A GROUP of West Somerset friends will be facing the threat of carjacking, robbery and kidnap during an epic 10,000 miles trip from London to Siberia.

'Twentysomethings' Andrew Takle, Andrew Ely, George Hockin and Lewis Don have known each other since they were children and have signed up to take part in the iconic Mongol Rally.

But the journey will not be easy as the rules state competitors must only take part in small one litre vehicles or less.

Sat navs are banned and cars cannot be "disposed of" on the return leg until Lithuania at the earliest.

Under the banner of team Are We There Yet?!, the four will join an estimated 300 other competitors to travel across deserts, mountains and through countless cities en route to destination's end.

But with no official route or support crew, the going is likely to be extremely tough – and potentially dangerous.

Andrew Takle, who works at Williton's Kwik Stop garage, said kidnappings, extortion and carjackings had all happened to competitors in previous rallies.

"We are under no illusions that this will be easy, we can't even begin to imagine the dangers we will face along the way," he said.

"Along the route we will experience a wide range of cultures and spices.

"It offers us a once in a lifetime adventure – it'll be one of the best things we can do in our lives and all to raise money for charity."

The team is fundraising for Cool Earth, the official charity of the rally, and the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance.

One of the rally rules is that each team must raise at least £1,000 for charity, half of which will be donated to the air ambulance.

"The trip requires a massive amount of planning and funding as we will be driving through harsh environments and any donations which will help us cover a few initial costs and expenses would also be appreciated," said Andrew.

For starters, the team has to pay a £1,000 deposit to discourage the abandonment of cars along the way, a £500 entry fee and a "car passport" of up to £850.

Thankfully, the mechanical side of things will largely be covered by the two Andrews as Andrew Ely also works in a garage, A E Autos in Minehead.

George Hockin is a body repair work specialist at the Spray Inn in Crowcombe, although the team is hoping Lewis' skills will not be needed – he works for Hedley Price Funeral Directors in Minehead!

The team will film their adventures on a dashboard camera and plan to post videos and photos on their Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/RallyTeam">www.facebook.com/RallyTeam AreWe There Yet.

They are due to set off on July 19 from London and expect the trip to Ulan Ude in Siberia to take around four weeks.

They then have to make their own way back to Somerset.

More information about the team is available on their website at http://arewethereyet2015.com">http://arewethereyet2015.com.

To text donations to the air ambulance, send the word BBFH75 followed by a space and then a figure of either £2, £5 or £10 to 70070.