As a lover of adventure and dangerous sports, Tarres was involved professionally in the quad bike business before founding Digital Center, giving him a great deal of experience with this type of vehicle. This year, he planned to travel solo from Barcelona to Tokyo on a quad bike.

The route took him through many countries - Turkey, Iran, Mongolia, Russia and Japan, to mention but a few - where he could stay for a while and interpret the local rules of gaming. He allowed three months for the trip.

Euroslot: How did you get the idea for this project?

JT: After crossing Africa with a friend and finding the experience extremely positive, I began to consider the possibility of making another large journey. Nevertheless, I had to wait until the start of this year to fix the dates. It was obvious that to cross Asia and parts of Europe was the most reasonable route, and, although not free of difficulties, this could be done by starting from Barcelona. The most complicated thing was obtaining the authorisations and visas necessary to make the journey.

Euroslot: Which vehicle did you choose for the journey?

JT: The model I used was a Yamaha Grizzly 660, with a standard engine, to which I fitted a shock absorber for the steering and mounted special protectors underneath to prevent breakage. In Africa I did not take any spare tyres, but I was sure that on this occasion, I would have to change them during the journey. In order to accommodate everything, I had to reinforce the structure of the quad bike. I also took extra fuel supplies, a 10-litre tank specifically for water and a toolbox, along with camping equipment that included a cooker, food and clothes.

Euroslot: What problems did you encounter on the trip?

JT: Despite taking all possible precautions, the unexpected always happens and the chain of the vehicle’s variable-speed drive broke in Iran. Although I had a spare one, it was not possible to obtain another until I reached Turkmenistan, and that was lucky - all thanks to a Spaniard who offered to bring it in his luggage during a trip that he had planned for those dates to that country. However, the most frequent problems were bureaucratic ones at the borders, involving the internal visas required for travel within some countries. Possibly the biggest difficulty was at the end of the journey, in Vladivostok, where I found myself on the verge of being unable to ship the vehicle to Japan. For safety reasons, they do not allow the circulation of this type of vehicle. At the eleventh hour, I managed to resolve the problem and arrived on the planned date at my final destination.

Euroslot: What were the highlights of your journey?

JT: Throughout the trip, my contact with nature was fantastic. I was by Lake Baikal enjoying incredible landscapes for almost a week. Mongolia is also a paradise for users of this type of vehicle but, without a doubt, what impressed me most was the hospitality of its inhabitants, who helped me free myself from a cengal tree in which I had become caught. But they were not the only ones. In Turkey, the commander of a military border control made me guest of honour. In Kazakhstan, I was the guest of a Christian priest and in Uzbekistan I was able to enjoy the hospitality of the German ambassador. Many memories and too many emotions have made a huge impression on me, and they will remain with me for the rest of my life.

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