Rally
Team
Fundraising
Who or what is SkipLizard? In short, "Skip" is from the nickname of a baseball manager, and symbolizes leadership, while "Lizard" symbolizes a chameleon's ability to adapt to its environment. Put together, "SkipLizard" represents adaptive leadership in a world where peaceful cultural exchange is far more important than forceful regime implementation.

We are a group dedicated to the idea that one can find order in chaos, joy in hardship, and peace in the unknown...and change lives in the process. We aim to penetrate international disdain for Americans in a direct, personal manner. We ride for the truly impovershed: those that have no hope of rescue and no system to bail them out.

We're also proof that charity can be the party of a lifetime...
THE DRIVERS

Name: Ryan Dunnavant (a.k.a. Dunny, Skip, Khan-Hoo, Dirk Bifshtik)

Residence: Austin, TX

Roles: Captain Radge, Bribery Official, Eternal Optimist

Education: Rice U...Houston, TX...Chemical Engineering...useful only in Kazakhstan's former Soviet nuclear and biological weapon testing fields

Experience: Co-Founder of SkipLizard...2007 Mongol Rally Driver... herded yaks, raced horses, wrestled champions, ate goat eyeball, drank fermented mare's milk, and got incomparably ill in Mongolia

Story: Ryan is a redneck-hippie and dedicated idealist who holds that the alleviation of hate and distrust in the world ultimately relies on personal relationships. To set his spirit, he rock climbs and makes grassroots music (with spoons, a jaw harp, and a banjo) so that, in the words of Austin's Jim Swift, "When it comes to penetrating international disdain for Americans, he could offer a lesson or two..." Indeed.

Name: Arthur VanRooy (a.k.a. Arturo, Arturious, Cleezy)

Residence: Austin, TX

Roles: True Pioneer, Marathon Driver, Scavenger Extraordinaire

Education: UT Austin...Government & Philosophy...useful only in international diplomatic negotiations and idealistic ramblings

Experience: SkipLizard neophyte...once worked as a movie production security guard, staying in or near his car in 12 hour shifts...possesses uncanny ability to spot faint silver linings in the grayest of gray clouds ("Dude, it isn't THAT broken! Where's the duct tape?")

Story: Arthur is a self-proclaimed spiritual space cowboy; a seeker of ideal ideas and transcendent truths. He is eternally interested in discovering the eccentricities of life, and considers variety the spice that makes life worth exploring and enjoying. He enjoys cross-country road trips on a whim, yoga, riffing on a harmonica like he was doing 20 to life, and making strangers less strange (but still keeping it weird).
THE COLLABORATORS

Name: Andy Taylor

Residence: Lubbock, TX

Roles: Original Ambassador of Awesome

Education: Texas Tech Law School...Lubbock, TX...how no one knows

Experience: Co-Founder of SkipLizard...2007 Mongol Rally Driver... master of improv sign-language

Story: Half of the original "Those Damn Texans" who left Texas in July 2007 with little planning and less materials, killed one car in the English countryside then drove its replacement 10,000 miles to Mongolia. Andy is currently finding unprecedented and fully awesome applications for his law "studies."

Name: Nicki Dunnavant

Residence: Colorado Springs, CO; Kathmandu, Nepal

Roles: Fundraiser, Encourager

Education: Colorado College...Colorado Springs...Contentment Studies

Experience: Expert GORP producer...once ran underground jewelry and exam reference card businesses while in 2nd grade

Story: Nicki is the original Little Miss Sunshine. She's a unique mix of mountain goddess and redneck hippie, currently involved in Continuing Contentment Studies in Nepal.

Name: Hobo Logistics (Wolfgang Schultze, Klaus Weiderman, Karl Tuvan, Dieder Hopfner, Dr. Florian Schneider)

Residence: Canada

Roles: Keepers of the Radge

Education: Hobo Logistics Tours of Duty v1...Kraftwerk

Experience: Convoyed with originial SkipLizard duo through Central Asia in 2007, Wolfgang joined in Mongol bummery

Story: For nearly a decade, Hobo Logistics has existed as an organization focused on seeking out unusual and offbeat adventures. Like SkipLizard, they are intersted in the journeys as much as the destinations. From this point on, SkipLizard will accept no adventure without consultation and hopefully accompaniment of the Hobos.

