AN intrepid Stourbridge builder and his pals are gearing up for a mammoth motorcycle adventure of a lifetime - in aid of Mary Stevens Hospice.

Inspired by movie star Ewan McGregor and pal Charley Boorman’s ‘Long Way Down’ trip, father-of-two Warren Evans and his old friend Jon Robinson from Bromsgrove will be riding 650 GS BMW motorbikes from the UK across France, Spain, Morocco, Mauritania, Senegal and the Gambia - following the same route as the Paris-Dakar Rally; the world’s toughest ‘off-road’ rally.

Jon’s partner Jackie Barber, who has been battling breast cancer since the beginning of the year, will also be riding with the guys after being given the all-clear by doctors to make the gruelling trip across some of the most inhospitable terrain on the planet.

Temperatures of up to 50 degrees in the shade, mountainous terrain, sand storms and desert winds in the Sahara and endless miles of rock-strewn, pot-holed roads, tracks and river beds are just some of the hazards - the trio can expect to face during the three to four week 6,000-mile trip.

Bandits and terrorists could also be a worry - the 2008 Dakar Rally was cancelled last year amid fears of a terrorist attack linked to al-Qaida.

But gung-ho Warren, who runs Evcott Ltd building company and The Base recording studios in Stourbridge, seems unfazed by the risks and is eager to get on the bike.

He told the News: “I can’t wait, I wish I was going tomorrow.”

No stranger to challenges, 38-year-old Warren has previously climbed Mount Kilimanjaro - Africa’s highest peak, and travelled around South America and across Siberia.

But this will be the most arduous trip he’s ever undertaken - and he hopes it will pull in around £2,000 for the hospice.

Wife Sarah, aged 36, will also be tagging along for the ride.

Together with friend Andrew Dickinson, co-owner of The French Hen in Clent, she will be driving a modified Land Rover, specially designed for desert conditions, to provide back-up support for the guys.

The team will be heading off on their adventure on Saturday September 20.

To follow their progress along the way, or to sponsor them, check out www.basestudios1.co.uk