Rally Day (Castle Combe) - (Sat) 17 Sep 11

Phenomenal weekend for Race2Recovery at Rallyday and Wales

Posted: September 21, 2011 2:16 PM

This weekend was an exceptional one for Race2Recovery, the team of disabled servicemen and women aiming to complete the 2013 Dakar Rally to raise funds for injured servicemen and their families. Saturday saw the team at Rallyday, where they were fundraising by auctioning rides in various vehicles. On Sunday, Tony Harris took to the wheel of the R2R Freelander on the fifth round of the Britpart British Cross Country Championship, gaining further experience of slippery conditions and the chance to assess the benefits of the new Ohlins suspension.

The organisers of Rallyday, the UK's premier rally show, had kindly offered the Race2Recovery team the opportunity to raise funds by selling and auctioning off rides in a variety of Qt Wildcats on the off-road course at the event. The campaign's patron, former soldier and Top Gear Stig and accomplished race and performance driver Ben Collins was on hand to give four rides while Dakar drivers Harris and Qt's Dave Marsh were also at the wheel.

In addition, several other Qt owners also came along to lend their support, giving rides to the public. These included former Dakar and Gumball rally competitor Ben Gott, who also brought one of his monstrous T5 support vehicles for display, which the team will be using to maintain its campaign on the Dakar.

The fleet of Wildcats ran almost constantly throughout the day, with a queue of eager fans awaiting their white-knuckle ride with anticipation. In fact, the only time that they stopped was when their thirst for fuel outweighed the team's capacity for adrenaline. However, motorsport fuel supplier Vital Equipment soon donated enough fuel to the team to keep the five Wildcats running until the end of the day.

But it wasn't only the Wildcats that helped to raise funds for Race2Recovery's goals. The Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team gave R2R a passenger ride with WRC driver Matthew Wilson to auction off and MML Sports did the same, as passenger with former works driver Harri Rovanpera in its Mitsubishi Lancer EvoX R4.

If dodging the torrential showers at Castle Combe wasn't enough, the team moved overnight from Wiltshire to south Wales for the fifth round of the Britpart British Cross Country Championship, at Brynffyon. The mud at RallyDay had certainly challenged the team but the conditions at Brynffyon were even worse. However, the team was able to gain highly useful experience on treacherous conditions and immediately see the benefits from the all-new Ohlins suspension set-up, provided by UK distributor Auroks.

In addition, the team was amazed to be presented with a cheque for £1000 by Vonnie Kempster, the widow of respected competitor Ray, who died in 2010 following an accident while competing. The Race2Recovery team had taken part in the Ray Kempster Memorial Rally earlier this year, by invitation of the organisers and the rally had raised the money to support R2R in Ray's name.

Commenting, Harris said:
"This was an amazing weekend - there's no other way to describe it. Two events over two days with very different objectives but we were lucky enough to have incredible success in both.

"The response the whole team received at Rallyday was nothing short of incredible. The public was so receptive and understanding, as were the organisers and everyone we met. We had members of the team out collecting donations and the visitors really dug deep to show their support.

"It was also fantastic to see so many people supporting the cause by taking rides in the Wildcats. Literally the only time we stopped was to get more fuel for the cars and then we simply carried on again. The energy and effort the guys put in to keep the cars going and getting passengers in and out was amazing and I'm delighted that everyone seemed to enjoy their ride and helped us to raise an incredible amount - far more than we could have hoped for.

"To go out and follow that up with the event at Brynffyion was interesting, to say the least. I thought Castle Combe was starting to get muddy but it was like a racetrack compared with Sunday's action. It was a long, tough and very wet weekend but incredibly rewarding and I am very grateful to everyone who made it possible.

"The whole team is also incredibly grateful to Vonnie for the generous donation that she presented to the team. Ray was an extremely well-respected racer and is, of course, sorely missed and we are very proud to accept this donation in his honour."

