Farmer to cross Bering Straits in a Land Rover on Cooper tyres

Some of the world’s biggest motor companies have attempted it, so have famous millionaire explorers. Now Cooper Tire & Rubber Company Europe is supporting a Yorkshire farmer as he tries to succeed where the big boys have failed, by becoming the first person to cross the infamous Bering Strait in a land vehicle.

Steve Burgess, 50, and his partner, Nicky Spinks, will set off on a mammoth 30,000-mile journey from England to South America on January 29. When they reach the East coast of Russia, their trusty Land Rover 110 Pickup, shod with Discoverer STT tyres, will be fitted with ‘floats’, and driven into the sea towards Alaska.

The Cape to Cape expedition will take in every imaginable landscape, from the frozen wastelands of Siberia to the tropical rainforests of South America, across four continents and more than 20 countries, as well as the 50-mile Bering Strait crossing.

The Ford Motor Company and explorer, Richard Creasey, attempted to traverse the Bering Strait in 1993, only for its vehicles to sink, while the Fiat Motor Company’s effort foundered in 1996. The challenge has also defeated Sir Ranulph Fiennes and British explorers Steve Brooks and Graham Stratford, whose attempt had to be aborted in 2001 after damage to their Snowbird 5 vehicle.

Once safely on US soil, Burgess and Spinks will then replace the floats with standard Cooper Discoverer STT tyres and drive through North and South America, arriving at Cape Horn towards the end of 2008. Both explorers have spent the last seven years planning the trip.

“The main things have been finding funding and dealing with Russian bureaucracy,” explained Burgess. “We’re doing something that’s never been done before, so you can’t just get a form and fill it out. I needed permission from the army and the police to travel in the Far East. Most significantly, I needed permission to leave Russia in an amphibious vehicle from a non-existent port in the Far East – we’re just going to drive off a beach!”

“We chose the Cooper Discoverer STTs because we knew we needed a tyre with hard-core traction, durability, and reliability in almost any condition,” said Burgess. “Most of the distance that we will be traveling will be over a myriad of challenging terrain, and we are confident that the STTs will be flawless.”