Do Something Different

One of our previous Motoscape entrants has been kind enough to write a quick blog for us on their take on the rally and doing something different, have a read below…

Bored, fed up and wanting to do something different? This was me in 2010!

I did the usual, surfing the net looking for ideas, but all I could find was the usual fun runs, coast to coast bike ride, hiking the Pen-y-ghent 3 peaks etc. or to the extreme of raising £5000 plus to go on a trip rafting the Zambezi (I know from previous fundraisers this takes an enormous amount of time)!

However, after a chance conversation with a work colleague I discovered the Motoscape Banger Rally. My colleague had already signed up for the 2010 rally to Prague and listening to his enthusiasm about the event, I did a bit more research, saw how amazing it looked, and decided this could be just the thing for me.

I managed to get a good mate to join me and 3 days later we had signed up for the Prague rally. Four weeks later we persuaded a local car dealer to donate a free car! He is a regular in our local pub, and it took a few pints to get him to agree to it, but it saved us buying a car!!

The car was, in our eyes anyway, a machine of beauty… L reg Vauxhall Cavalier 2.00 GL, petrol with a respectable 122,000 miles on the clock and in all round good condition, but with no MOT. Because we obtained the car for free, having no MOT wasn’t a big issue. So, we had the car checked and then MOT’d for a total cost of £216 and it was ready to roll.

We decided to raise money for our local cancer charity, so we did a ring round local businesses and pestered work colleagues and managed to get sponsorship of £1826.28 – a good effort I thought!!

That was it, car ready, sponsorship received and a few quid for petrol and beer money in our pockets and we ready for the rally!! Here’s hoping we will make it to the end…

The Result
The old cavalier became our best friend and (apart from a puncture) behaved impeccably, we even took in on the Nurburgring and it was AWESOME!!! Best experience ever!

We met some amazing people on the rally (and some even more amazing bangers!), and all in all I can say we had the best time ever, 7 countries in 7 days, highly recommended. I think I have now officially caught the banger rally bug, and next year I am thinking of doing it in an old Jag, can’t wait to see that perform on the Autobahn and the Nurburgring.

In my opinion, if you are looking for a real adventure at a reasonable cost, where you can have loads of fun while at the same time raising money for a great charity, then this is definitely the event for you. I will never do a fun run again!!

I also just want to say thanks to the organisers, Paul, Pete and Mark, we had a fantastic time, hope you can top this next year and I will be signing up for the improved route and might even bring the misses this time as she’s always wanted to visit Venice!

Cheers
David

Father and Son teams of 2010

The 2010 banger rally was definitely the year for ‘Father and Son’ teams. There were 5 such teams including Yabba Dabba Doo with Tony and Michael from Cambridge in their Vauxhall Omega, Wundering Wurzels with Steven and Christopher from Sidmouth in their Peugeot 306, Super Charged Mario Brothers with Steve and Peter from Worcester in their Ford Escort estate. There was also CSK Motorsport with Chris and Shane from Castleford in their Citroen Saxo and Monza or Bust with Gerard (Snr) and Gerard (Jnr) from Falkirk in their Mazda MX3.

The prize for the best photo probably has to go to Steve and Peter for their pic of the two of them in their fancy dress sat on the roof of the car overlooking the Rhein river.

It’s almost as good as the Dick Datardlies pic from last year at the Nurburgring.

As for the Wundering Wurzels, we are not sure who was the biggest party animal. We think dad stayed out just as late as son. Good on you!

Chris was a many times winner of the UK carting championship in his younger days and this has rubbed off on young Shane, ‘King of the Saxo’s’ who won an important race just days before coming on the trip. We guess Shane was itching to get behind the wheel on the rally but he’ll have to wait another 3 years until he’s 18 to show everyone how it’s done.

Last but not least’ Monza or Bust, they won the 1st prize in the ‘Roll on Rimini’ rally and instantly donated some of the prize money to charity.

Perhaps next year will be the year of the mother and daughter. We will see!!!

Day 7 – Bled to Prague

After a relaxing night in the beautiful town of Bled (Slovenia), the teams were up bright and early for the drive to Prague (Czech Republic). This was the last day of the 2010 Motoscape Rally, so all the teams were checking their cars and the routes to ensure there would be no delays getting to Prague for the presentation, meal and big night out in Prague.

The journey from Bled to Prague is around 400 miles, so most teams took the direct route, however the organisers took the time to visit Český Krumlov. This is probably one of the best mediaeval cities in central Europe and was made a ‘Unesco world heritage site’ in 1992.

The drive from Slovenia to the Czech Republic varies from the amazing scenery, as you start the journey with the awe-inspiring mountain landscape in Bled, to the rural landscape of the Czech Republic, which is completely different to the other countries we have visited on the rally. To top it all a fitting end to this years rally has to be a night in the world famous city of Prague, what more could you ask for!