The Race2Recovery team has so many people to thank for their support and effort in making its first 'public' appearance so successful:

· The visitors to Rallyday who donated so generously
· Ben Collins
· Adrian Honour from Honour Motorsport for insurance and equipment support
· Brian, Darin and George from Rallyday for the opportunity
· Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team and Matthew Wilson for the Fiesta WRC passenger ride
· MML Sports and Harri Rovanpera for the Lancer EvoX R4 passenger ride
· Qt Services
· The owners of the Wildcats
· Ben Gott Racing for the T5 loan
· Promotional girls Rachel, Tasha and Camilla
· Jules from Aurok suspension
· Eddie and Sureswift
· Alister Roberts from Vital Equipment for fuelling the wildcats to finish the event

The team's next event will be the Scottish Borders Hill Rally in November.
However, it also has plans to contest several stage rallies before the end of the year, to gain navigational and servicing experience and details will be confirmed soon.

Vital Equipment fuels Race2Recovery at Rallyday

Posted: September 21, 2011 2:15 PM

The UK distributor for Carless Racing Fuels and Eni lubricants, Vital Equipment, was delighted to help Race2Recovery in its goal to raise funds for disabled servicemen and their families at Rallyday. The team's fleet of Qt Wildcats was running low on fuel and Vital Equipment was more than happy to provide the team with enough to continue to the end of the day.

Vital Equipment had set up a refuelling zone at the event, widely regarded as the UK's premier rally show. Because of its involvement in rallying, supplying fuel to almost every significant UK series and as distributor of the FIA control fuel for the World Rally Championship, Vital Equipment felt that a presence at the show would benefit all involved. It would mean that anyone running their car on the feature or rally stage or indeed, the 4x4 zone would be able to source fuel on-site and avoid the need to bring it with them and refuel at the event.

It made both super unleaded and high performance fuels available to those running on the circuit for demonstrations, which included the Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team, with Matthew Wilson driving a Ford Fiesta WRC and Harri Rovanpera at the wheel of the MML Sports Mitsubishi Lancer EvoX R4.

In addition to making fuel available to any driver who required it, the company was inundated with requests for information and orders for future events.

But the biggest surprise came towards the end of the day. Race2Recovery was offering visitors to the show passenger rides in a series of Qt Wildcats, to raise funds towards its goals. No less than five Wildcats were running throughout the entire day and not surprisingly, the 5.0-litre V8s had a healthy appetite for fuel.

By the mid-point of the afternoon, the fuel which had been brought in anticipation of completing the event was disappearing and the team approached Vital Equipment, to see if it would be able to supply enough fuel to complete the event and with it, maximise its fundraising activity.

Naturally, the company agreed to support this exceptional cause and within minutes, all five Wildcats were up and running again, much to the delight of the queue of eager passengers and with the thanks of the team.

Commenting, Vital Equipment MD Alistair Roberts said;
"Because of our involvement with rallying, including providing the fuel in the WRC, we felt that we had to be present at Rallyday.

"As it transpired, it was a very good day for us. We provided fuel for several cars and teams, including Race2Recovery of course and we met a lot of potential new customers, so very worthwhile.

"I'm delighted that we were able to help the R2R team in their incredible campaign. Judging by the amount of mud on the Wildcat that came down, they were pretty busy all day and I'm pleased we were able to contribute in some way to their cause."

Support wounded servicemen by taking a ride with "The Stig"

Posted: September 8, 2011 11:25 AM

Visitors at this year's Rallyday, at Castle Combe in Wiltshire on Saturday 17 September, can enjoy the ride of their life, as passenger in a Qt Services Wildcat 500 driven by Top Gear's former 'Stig', Ben Collins. However, not only will they experience a once-in-a-lifetime thrill, they will also support the Race2Recovery campaign, as it raises money for wounded and disabled British servicemen.

The Race2Recovery campaign is supporting three charities - Help for Heroes, the Royal British Legion and Combat Stress - and has set itself a challenging goal: to compete in, and finish, the 2013 Dakar Rally and in the process, raise £2m for wounded British servicemen and their families. The team will run a pair of Qt Wildcats on the event, one driven by amputee Captain Tony Harris and co-driven by Captain Matt O'Hare, while the second will be driven by Qt's Dave Marsh and co-driven by triple amputee Corporal Tom Neathway.

The team will be familiar to fans of BBC's Top Gear, as they featured in the last episode of the latest series, preparing to begin competition in the Britpart British Cross Country Championship and gain their necessary license to compete on the Dakar.

