Kamilló Muráti introducing the KAM Home Goes 2 Bamako rally and charity team
During an interview for SZTE’s magazine, Szteminárium. Image: Anna Bobkó
Kamilló Muráti and his friend, Bence Botyánszki, a.k.a. the KAM Home Goes 2 Bamako team, are familiar faces in Szeged, easily recognizable by the rally Land Cruiser they are driving. If you meet them at an event, you can be sure that there’s some charity action going on in the background.
We met with Kamilló for an interview before the start of the 2022 Budapest-Bamako Rally - an adventure they have been preparing for in the last two and a half years.
So, the big question most of us would want to ask is: Are you nervous? The big adventure you’ve been waiting for so long is just around the corner.
Well, not really nervous, I would say excited instead. You probably know that the rally has been postponed twice, originally we would have started in January 2022. Alone that can make someone nervous, but there’s been so much going on since we started this project.
There were many changes, for example, we had three different third members in our team during the two and a half years, each one of them had to cancel their participation, and then we had unexpected changes and technical challenges. We got used to it.
Why did they postpone the start?
Because of the pandemic. Some border closures were prolonged, like in Morocco, and it wasn’t sure that the borders will open by the time the rally gets there. The original start date was January 28, the second was March 18, and now the start is scheduled for October 21.
Let’s talk a bit more about the Budapest-Bamako Rally. This is one of the biggest amateur rallies, right?
Actually, this is the biggest amateur rally in the world. It is also called the Great African Run, but many people only refer to it as the budget version of the Paris-Dakar. The Budapest-Bamako is a charity race founded and organized by Hungarians. The first race was held in 2005, and we wanted to take part ever since.
Teams racing at the 2018 rally. Image via BudapestBamako on Flickr.
But these days it’s Budapest-Bamako in its name only.
Yes, due to instabilities and safety questions in some countries, the route had to be changed over time. This year, the finish will be in Freetown, Sierra Leone. We’ll start at the Budaörs Airport next to Budapest, and cross eleven countries: Hungary, Slovenia, Italy, France, Spain, Morocco, Western Sahara, Mauritania, Senegal, Guinea, and Sierra Leone.
Do you know how many participants are there this year?
There are 247 teams, from 75 countries. 547 participants.
And they all take part in charity?
Yes, all teams, only in different ways. Everyone brings something that’s needed in the countries we will be crossing. Some teams hand over these at the finish line, but we decided that we’ll be sorting out donations along the way. We have received a generous donation from the owner of an optics shop in Szeged, so we’ll take around 50-60 small-sized glasses with us to help African children with sight problems.
We met a few days ago at a charity event in Szeged, where the KAM Home team also helped raise money and organize a blood donation. As far as I know, your team has been involved in a lot of similar events and projects.
Absolutely. The whole idea of us taking part in the Budapest-Bamako Rally evolved around charity. We were involved in similar projects before, and when we made the pre-registration for the rally, back in 2019, we already started out as a charity team.
School equipment donation. Image: KAM Home Goes 2 Bamako Facebook page
You help in other parts of the country too, right?
Yes. Most of our charity actions concentrate on our home towns, Szeged and Békéscsaba, but we also seek opportunities to help all over Hungary. We brought much-needed items - like computers, clothes, school equipment, etc. - to various parts of the country, from the lesser-known small villages to the capital.
Let’s talk a bit about the car. This is what people refer to as the classic rally 4x4 from the Paris-Dakar days.
Exactly. This is a Toyota Land Cruiser J95. We bought this car in Italy, in May 2020. By the time it got a Hungarian license plate a month later, we immediately started our charity trips with it. We visited children’s and retirement homes, and schools, and we’ve been to the Wesley János kindergarten in Budapest, which is also known as the “homeless kindergarten”.
Of course, we also had to prepare the car for the rally, which was a long process, we did it simultaneously with the charity work. There were technical problems that came to the surface with the use, and we had to fix these. And we also made planned reconstructions to make the car more suitable for the different terrains that we’ll cross during the rally.
Which will be even more exciting, because of the rainy season…
Exciting indeed! The Budapest-Bamako usually starts in January, in the dry season. Now, because of the rescheduling, we will arrive at some places at the end of the rainy season, with mud, and some roads probably washed away. Totally new circumstances for this rally.
All prepared for a Saint Nicholas Day charity ride. Image: KAM Home Goes 2 Bamako Facebook page
So this is an amateur rally. Does it mean that anyone can enter, with any background?
Yes, you don’t have to be a rally driver to enter. Take our team for example, and what we do for a living. I am a realtor and a marketing expert, and Bence is a kindergarten teacher.
But if you are not rally drivers, what made you enter this race?
The adventure. We both have been taking part in extreme adventures before, Bence even took part in the Hungarian Survivor reality show that was shot in the Philippines. We did not enter the 2022 Budapest-Bamako to race, so our time will not be measured. We entered to participate and make it through. Or in other words, we don’t just want to survive this race, we want to live the adventure.
I read that many participants sell their cars in Africa and return home by plane. Will you sell yours?
No, because we have plans with it. We will definitely continue our charity work with the car after we get home. Another plan is to visit schools, or other institutions with the car and give talks and presentations about the Budapest-Bamako, and also our charity work.
Bence and Kamilló (from left to right) during a presentation at the Gregor József Primary School in Szeged. Image: KAM Home Goes 2 Bamako Facebook page
How do you finance this project?
Well, first, we have a long list of supporters. We are fortunate enough to even have supporters who have been with us since the very beginning, now for over two and a half years. And second, we self-finance this project - this is something I’m really proud of.
When will you arrive back in Hungary?
If all goes well, we’ll be back around the end of November. It largely depends on the condition of the car after the rally. On the route back, we’ll drive only on roads, however, other circumstances - like border crossings - can slow us down.
I have one last question. Have you been to Africa before?
No, this will be the first time for both of us. We traveled in Asia, and also other parts of the world before, but this will be a totally new experience, and we can’t wait to get there!
You can follow the guys on the KAM Home Goes 2 Bamako Facebook page or the race updates on the Budapest-Bamako Rally’s social channels.
On the day of the start, October 21, before the guys head to Budaörs, you can meet Kamilló and Bence, and the Rádió88 team broadcasting their morning show live from Bárka Szeged between 7 and 8 a.m. After starting from Szeged, the guys will visit a family near the city of Örkény. The official start of the rally will be at 12:00 (noon) in Budaörs and will be streamed live by vezess.hu on Facebook and YouTube.
Images: Anna Bobkó, KAM Home Goes 2 Bamako official Facebook page, BudapestBamako on Flickr