As teams started rolling in to the exquisite 4* hotel in Prague, some had time to take a swim, sauna and visit the gym, while others got there in just enough time to go out on the town and meet up with the other teams for the final nights presentation.

The complimentary meal and presentation was held in a mediaeval style cellar restaurant in the centre of Prague, and was a great place for all the teams to get together for one last time to reminisce about their time on the rally, have a few cheeky “sherbets”, and plan their night out in the beautiful city of Prague. A big thank you also to the waiters and waitresses in the restaurant, it’s not easy to keep up with a restaurant full of hungry Motoscapers, and they pulled it off in style, we will see you again next year!

What a great night for everyone to get together, and well done to “Blue Waffle” for winning the Motoscape 2010 Push on to Prague Rally, and also the £100 daily prize from the challenges on Day 6 in Bled!

After the meal and presentation the teams hit the city for Prague to celebrate the end of an amazing experience, and one that many of the teams said they would love to do again next year.

Prague has something for everyone, whether you want to have a relaxing coffee in the old town, or go and watch a show involving midgets (so the “Tommy Coupe” guys told us anyway!), you really can’t find a better place to end our European Road Trip!

The 2010 Prague Rally was the best Motoscape Rally yet, due mainly to the fantastic mix of people, vast array of decorated bangers, and not forgetting the amazing variety of “brewskies” sampled in all the different countries visited!

A massive thank you to everyone who took part, we hope you all had a fantastic time and we hope to see you again next year!

Cheers boys and girls

Paul, Peter and Mark!

Day 1 – Journey to St Omer

Well what can we say. What an amazing start to the 2010 Motoscape Rally ,congratulations to all the teams for making a fantastic effort with cars and costumes. After the worst part of the journey  is over(driving through the UK!!!), a smooth ferry trip and a short drive to St Omer from Calais, ourselves and the teams gathered in the hotel car park for  team registrations

The atmosphere was buzzing and everyone was in high spirits, with some of the best  decorated bangers we  have ever seen, check them out below:

Some of the highlights ……….

All the bangers, especially the Green Maxi, Tommy Coupe’s hat  , the Moonraker rocket, MARMITES Lyrca costume, Cumbernauld’s Flux Capacitor and Chatney Racing’s VW Camper Van, are just a few of the potential winner of the “ BEST DECORATED BANGER COMPETITION”

Last night saw everyone go to the town square in St Omer for a bite to eat and  a few drinks (a few too many drinks for some teams!) It was a great night with all the teams getting to know each other, making a fantastic start to what’s going to be an awesome rally!  Roll on Koblenz!

Rally starts 4th September!

Hey everyone, thanks for following the blog over the last few months in preparation for the rally to begin.

The Rimini and Prague Motoscape Rallies start on the 4th September 2010, and we’re going to be updating the blog, our facebook page and our twitter page whenever we get chance to provide the latest update from the rally. Let all your friends and families know so they can follow your progress on the rally too!

With the rally just days away, here’s a quick checklist of things you need to bring with you for the rally:

  • Your passports
  • Driving Licenses for all those planning on driving
  • Insurance certificate to cover all those drivers
  • Valid test certificate
  • A sense of humour :)
  • Some spending money for the trip
  • A digital camera & computer lead
  • And most importantly of all, your team and your car!

Don’t forget, you can email us with any questions before the start of the rally, but we’re sure you’re all organised by now?

With the banter that’s been going on over on our Facebook page, we’re sure this is going to be the best rally ever, and we can’t wait to meet all the teams and their wonderful cars on Saturday in St Omer!

The Motoscape Team!

What to expect in St Omer

St Omer is a beautiful small medieval French town, with plenty of restaurants and bars. It is only 30 miles from the ferry terminal in Calais. Late afternoon on Saturday is when everyone meets up.

There’s a great atmosphere as teams take great interest in the painted contraptions that steadily arrive for the registration. One or two teams will probably arrive earlier in the day and may already have sampled the French beer. After registration everyone wanders into the town which is about 10 minutes walk from the hotel. Being Saturday night there are plenty of people out and about.

The heart of the town is a cobbled square surrounded by a mix of shops, restaurants and bars in typical French architecture, some dating back to the 13th century. The centre piece of St Omer is the beautiful Notre Damme Cathedral which took centuries to complete and is widely recognised as the best example of gothic architecture outside of Paris.

There are plenty of places open late in which to partake in the consumption of the liquid nectar. Most people will have there sensible heads on but one or two will no doubt turn up for registration the next day, a little worse for wear.

Sunday morning sees breakfast followed by the team briefings, information packs and then that’s it we’re on our way Germany!!!