Year: 2012

Motoscape Banger Rally 2012 Insurance Options

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Ready, Steady, Go! Is Everybody Ready For The 2012 Motoscape Rally?

We hope everybody’s preparations are well under way!! Here are a few tips on Insurance for the Rally.

This year the Motoscape Rally has teamed up with specialist motor insurer HIC (Herts Insurance Consultants) to offer a banger rally insurance scheme that will cover you both effectively and for a reasonable price.

It’ll mean no nasty surprises along the way, plus it’ll save you time when you check in at the start line. We know this specialist insurance gives you the correct level of cover you need to partake safely and legally in the rally.

Aren’t I Insured Already Though?

This is up to you to check! Some insurers won’t cover you when you tell them you’re entering a charity rally, especially ones that include travel to overseas countries, however remember this is not a race, it is a European motor tour.

Check with your own insurance and then with HIC and judge for yourself on the best option.

What About By My Co-Drivers?  Will They Be Covered?

The specialist cover HIC provide allows cover for up to four drivers, subject to circumstances and age of course, so you’ll have the peace of mind that everyone is covered fully and legitimately while driving but please bear in mind the cover is third party only.

How Long Does The Policy Last?

This is up to you! The HIC policy can be tailored to suit your requirements. It might also be worth checking with your own insurance to see if they allow additional vehicles to be added to your policy on a short-term basis.

How Do I Get My Policy With HIC?

Just give HIC a call on the Motoscape Rally hotline: 0844 888 7251

You can also contact HIC by email at [email protected] or via the website, www.hertsinsurance.com

Are There Other Ways To Insure My Banger?

You should be able to take out a standard car insurance policy with added European cover. Remember, this is a motoring tour, it is not a race / speed rally, so do not mention anything to do with speed, rally and races as most insurance companies do not cover this.

Some people swap the insurance over from their own cars (not recommended if it means leaving an expensive car without theft cover); others take out a separate policy on a pay monthly basis and then cancel it when they get back home (check the terms and conditions that the policy can be cancelled within a set period). This way it will cost you just one month’s insurance.

The Motoscape Team are always on hand to give you advice on insurance for your banger, so don’t hesitate to give us a call, send an email, leave a comment below this blog or on Facebook and we’ll get back to you!

Also, interact with this years existing teams on the facebook page and twitter, you can pick up some great tips there.

See you in September, it’s just over 60 days away!

Motoscape 2012 Rally Update

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Heres a quick update on the 2012 Motoscape Banger Rally…

This years rally is gearing up to be the biggest and best in Motoscape history with in excess of 175 people.

Looking at some of the Facebook pictures and talking to some of the teams, most people are making a fantastic effort on decorating the cars and many teams are raising money for charity, so everyone, great effort!

Here at the Motoscape HQ preparations are in full swing , Peter has been very busy securing all the hotels (which is a mammoth task) and venues for the final night meals for the Venice and Prague rallies.

Full itineraries will be provided before the rally commences.

Paul’s been busy dreaming up the various daily challenges and answering all the team queries and questions.

Mark has been busy updating the Facebook / website information and preparing the comprehensive daily packs to ensure everybody knows what to do, and see every day.

We will be sending comprehensive checklists (detailing everything you should have) to all teams in ample time before the start of the rally, so everyone can relax knowing they have everything they need to have a fantastic time.

If anyone has any questions whatsoever just give us a call on 0113 282 3181 or contact Paul on 07854 251890.

Thank you for choosing Motoscape and we are all looking forward to meeting all the teams in September.

The Motoscape Team

Why are we doing this? – Team M & M’s

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Following on from our previous blog posts from Team Grayson & Team ASDA, here’s an introduction blog from another team on this years banger rally, M & M’s.

Here’s why Michael & Michelle are taking part in the Motoscape Rally, have a read below and check out their car below:

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Towards the end of last year we decided that we wanted to do something different in 2012 and raise money for a charity in the process.  We are now in the process of getting the Alfa ready for the Motoscape rally in September which involves travelling through 10 countries across Europe in 7 days.

https://www.motoscape-rally.co.uk/

We will be selling advertising on the car with all proceeds going to http://www.naomihouse.org.uk/

Naomi House and jacksplace are hospices for children and young adults that provide support to children and young people with conditions that mean they are unlikely to live to become adults.

The charity provides care to families and young adults living in communities across the seven counties of Berkshire, Dorset, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Surrey, West Sussex and Wiltshire.

Alf…The Alfa

We have owned the car for about 10 years, but due to the Skyline taking preference in the day to day drive to work the Alfa has been parked up for the last 4 years, under a car cover very neglected.

