony of Gambia.

Simon said: “We were gutted when last year's trip was called off, but we decided to hang onto the Alfa in the hopes that we might be able to take part this year.

“It really will be a once-in-a-lifetime adventure. We're not due back home until the start of January, so this will be an unforgettable way to spend Christmas and the New Year.”

Adam added: “Simon and I have been friends for a long time – but we've never spent three weeks cooped up in a car together. So we're hoping that as well as keeping the car on the road, we don't drive each other mad.”

At the finish line, the pair will donate their 1993 car, which they bought for £100, to rally organisers. This is then auctioned to get the highest value from the vehicle.

Also any sponsorship cash the pair raise will be awarded to the various local charities in Gambia.

For more information about the rally and how to donate, visit the website at www.blackalfa.co.uk.