A FATHER and son motorsport team are gearing up for their biggest driving challenge - next year’s London to Cape Town World Cup Rally.

Mike and Ben Dawson are one of just 50 crews invited to take part in the challenging event which will see them driving thousands of miles through at least 10 countries in 30 days.

The pair, from Old Wives Lees near Chilham, who run a CAD engineering business, have been driving together since 2006.

Mike, 61, has been competing for 40 years and has numerous wins under his belt.

He now acts as co-driver for Ben, 31, but will be sharing the driving in the 2012 London to Cape Town rally which leaves from the Houses of Parliament on New Year’s Day.

For the past year they have been building, testing and competing in a Ford Mk2 Escort which has been designed to withstand the extreme driving conditions they expect to encounter, especially in Africa.

The pair will also be raising money for UNICEF.

See this week's Kentish Gazette for the full story