Their cause has also attracted the attention of several celebrities, notably TG's former 'Stig' and experienced racer, Ben Collins, who became the campaign's Patron.

Collins will be one of the drivers giving passenger rides at RallyDay, rallying's premier fan event. Other drivers will also be giving passenger rides, including Harris, who recently claimed Race2Recovery's first class win in the BCCC, partnered by O'Hare.

Over the last few years, the organisers of the event, which draws huge crowds every year, have been developing the off-road, rally-raid presence at the show and this year, the Race2Recovery team will feature in this.

Passenger rides with Collins are priced at £250 while rides in one of the other Wildcats are priced at £20, with all proceeds going directly to Race2Recovery's goals.

However, it's not only rides in off-roaders that are available to supporters of Race2Recovery. Through the organisers, the team has secured two passenger rides in state-of-the-art stage rally cars: one in the works Ford Fiesta WRC, built in the UK by M-Sport and one in the Mitsubishi Lancer EvolutionX R4, also developed in the UK by the company formed from the ex-works Mitsubishi World Rally Team, MML Sports.

The driver of the Fiesta is yet to be confirmed but at the wheel of the Lancer will be former works Mitsubishi driver, Harri Rovanpera, who claimed second overall in Mitsubishi's last official event in the WRC.

Both the rides in the Fiesta and the Lancer will be auctioned by Race2Recovery online, with the proceeds again contributing to the campaign's goals.

Commenting, Harris said:
"Rallyday is, without doubt, the biggest rally show in the UK and it was a bit of a no-brainer that we had to attend. Ben came up with the idea of 'selling' passenger rides in the Qt Wildcats to raise money towards our goals.

"The Rallyday organisers were incredibly supportive of the idea and we are all delighted to be at the event. Personally, I think £250 for a ride with Ben in one of the Wildcats is great value and will help our cause enormously. But of course, we will be just as grateful to anyone who goes for a £20 ride with one of the other drivers or simply makes a donation on the day."

Collins is also excited by the prospect of the event:
"I'm looking forward to seeing the R2R Team in action again at Rallyday at Castle Combe - the last time I saw them was on BBC's Top Gear program and we were driving down a cliff face, so it should be exciting to see what the Team come up with this time out. Supporting this remarkable charity is a huge amount of fun and I would invite as many people as possible to come and meet the Team and to feel as inspired by their adventures as I do."

Wildcat rides with Collins are limited and must be pre-booked, by emailing Race2Recovery Team Manager Andrew Taylor at
Andrew@race2recovery.co.uk
Rides in the other four Wildcats can be booked on the day, though.

For more information on the Race2Recovery campaign and how to support the cause, go to www.race2recovery.co.uk. The website will also feature links to the auctions for the passenger rides in the Fiesta and Lancer, each of which also come with a pair of ticket for entry on the day.

Fiesta WRC Ride:
Item number: 220844889023
cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220844889023#ht_701wt_1

Lancer EvoX R4 Ride:
Item number: 220844896447
www.ebay.co.uk/itm/220844896447?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p39

MINI WRC Team and Kris Meeke to attend Rallyday 2011

Posted: September 8, 2011 10:49 AM

Rallyday is delighted to announce that the MINI WRC Team will appear at the UK’s premier rally car show at Castle Combe circuit on Saturday 17th September, with Britain’s Kris Meeke putting the MINI John Cooper Works WRC car through its paces in the Castrol-sponsored Feature Rally Stage.

Rallyday will give UK rally fans a chance to get up close to the MINI John Cooper Works WRC car ahead of the MINI WRC Team’s first competitive outing in the UK in November, when the Prodrive-run outfit tackles Wales Rally GB, the final round in the 2011 FIA World Rally Championship.


MINI officially announced its come comeback last July, with the MINI John Cooper Works WRC car based on the MINI Countryman. This season MINI has opted to take in six FIA World Rally Championship events ahead of a full campaign in 2012 and already the Banbury-based outfit has had fantastic success, with Meeke’s team-mate, Dani Sordo securing a brilliant third place finish on the recent ADAC Rallye Deutschland, the ninth round in the 2011 World Rally Championship and only MINI’s third WRC event and its very first on asphalt.

