PistonHeads will have a greater presence in this month's Staples2Naples Banger Rally with PHer Andy Blackmore (Andy_b) taking part for the second year running, despite now living in Canada. Andy will be joining his brother-in-law Rob Leigh and Iain Gillespie in the event, which is in aid of three charities.
The 2005 Staples2Naples ‘Banger’ Rally starts in Calais and continues as a four-day ‘treasure hunt’, covering more than 2,000 miles and travelling through seven European countries, ending in Naples, Italy (affectionately known as the scrap yard of Europe).
The catch is that every team must attempt to complete the journey in a car which costs less than £100 -- we reported on another team of PHers, Paul Borge and Adam Barber who are going in a Transit, last week (see link below).
The three-man team, dubbed 'The Rolling Stones', will be driving a £100 banger painted up look like The Flintstones car. The team are raising money for charity through individual and corporate sponsorship in the United Kingdom for The British Heart Foundation and The Alzheimer’s Society and in Canada for The Children’s Wish Foundation. Donations to the charity of your choice can be made online at the team’s website (see link below).
The team will be driving a 15-year-old Vauxhall Carlton. The car now has an MoT thanks to Gotherington Cross Garage in Cheltenham, Unipart and Partco, and all it needs now is a lick of emulsion paint. As there is an additional prize for best film/TV themed car, their car will be painted up in emulsion to look like Fred Flintstone’s ‘Flintmobile’.
Andy said: “Many teams are decorating their car in Dukes of Hazzard, A-Team or Knight Rider colours, but we’re confident our design will stand out.” Andy also has some insider knowledge -- he's a livery designer, and two other teams have commissioned him to design their graphics. “I think ours will just about have an edge!” he said.
Andy flies back to the UK a couple of days before the event, leaving fewer than 24 hours to paint the car. Luckily, Rob and Iain have masses of mechanical knowledge so they have everything else sorted.
The three friends took part in the 2004 event, but on different teams. Unfortunately for Rob and Iain, both fully trained mechanics, disaster struck as their Ford Sierra cried enough and the engine blew. “We were completely gutted last year, but we managed to hire a car and continue in spirit,” said Rob Leigh. Ironically, the Sierra was painted up to look like an AA rescue vehicle.
Andy said: “The event is much harder than you’d imagine, you’re constantly on the look out for clues and picture references along the route, as well as trying not to get lost! We averaged about ten hours behind the wheel each day and the car was on its last legs by the end. We lost second gear about a mile before the scrap-yard. One lesson we learned from last year was not to paint a Union Flag on your car, it doesn’t go down well in Italy!”
The event starts on 23 September and the team is still looking for companies who would like to be involved. You can sponsor or support their quest by donating an item they can auction or making a cash donation. Any company willing to make a donation would receive branding on the car ensuring visibility across Europe as well as on the team Web site and PR material.
The team are also welcome individual donations, which can be made on the team’s site (see link below). Anyone who sponsors the team will have their name on the car.
The team will also be running live updates during the event on their site, and have thanked PHers for their support.
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