British adventurers smash world record after driving 10,300 miles from Cape Town to London

London, Feb. 12 (ANI): A pair of British adventurers has broken two world records after driving 10,300 miles from Cape Town to London, in a lightning fast 10-and-a-half days.

Speedy Philip Young and Paul Brace broke the previous record by three days for the route, after crossing the finish line at Marble Arch at 5.30 pm on 11th February, just 10 days, 13 hours and 30 minutes after they set off from the South African city.

According to the Daily Mail, the pair not only has broken the record for driving thousands of miles, they also set the fastest time for doing the journey in either direction.

Philip and Paul averaged 43mph along the route and covered more than 1,000 miles per day in a tiny 875cc Fiat Panda.

They drove to some 13 countries, which included some of the world's most volatile, in two continents and their 7,000 pounds Panda became the first car to cross from Sudan into Egypt over a new land frontier, the report said.

They also raised more than 10,000 pounds for the Farm Africa charity, which helps African farmers increase their harvest in a bid to tackle food shortages.

According to the report, Philip said that the hardest part of the trip had been a stretch in northern Kenya, near the town of Marsabit, known as the 'Road to Mars,' which runs through a desert, where the track disappears in places and is littered with huge potholes in others.

And in Ethiopia they almost suffered their 'worst nightmare' when they came close to running out of petrol because of a national shortage, the report said.

The only tools they took to keep the car on the road were an adjustable spanner and a hammer along with a roll of gaffer tape and a tin of superglue.

This year is the 80th anniversary of the first attempt to drive from London to Cape Town in a Morris Eight, a drive that took five months.

The previous record for the Cape Town to London route stood at 14 days, 19 hours and 26 minutes and was set by British Army officer Brigadier John Hemsley and his wife Lucy in 1983 - in a Range Rover V8, the report said.

The record for completing the trek in the opposite direction stood at 11 days, 14 hours and 11 minutes, it added. (ANI)