Meeke, who is one of Britain’s top rally drivers and who of course won the Intercontinental Rally Challenge in 2009, will attend two weeks ahead of the MINI WRC Team’s fourth WRC outing of the year on Rallye de France Alsace from 29th September to 1st October.

“The last time I was at the Rallyday was seven years ago so to come back after all this time and debut the MINI will be pretty special,” said Meeke, a former protégé of the late great Colin McRae. “It will also be my first time back in the car since Rallye Deutschland, so it will be great to get some more time behind the wheel on tarmac as we build up to our next events in France and Spain. We’ll be using the event to do some further development of the car, but I’ll also be looking to have some fun and to entertain the crowds too.”

Rallyday organisers, Brian Stubbings and Darin Frow are both extremely pleased that the MINI WRC Team will appear at the event with Kris Meeke. The news follows on from confirmation that the Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team will attend with the new Fiesta RS WRC car (driver to be announced shortly), as well as the appearance of ‘Flying Finn’ and former WRC works ace Harri Rovanperä, who will drive MML Sports’ new R4 Mitsubishi Lancer EvolutionX.

“We are delighted MINI can attend the show this year, especially as it’s their first year back in the FIA World Rally Championship,” Brian said. “Rallyday is always about a mixture of historic and current World Rally Cars and having the MINI John Cooper Works WRC car there brings it bang up to date.”

“MINI is a name synonymous with rallying so it’s fantastic to have the team at Rallyday, and having another current WRC manufacturer in the paddock will be another great new attraction for all the spectators,” Darin added. Meanwhile, other highlights planned for Rallyday 2011 include a collection of very rare original Sierra Cosworth Rally Cars, with former British Rally Champion’s Jimmy McRae, Russell Brookes and Gwyndaf Evans being reunited with the cars they originally campaigned in the 1980’s.

The event has also expanded to include a new dedicated 4x4 Rally Raid Zone this year, featuring Qt Wildcats, Challenge driving demos, club displays, trade stands and more.

Ben Collins – some say he was the Stig from Top Gear – will also be with the Qt Wildcats in the 4x4 area to raise funds and awareness for the Race2Recovery Team, several members of which were recently featured on Top Gear’s last show of the hit TV series. Ben will also do a live interview at Rallyday along with the team of injured servicemen who are on a campaign to compete on the gruelling Dakar Rally in 2013. There will also be a very limited number of Qt Wildcat rides available with Ben for £250 with all proceeds going to Race2Recovery. These specific rides are advance booking only. See the official Rallyday website for more information.

As usual all the action will be commentated on by Rallyday host extraordinaire, 1972 RAC winning co-driver and former Top Gear presenter Tony Mason.

Spectator tickets for Rallyday 2011 cost £20 per adult on the gate. Accompanied children under 16 can enter for FREE.

Harri Rovanperä to drive MML Sports R4 at Rallyday 2011

Posted: September 8, 2011 10:48 AM

Rallyday has confirmed that Harri Rovanperä will drive MML Sports’ new R4 Mitsubishi Lancer EvolutionX at this year’s edition of the UK’s premier rally car show at Castle Combe circuit on Saturday 17th September.

The news is a major coup for the event, now in its eleventh year, as the ‘Flying Finn’ enjoyed a long and illustrious career in the FIA World Rally Championship, competing in over 100 events and notching up 15 podiums – including winning in Sweden in 2001 – during spells with manufacturers such as Mitsubishi, SEAT and Peugeot.

Rovanperä is just one of a number of celebrities being lined-up for the annual rally extravaganza, which regularly draws in over 10,000 spectators and which in previous years attracted a host of other ‘Flying Finns’ including Ari Vatanen, Hannu Mikkola, Mikko Hirvonen and Jari-Matti Latvala.

Rovanperä competed with Mitsubishi during its final season in the FIA World Rally Championship in 2005 and is excited about being reunited with his former team, which continues today as MML Sports. Harri will attend with his son, Kalle, who started driving rally cars when he was just seven years-old.

“I am looking forward to coming to Rallyday,” said Harri. “It will be the first time for me and that will be really nice. I will be coming with my son who is just starting out in rallying.

“I am really happy to be attending with Mitsubishi too. Some of my best memories are with Mitsubishi and it will be good to be back with them after so many years. The last WRC event I did with them was in Australia at the end of the 2005 season. I finished second there in the Lancer WRC05. It was great.”

