{"version":"1.0","type":"rich","provider_name":"Acast","provider_url":"https://acast.com","height":250,"width":700,"html":"<iframe src=\"https://embed.acast.com/$/6502ec015032c7001167fc64/69d8d49800eb02bda103a780?\" frameBorder=\"0\" width=\"700\" height=\"250\"></iframe>","title":"First British Women to Finish the Dakar: Helen, Marcella & Purdy the Land Rover","description":"<p>In this episode, Michelle sits down with&nbsp;Helen&nbsp;and&nbsp;Marcella, the duo behind the first ever&nbsp;all‑British female team to finish the Dakar Rally&nbsp;– in a Land Rover they&nbsp;built themselves in a shed, affectionately named&nbsp;Purdy.</p><p><br></p><p>They share the hilarious, gritty and frankly unbelievable story of how two “normal” women in their 50s went from a chance meeting in rural France to surviving one of the toughest motorsport events in the world.</p><p><br></p><h2>In this episode, we talk about:</h2><ul><li>How it all started</li><li>Moving to France, a chaotic first meeting, and how wine + turning 50 led to saying “yes” to Dakar.</li><li>Building Purdy in a shed</li><li>Buying a rough Defender off eBay, turning it into a Dakar‑spec car, and battling electrics and wiring gremlins.</li><li>Funding the dream</li><li>Selling cars, jewellery and dipping into a pension, plus the reality of chasing sponsorship when no one knows you.</li><li>Life at Dakar</li><li>The moving “town” of the bivouac, zero sleep, mixing with factory teams and legends, and surviving with minimal spares and one young mechanic.</li><li>On‑stage chaos</li><li>Reading road books, driving dunes and rock‑fields, double punctures on the final day, and almost not making the finish.</li><li>The unfiltered reality</li><li>Spider bites, stomach upsets, desert toilet logistics and an escalating obsession with bananas.</li><li>Friendship &amp; being first</li><li>How they avoided falling out, what deep trust in the car looks like, and what it means to be the first all‑British female team to finish Dakar.</li><li><br></li></ul><h2>Why you should listen</h2><p>If you’ve ever thought&nbsp;“I’m too old”,&nbsp;“I’m too normal”&nbsp;or&nbsp;“that’s for people with money and connections”, this episode will mess with that narrative in the best way.</p><p>It’s about:</p><ul><li>Audacity&nbsp;– deciding to do something wildly beyond your comfort zone</li><li>Graft&nbsp;– building the car, finding the money, fixing it when it catches fire</li><li>Grit and humour&nbsp;– dealing with spiders, sand, sponsors and squits, and still laughing</li><li>Friendship&nbsp;– trusting someone else with your life, your dream and your worst days</li></ul><p><br></p><p>Check out Be right Back events: </p><p><br></p><p>Join Dare club: www.shewhodareswins.com</p><p>Shop Merch: www.shewhodareswins.com</p>","author_name":"Michelle Hands"}