This rally was the perfect time to bring him back to life. So last month March 2012 we uncovered him (Just to set the record straight, Michael would like to think that Alf should be a she, but as he has had a lady owner all these years he is obviously a he!). Anyway, in March we took off the very old faded cover and hooked up a battery.  Would you believe it, he fired up straight away.  This answered our question as to should we take Alf across Europe or by an old banger!

We are now in April, Alf has been washed all moss and mold removed and, taken up the yard to have some much needed maintenance!

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You can follow M & M’s rally process at their blog page and donate at the links below:

http://mandmmotoscape.blogspot.co.uk/
http://www.justgiving.com/mandmmotoscape

If any teams would like their story featuring on our blog, please email us at [email protected] and we can discuss.

Good luck with the fundraising, and stay tuned for our blog coming soon on fund raising ideas.

The Motoscape Team

How to get the best out of Motoscape 2012

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The Motoscape Banger Rally has been carefully improved year on year to really give participants a trip to remember. If you are one of the lucky ones who have your place confirmed, well done because the rally is now full.

In preparation for the rally, here are a few tips for you to really make the most of this fantastic event:

1. Choose your car wisely:
Think large, luxury gas guzzler versus compact simple and economical. If you want outright luxury then choose an old Jag or Mercedes and make sure you have deep pockets for the fuel though. Alternatively maybe choose a Ford Fiesta diesel or a smaller engine Japanese saloon such as an old Nissan Sunny, the fuel goes a lot further in these vehicles.

2. Decorating the car:
This is a great way to really feel part of the rally as most people make a fantastic effort from mock race cars, the General Lee, fury animals and more. We have seen a fantastic selection over the years (have a look at photos for inspiration).

Can you come up with something totally different, how far can you push the boundaries?

Winner of the best banger design gets £100 cash prize and the coveted title of “Banger of the Year 2012”. Please be aware though, sharp sticky out bits to the front of cars are not legal in most countries (think pedestrian safety) and external sirens are also not legal in Europe, so don’t have them on show unless you want unwelcome attention from the Feds!!!

3. Preparation is key:
Check the car thoroughly its going to get hammered constantly for at least 5 days up and down mountain passes and on the derestricted Autobahns in Germany.

Therefore breaks, clutch, gearbox and cooling systems need to be in tip top condition, driving up and then down the Stelvio pass is a completely different experience for both the driver and the poor old car to visiting your local supermarket for your weekly groceries!!!!!

4. Raising money for charity:
Many of the teams raise money for their own individual charities, both local and national. If you have a charity close to your heart why not raise some money for them!!! Send us an email with your story and we will feature on the website.

Most charities will give you help and support plus local newspapers / TV will generally love to cover your journey (if you require a Motoscape Banner for photo shoots, just let us know and we will send one by post completely free) all we ask is to send a copy of the article.

Here are a few ideas on raising money for charity…

a) Ask people to sign a table tennis type ball for a suitable donation, take all the balls in the car and ask somebody (maybe at the top of the Stelvio to pick one out and that person would receive a previously donated prize.)

b) Park in supermarket car parks (with suitable permission) and ask people to make a donation for signing the blank car call it modern art or just graffiti. It certainly gets the money flowing; one team raised over £5000 using just this method last year!

c) Ask local businesses in the car industry to donate car parts, accessories, tyres or general servicing. Other local businesses may be willing to give a cash donation in exchange for a banner bearing their name strategically located on the car.

d) Ask your employer if they would be willing to sponsor the car. Ask the local pub if you can take the car down on a busy day and ask people for sponsorship (always go when people have had a few beers, its amazing how much more willing they are to donate a few quid)

e) Friends, family, neighbours and work colleagues are always a good source of sponsorship particularly if you do a blog or regular Facebook updates so they can see your progress throughout the rally.

We hope this gives you some good ideas and tips on the build up to rally. Don’t forget, when the rally is taking place Motoscape will be doing daily blogs and facebook / twitter updates so make sure you get all your friends and family to follow us too so they can see how you’re doing on the rally!

We keep everyone updated during the course of the rally along with all the latest photographs showing all the action.

Any questions just call us on 0113 282 3181 or email us at [email protected], we are here to help!

Paul, Peter and Mark

The Motoscape Team

First Blog! – Team ASDA

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Following on from our blog last week from Team Grayson, here’s an introduction blog from another team on this years banger rally, Team ASDA.

Here’s why Scott, Darren and Lewis are taking part in the Motoscape Rally, have a read below:

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OK, so here it is! The first Blog of many (Hopefully)! This is the start of my 2012 Adventure! At the end of last year I came up with this wacky idea of doing a banger rally, cos y’know, it sounded like a good idea at the time. So here we are, 3 months down the line actually properly starting it! We are registered on www.motoscape-rally.co.uk under ASDA. (yea, I know, I’m sad, I had to put something though!) Hopefully will get that changed soon enough. Anyway, as I was saying, we are 3 months down the line, registered and now looking at raising £10000 for charity. Tickled Pink, Everyman, Cash for Kids and The Jasmine Foundation.