Name: Brian Goodman

Residence: Austin, TX

Roles: Graphic Design

Education: UT Austin...Austin, TX...Photo Journalism

Experience: Drove with Arthur to from Austin to San Francisco for Rage Against the Machine show...arrived as concert let out

Story: Brian is a true Austinite who is lending a huge hand to all the front-end work we're doing for SkipLizard. He's also an accomphished photographer...check out his work at www.bjg-photo.com.
THE HOSTS

Name: Master Steve Theobald (plus Jeff, Lis and the kids)

Residence: Liphook, England

Roles: Ill-Suited-Vehicle Arranger

Education: SteamCar.net

Experience: Rescued the original SkipLizard duo, gave life to the Chariot of Awesome

Story: Besides being a master mechanic, Steve is an accomplished traveler, having lived in extreme places such as the Australian Outback. He's a kindred that was uncovered by karma alone in 2007, and will provide our launch pad in 2008.

Name: Alan Kemp

Residence: Liphook, England

Roles: Spirit Guide, Surfing Instructor

Education: Alan Kemp Photography

Experience: Escorted the original SkipLizard duo around southern England, arranged time with Mariscos lovelies

Story: Alan is a well-traveled hippie and has teamed up with Master Steve to form one of the greatest VW hippie van gangs of all time. He's also a fantastic jetlag destroyer.

Name: Steve Brewin

Residence: London, England

Roles: London shelter provider, British pub authority

Education: U. of Bristol...Bristol, England...Geology

Experience: Direct witness of some of Ryan's near-death experiences...set foot in roughly 50 countries

Story: Stevie lends perspective, seeing as he's been in more than a quarter of the countries in the entire world (note: this is the same percentage of Century Club he made it though on his first try). He's a walking Atlas who will lend a huge hand to our kick-off and first leg through Western Europe.

Name: Mika Roberts

Residence: Everywhere and Nowhere

Roles: Ambassador of Awesome, Not Do-Gooder

Education: Bates College...Lewiston, Maine...Music, Anthropology

Mongolia...Morin Xoor, life in the moment

Experience: lived in Mongolia, studied in Mongolia, IS Mongolia...

Story: Mike plays music. He's a reflective sinner who's too adventurous even for the Mongol Rally, but word on the street is he'll be hanging about in places we'll be lost in during our ride...so he's the final gatekeeper. "See you in the emergency room..."

Name: Enkhbayar (a.k.a. Enkhbashi)

Residence: Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

Roles: Search & Rescue, Spirit Guide

Experience: Mongolian tour driver...has been known to drive through the night in the Mongolian countryside, powered by nothing but fermented mare's milk, yogurt, Xapaa, and stale noodles...escorted '07 leftovers on spirit journey through northern Mongolia

Story: Enkee is a Gobi Desert spiritualist making a living driving wide-eyed tourists as far out into the middle of nowhere as they dare to go. He holds that friendship and relations far outweigh material possessions and accomplishments. He is Ryan's Mongol brother.

Name: Togoo (a.k.a. Black Casper)

Residence: Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

Roles: News Correspondent

Experience: Ulaanbaatar Post employee...the polar opposite, yet best buddy of Enkee...escorted '07 leftovers on spirit journey of a far different nature

Story: Togoo is a city-boy amongst the Mongols, a fact that continues to lead him to numerous business ventures, tourists, and large bottles of Xapaa, Bolor, and/or Chinggis. He is Ryan's other Mongol brother.

Name: Gans

Residence: Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

Roles: Arranger, Traditional Mongol BBQ Expert

Experience: Gans knows all and sees all!!!!! (in Mongolia, and possibly China)

Story: Everybody knows Gans. If you ever travel to Mongolia, you'll meet him. Period. He's a 28-year-old creative genius with the smarts of a man in his 40's and the looks/attitude of a pre-teen boy. Hmm...sound familiar?

THE SPONSORS

We have no official sponsors yet. Hey! You could be the first! Check out the Contribute/Donations page for more info on how.