A father and son team have crossed the finish line of their off-roading trek, which took them through the Sahara.

Peter Lambert and Michael Sawdon felt ’proud’ and ’exhausted’ after completing the challenging Budapest-Bamako rally in their Land Rover Defender which they made to look like a big Tonka truck.

The route, which took them through Europe and West Africa including the Sahara desert, is 8,235km (5117 miles) long.

After setting off from the Hungarian capital at the start of February, the two men announced on Monday that they had finished at Freetown, Sierra Leone, in 19th place.

They received the Fellowship of the People Award, which recognised their help to other teams throughout the rally and their efforts in making people smile.

Michael, 30, from Baldrine, called the rally ’the hardest thing we’ve ever done’.

’I can’t believe we made it,’ he said.

’I nearly cried at the sight of a cold can of coke after drinking 30 degree water for what feels like an eternity.’

Michael is a chief petty officer and weaponry engineer in the Royal Navy.

He has taken part in similar off-roading events, including the Help for Heroes rally around Europe in 2015.

Joining him this time was his stepdad Peter, who runs island-based ventilation systems company Dri Homes with his wife Debbie.

The pair, who referred to themselves during the rally as The Flying Manxmen, faced getting stuck in the sand, being towed, towing others, carrying out repairs in the desert and travelling beside minefields.

They were also told to carry three days worth of water in the vehicle at all times, as it could take up to three days to rescue participants if their trucks broke down

Michael wrote: ’Never have we felt so vulnerable in our lives, but the feeling of accomplishment at the end of each stage outweighs all else.’

See their Facebook page by searching ’2020 Budapest - Bamako Rally Team Tonka Truckers’.