The Banger rally we have chosen is covering 10 countries in 7 days, although we are covering 12 countries in 10 days as we are starting form ASDA Bridge of Dee on the 1st September and are planning on stopping at a few stores on the way down to raise some more cash.

At the start I said I would like to start a blog to let everyone know how things are going and also to inform anyone else who is thinking on doing something like this so they can learn from our mistakes!

So at the moment we are just raising some PR about the whole event but that’s not to say we haven’t raised some money. We raised a whopping £21 so far! Granted its not a massive start but we raise that every day we will have over £3000!

Thankfully we are hopefully going to be raising more than that. We have a number of bag packing days that are going to be happening throughout the year with the first one being on Friday the 10th Feb. Anyone willing to help out at any of these please see myself, Lewis Millar or Darren Reid or drop us an email. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

We don’t have a car at present but the hunt is certainly on! Once we have it I will update you on the specifics. It will be placed outside the Bridge of Dee most of the time but keep an eye out as it may make an appearance at a fun day near you!

We are looking for sponsors for this fantastic opportunity, if your a business and you want some cheap advertising please feel free to get in touch as any sponsor will get their name on the car!

Will keep you posted on developments as they happen.

Wish us luck!

Scott, Darren and Lewis

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You can follow ASDA’s rally process at their blog page at the link below:

http://scottbangerrally2012.blogspot.com/

If any teams would like their story featuring on our blog, please email us at [email protected] and we can discuss.

Good luck with the fundraising, and stay tuned for our blog coming soon on fund raising ideas.

The Motoscape Team

A Little Background – Team Grayson

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In the months leading up to the Motoscape Banger Rally, many teams start their fundraising for charity. This week the team at Motoscape HQ came across Team Grayson’s Facebook Page and an article written by Nigel.

We urge everyone to read this below, if you are not planning on doing the rally for charity, maybe you will consider it for this year or even in the future.

The Motoscape Team are more than happy for teams to take part in the rally just for a laugh and a good time, but it’s stories like this that give us the real motivation to run the rally, so people can take a positive look on things and raise money for charity by doing something completely different.

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In January my girlfriend and I had our first beautiful baby girl, Myla, weighing 4lb 4.5ozs.  She was premature at just 36 weeks due to some complications in the pregnancy.  We were incredibly lucky as she was able to take care of herself, didn’t require any special medical treatment and came home after 4 days.  Shortly after we found out we were pregnant my friend Jerome found out that he and his wife were expecting as well.  We were really excited, often sharing our experiences and any tips that we had learnt along the way.  They gave birth to their gorgeous little baby boy in February, Grayson.  He was also premature due to complications, 34 weeks, weighing just 3lbs.

Unfortunately that is where the similarities end.  He was doing very well but a few days later they discovered that he had necrotising enterocolitis, a devastating bowel disorder that mainly strikes in premature babies.  By the time he was diagnosed it was too mate.  He passed away shortly after, just 7 days old.

It’s effected me in a big way.  Partly because I’ve been devastated for the loss of my friends baby, a poor innocent little thing that was never given a chance.  But over time I’ve realised that our babies were only 2 weeks apart.  There was a 3% chance our angel could have developed the disorder, and that scared me.  To be honest I’ve struggled to think about much else in the past week or so.

However, I’ve decided that instead of looking back on everything I want to take this experience and move forward in a positive way.  I don’t want to just sit around when I know I could do something to help others in the future when this disorder occurs.

So…..

A good friend of mine Greg Bolshaw and myself, have just registered to take part in the Motoscape Rally 2012.  It’s a 7 day rally starting just south of Calais on 1st September 2012 and finishing 7 days later in Prague, Czech Republic.

We’re doing this to try to raise money for Action Medical Research.  The reason for this is they’re currently researching necrotising enterocolitis.  Their aim is to develop techniques/apparatus that will allow the disorder to be detected much earlier.  That way babies can be treated before it is too late. They also research a range of other conditions, it’s a very worth while cause.

It’s a banger rally so we need to get hold of a car with a value up to £333, then drive it 1,600 miles to Prague!

I’m going to try to keep this blog up to date with everything that goes on leading up to the Rally, as well as the goings on during the rally itself!

Thanks for reading :)

Nigel

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You can follow Team Grayson’s rally process at their facebook page (click like) and donate at the links below:

http://www.facebook.com/teamgraysonrally
http://www.action.org.uk/sponsor/teamgraysonrally

If any teams would like their story featuring on our blog, please email us at [email protected] and we can discuss.

Good luck with the fundraising, and stay tuned for our blog coming soon on fund raising ideas.

The Motoscape Team