Cima Racing is Rallying an old banger around Europe to raise money for BEN Donate Now!
Bangers4BEN 2009: Game Over
04 January 2010
It's been a very long time coming, thank to some auction 'issues' (not with our car, I hasten to add!) and some tardy timekeeping (which is my fault), but the final scores on the Bangers4BEN rally have finally come out.
First of all, my huge thanks to each and every one of our partners for their support...
- Ben Collins
- Huntingdon Audi, part of the Vindis Group (www.huntingdon.audi.co.uk)
- Invent Partners (www.inventpartners.com)
- Millbrook Proving Ground (www.millbrook.co.uk)
- Mitchell Signs (www.mitchellsignsltd.co.uk)
- SportNetwork (www.sportnetwork.net)
This has been the first banger rally we've been involved in where everything, even the proceeds from the sale of the car, ends up in the hands of the charity we're raising money for, so the support in kind offered has been invaluable in keeping costs low and offering maximum exposure for the effort.
If you were following the rally on the website, you'll have seen that it was a pretty uneventful affair, with the Audi 90 running near faultlessly throughout the entire event, surviving with fewer issues than the Audi 100 entered by the Poole Audi dealership! However, the motorway sections meant I missed the cruise control, auto box and sofa-style seats that the legendary Renault Safrane from previous events had.
At the finish line at Mercedes-Benz World in historic Brooklands, a brief prize-giving ceremony took place, and we came away with a trophy for our efforts. We're happy with how we performed, especially when we were up against Honda's two cars, Toyota's entry and a great entry fom Hyundai, as well as a large number of dealer teams.
All told, the whole rally raised a stunning £15,268 for BEN, and only required around 70 people, 25 bangers, two support staff and one support vehicle to get there!
It may have been quicker and easier to dash a cheque off to BEN, but we wouldn't have had half as much fun doing that...
We'll be back on another rally in July, this time taking an ancient SAAB 900* to Rome and back via a very tortuous route (Stelvio, anyone?), and we'd love you to join us for that one.
Thanks once again for your support, and have a very happy and prosperous new year.
* Assuming the car works out ok. These things are never guaranteed...
Labels: Bangers4BEN 09, Home2Rome 2010
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2 Comments:
Naughty Naughty... not really true!
Where is the good sportsmanship from SportNetwork? You have done nothing but slate our beautiful Audi 100 in many of your blogs, when in reality you wouldn't even let our car be in your press photos as "it might show yours up".
Issues... you want to talk about issues!
We had a split pipe which only put us back 10 minutes and that was mainly because we gave our supplies to a fellow rallyier! this further shows how easy our cars are to fix and the skill of marketing specialist with a screwdriver!
Atleast we had a handbrake, a complete windscreen and more than a few days MOT left, unlike some other Audi that was in the competition!
We are very proud of our Audi 100 or Bessie as she has been known and the new owner is rather happy with her (although her name has changed to Borris!) and she may even see a return in the future.
Our team maybe from a main dealer but we never put it through the workshop like some people suggested. Old Bessie never even saw our ramps here at Poole Audi and correct me if I am wrong but you had a little help!
The Audi 100's great condition was down to some love from the previous owner and purely brilliant German engineering - Vorsprung durch Technik!
On 12 January 2010 at 18:04
Now be fair, I've only mentioned the 100 once previously, and that was just the jealous glances towards our rings - that's hardly 'many' or 'slating'!
I've also done little but poke fun at the small issues faced by the 90 for the duration of the rally, so it's hardly a one sided affair. You missed out the fact we couldn't take the keys out of the ignition!
Your 100 was a beautiful car, as I said in person, and far closer to the spirit of the game than some other cars on the rally, something I applaud you for when seeing the easy option taken by so many...
If you want to see a real light hearted event, join us for a pan-european rally in July - Home2Rome2010 will see us tackle 3,500 miles, including the legendary Stelvio pass, in either a GM SAAB 900 or the old warhorse of a Renault Safrane. They make a trip to John 'o Groats look like a Sunday afternoon drive ;-)
And do check the Audi Coupe that took part in the last one at http://www.cimanet.co.uk/cimaracing/blog/labels/Staples2Naples%2007.html
On 18 January 2010 at 14:48