driver, driving instructor, rally driver and Guinness world record holder for endurance bus driving, which was set on the Hungaroring race track in November 1988. Kovács was 36–37 years old at the time of the expedition's start, and as of the beginning of 1990, he had two daughters. István Himberger ("Pista", HG5CHI):Himberger was the engineer, technician and second driver of the expedition. He was a childhood friend of Kovács, and a Volánbusz mechanical engineer. Himberger was 36–37 years old at the time of the expedition's start, and as of the beginning of 1990, he was a father of three girls. Imre Páskuly ("Imi", HA5HO):Páskuly was the main radio operator, license and QSL manager, cook, chronicler and cameraman of the expedition. He was the chief editor of the amateur radio and CB magazine Rádiózás and the editor of the Rádióamatőr QTC program at the time. Páskuly was aged 45–46 at the time of the expedition's start, and as of the beginning of 1990, he had one daughter. Among the three men, Páskuly was the only HF operator, as Kovács and Himberger had a VHF license. Vehicle and equipment Globex Ikarus 350 and its amenities The team acquired a long, custom-built Ikarus coach, which was largely identical to the stock Ikarus 350.02 model variant. The vehicle was produced by the Mátyásföld factory of Ikarus, using parts that were offered by various companies in the automotive industry which wanted to sponsor the expedition. These automotive companies included: Rába (Rába D2156 MT6U 10.3 L turbocharged I6 diesel engine with 250 hp, a MAN license; Rába MVG 832 front and Rába MVG 007 rear beam axles) Ikarus (Cummins LTA10-B 290H 10.0 L turbocharged I6 diesel engine, custom-made grille guard) Gear Csepel Automobile Transmission Factory (Csepel S6-120U 6-speed manual transmission, a ZF license) Voith (retarder) Elbe (drive shaft) Fichtel & Sachs (shock absorbers) Knorr-Bremse (brake and pneumatic systems) WABCO (electric leveling system) Taurus Rubber Industry Company (tires) Transportation Measuring Instruments Factory (KMGY; electric instruments and sensors) Salgoglas (window panes) Sütrak (HVAC systems) The fuel capacity was with multiple tanks. Initially the team planned to use regular pneumatic tires from Taurus with Trilex modular rims to facilitate easy field repairs, but they ended up using more modern tubeless tires from the company. During a test drive before the expedition, the vehicle was able to reach a speed of . The interior included a "navigator seat", a fully