Choosing a Banger Rally, Things to Consider!

You’ve all heard of “Holiday Horror Stories”, well the Motoscape team have heard their fair share of some real “Banger Rally, Horror Stories”! Be it from people who have taken part in rallies that have been poorly organised, had very few teams participating, or even rallies that have not even then taken place but organisers have happily took peoples registration money!

With this in mind, we have been asked by various people for advice on how to choose a legitimate banger rally. Here are a few pointers before handing over your hard earned cash to any banger rally organisers:

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Designing the Ultimate Banger

One of our favourite things about running the Motoscape Banger Rally is seeing the variety of cars and wacky themes. The car designs get better and better each year so for 2011 we want to see the BEST THEMES YET! After the famous Moonraker James Bond car of 2010, the stakes have been raised for 2011. Don’t forget, there’s a £100 prize on offer for the best banger, plus the kudos of being voted the best banger by fellow “Motoscapers”!

So, how do you decide on a theme for your banger this year? Well here are a few ideas to get you going…

Cartoon Characters: Everybody has a favorite cartoon or character and this has been a popular choice in previous years. So whether it’s Scooby Doo, Mickey Mouse or Buzz Lightyear, your car will be memorable spectacle throughout Europe. Combining car design with fancy dress always works well, could it be our first year for a Simpson’s theme???

Animals: Cars based on animals are always eye catching and distinctive, particularly good if you are raising money for an animal based charity. There’s plenty out there to choose from so the sky’s the limit and the furrier the better!

Action Heroes: Cars based on action heroes are my personal favourite! Think of all those childhood and modern day heroes. From James Bond, Batman, Superman Spiderman or the Ghostbusters the choices are vast and cars can look really impressive as we saw last year. For any nostalgic entrants out there, we think an early 90’s WWF Wresting theme would look great!

Abstract: Trying to think out of the box for an idea to make your car the best for 2011? Just follow your instinct and the £100 best decorated car prize could be yours.

A memorable guy who did exactly this was in 2008 when John from South Yorkshire was having his house plastered he asked his plasterer, Bill, for ideas in decorating his banger. Bill came up with the idea of artexing the whole car, here’s the result, you couldn’t make it up!

We hope this gives all the teams something to think about, and it’s not too late to change your team name if you want to create a new theme. Just email us at [email protected] for any questions or advice!

We can wait to see the cars in September – good luck everyone and get your creative caps on!

The Motoscape Team

Motoscape Banger Rally Insurance

ALL SYSTEMS GO!

You’ve got your entry form, you’ve got your passport, you’ve got your tool box, you’ve got your banger and fingers crossed it’ll still be running at the end of the rally!  But are you correctly insured?

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!

Which car to do the Motoscape Rally in?

One great thing about a banger rally is the variety of cars that take part. There are so many cars of all shapes and sizes to choose from, so here’s a few tips when considering the ideal vehicle!

1. Fuel Consumption

With the ever-increasing cost of fuel, you need to consider whether a petrol or diesel engine is most appropriate. The small petrol engines (under 1000cc) tend to be quite uneconomical on long journeys, not to mention the risk of over heating, however 1600cc – 2000cc are a good compromise and usually fairly economical on a run.

Diesels are economical and simplicity is the name of the game, therefore non-turbo models are best suited to the rally.

2. Comfort and Space

The rally involves a mixture of hills, country roads and motorways including the derestricted Auto Bahns (no speed limits!) in Germany. When picking a car, remember you will be spending quite a bit of time in it, so air con and comfy seats are well worth considering.

A reasonably powerful engine is ideal especially for those spectacular hills on the Stelvio Pass.

3. Simplicity

Pick a car that has simple mechanics just in case you need to do a roadside repair. Turbos and complicated electrical injection systems can become your worst nightmare if you get a malfunction, where as standard cars just keep running and if there is a problem you can usually repair relatively easily.

4. THE ENJOYMENT FACTOR!

This is the balance, do you take the “classic car” option and choose something like a traditional 4.2 Jag (the ultimate luxury) or a “banger car” such as a bog standard cavalier 1.6 GL (the original rep-mobile). Well only you can decide, there are plenty of cars to choose from (take a look at some of our popular choices from previous rallies), but whichever car you decide on the 2011 Motoscape Rally will be a trip of a lifetime – We can promise you that!

What car will you be taking on this years rally? Let us know in the comments box below!

Why choose the Motoscape Rally?

Struggling to decide on which banger rally to take part in? Well here are a few reasons that make the Motoscape Rally stand out from the rest!

1. Daily prize funds & a big cash prize at the end.
“Either take on the challenges, or just come on the rally for the sheer adventure”

2. Team briefings every morning, with all the vital information you will need for the days driving.
“If you’re still in bed just nominate a team member to pick up a briefing pack every day”

3. Organised accommodation in quality hotels (or you can book your own).
“Whether you want to kip in the car or go 3 / 4 star, the choice is yours”

4. Guidance on places of interest on the route.
“From art galleries to lap dancing bars, we’ve got the information you need”

5. Do things that are only possible on the Motoscape Rally
“Where else could you drive the Stelvio Pass, take on the Nurburgring and visit the Ferrari museum in one week”

6. Get your exclusive Motoscape FREE merchandise.
“High quality limited edition Motoscape fleeces for all entrants, plus other freebies too”

7. Finally, we have a vast experience of organising banger rallies, which means you will not just see endless tarmac on a Motoscape Rally, you will actually be able to get a taste of life in each country we visit, including, France, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Slovenia and the Czech Republic.
“If you are a tarmac junkie, then you need to look at a 3 day rally, but if you actually see the best sights in Europe, and have a giggle along the way, come on the Motoscape Rally!”

We started the Motoscape Rally back in 2005, after we went on a “well known” banger rally that was poorly organised! It had terrible organisation, a plain boring route of motorway driving, no real challenges or prizes and just a lack of effort from the organisers. We’ve proved a banger rally can be an incredible event, and if you join the Motoscape Rally, you will see the effort we go to, to make this one of the best experiences you will ever have.

See you in September!

Inspiration for your Banger

Sturggling to come up with a good idea for your banger? Well, if you are or you just need a little push in the right direction, we’ve compiled a short list of our favourite bangers over the last few years. Take a look below…… but no copying!

Banger Car

The good old fashioned grass look!

Danger Mouse Banger

DANGER MOUSE!!!!!

Banger 4x4

Now this was a beast, our first ever 4×4 banger!

banger

Hand painted, and crafted to banger perfection!

Dick Dastardlies Banger

Sure you’ve all seen this on the site, but can’t leave out the Dick Dastardlies!

Cool Banger

The Mello Yello, looked even better in real life!

Red Bull Banger

Red Bull gives you wings, or dodgy breaks in this case!

Bumble Bee Banger

The Bumble Bee, sadly this banger did not make it all the way, we even held a wake!

So there you have it, our 8 favourite cars from our previous banger rallies. So, can you design something better? Put in your best efforts, and try to make next years list!