MML Sports Managing Director John Easton meanwhile is looking forward to supporting the event again, especially as Mitsubishi has had a presence at Rallyday for virtually every single year.

The latest R4 Lancer EvolutionX is a new category of rally car - essentially an FIA-approved upgrade to existing Group N regulations to increase car performance and help ensure parity with the Super 2000 cars. “We’re looking forward to giving the R4 EvoX its UK debut at Rallyday this year as it’s something we would like everybody to see. Rallyday has always been a good event for us and it will be nice to have Harri back in one of our cars again,” added John.

Rallyday organisers, Brian Stubbings and Darin Frow are both delighted that Rovanperä and MML Sports have agreed to attend the event.

“It is fantastic to welcome a new ‘Flying Finn’ to the show and he seems really up for it. Harri is a great personality for us to have at Rallyday and he is a flamboyant driver, which will be great for the spectators,” said Brian.

“We’re delighted to be able to confirm Harri,” added Darin. “He hasn’t been before and it’s great to see him bringing his son too which just confirms it really is a great family day out! The fact that we’re also reuniting Harri with his old team is just perfect and we’re really looking forward to seeing John and MML Sports back at Rallyday.”

Fuel really is the most vital equipment at Rallyday

Posted: September 8, 2011 10:46 AM

Visitors to this year's RallyDay will need to remember to take a few things with them: a camera, to capture some of the most iconic rally cars from every era of the sport; if the last few years are anything to go by, some sun cream and definitely a pair of comfortable shoes, as they'll need them as they wander round the paddocks.

Anyone planning on hitting the track in their road or rally car will also need to bring their safety gear and their driving license. But this year, there's one crucial piece of kit they won't need to bring with them or panic if they forget; fuel. That's because the company that distributes the control fuel at the FIA World Rally Championship, Vital Equipment, will be setting up an on-site filling station, to provide anyone running on the day with all the fuel they'll need.

As it does for the WRC, as well as the BTRDA and Scottish Rally Championships, Vital Equipment will be making both super unleaded and high-performance turbo fuel available on the day. Anyone requiring fuel doesn't need to pre-book; they simply turn up, fill up and pay for what they use.

Vital Equipment's involvement in rallying goes back some four decades, when Managing Director Alistair Roberts began competing in road rallies. Over the intervening time, Alistair has co-driven and has worked for manufacturer teams in both logistics and overall management roles, helping to claim Tommi Makinen's four driver titles with Mitsubishi.

Vital Equipment was set up in 2004 and assumed responsibility for transportation and distribution of the control fuel for the WRC in 2009 as well as a host of other series, both in the UK and abroad.

Vital Equipment will have Super Unleaded and a high-performance fuel, suitable for aspirated and turbocharged rally cars in Group N, R4 and World Rally Car specification, available at the event. The latter fuel is the same as used by Mark Higgins on his recent new world record lap of the Isle of Man TT circuit, where he shattered the previous record set by Tony Pond, averaging 113mph over the 37 mile course.

The company will naturally have a range of delivery options, ranging from FIA-approved couplings to familiar, service station-style nozzles for road cars and will happily dispense as much, or as little, as needed. The Super Unleaded will sell at a marginally higher price than local forecourts but means that drivers don't have the inconvenience and potentially dangerous responsibility of carrying and, more importantly, filling their vehicles in the busy paddocks.

Because of its longstanding involvement in rallying, the company is keen to support RallyDay, as it recognises the importance of the event to the rally community and fans. Commenting, Roberts said; "Having visited RallyDay several times over the last few years, we felt that we ought to be offering the rallying community the opportunity to fuel their cars at the event in a safe and controlled manner.

"I realise that many people will automatically assume that they need a full tank or to bring fuel with them and they may well prefer to do that. However, we will be setting up the same re-fuelling service that we use on the WRC, the BTRDA and the Scottish Rally Championship.

"This means that drivers needn't worry about bringing fuel with them or running low. And if they decide they need more, they won't have to go out and fight the crowds to get back in again or worry about how far the nearest filling station is when they leave."

Event Website / Details

Posted: September 8, 2011 10:45 AM

Rally Car Day (Castle Combe)