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...
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: ,

Going... going... gone.

18 November 2009

Today was the day. The day we finally waved goodbye to H585AFJ, the ancient Audi 90 we rescued from a garden in order to drive the length of the county, twice, in a bid to raise money for BEN.

After dropping off the Audi at BCA Auctions in Blackbushe on Friday, we travelled down again to see first hand just how much money BEN would get from our car - still with the red Audi rings on the rear flanks, and now renamed to BEN007 for the auction catalogue.

Lined up in front of the cafe, the Bangers4BEN cars attracted attention, all clean and shiny after being given the Auction Clean service by Motorclean, but was it the right kind of attention?

The first car rolled in to the auction room, a Ford Mondeo Si, selling for £150. An Avensis followed, getting an impressive £1,225, although still below book price. Close relations came next, a Rover 400 and a Honda Civic, both the same age. The Honda took twice the money of the Rover, making £450. Then the Audi…

After a jump start it drove in, the cracks in the windscreen highlighted by the strip lighting, the gleaming white paint showing off the areas of filler, and the 14" alloy wheels emphasising the fact that one wing didn't quite fit properly. The auctioneers sales pitch underlined the 'variable' mileage, and promoted the lack of an MOT. This wasn't going to go well…

Slowly, surely, the bids came in. Quickly dropping from increments of £50 to £25, then £10, before finally giving up as the room collectively shuffled their feet and looked at the floor, the hammer coming down at a disappointing £125.

I'd promised I wouldn't come back home with more cars than I left with, but it was tough to see the Audi go. We'd got history. We knew each others little foibles. We had a relationship. But now our Bangers4BEN adventure is over, and I expect to see a surge of Audi 90 spares on eBay.

Still, it's another bundle of cash in the pot for BEN, and that's the reason we did this one.

Make us feel better - add to the BEN pot by going to justgiving.com/CimaRacing and topping up the total.

Labels:

Bidding farewell to our Audi 90...

13 November 2009

Today was a sad day, as we saw the SportNetwork Cima Racing Audi 90 leave our site and be abandoned at BCA Auctions in Blackbushe, ready to be sold off on Wednesday

The car needed de-stickering, and that's easier said than done. While most of the logos were printed on to white vinyl in order to make removal easier, the Huntingdon Audi details on the doors are individual letters, so it all took some time. We've left the car with the iconic Audi rings on the rear quarters, though. They're very easy to remove, but should make the car look a little more desirable at auction.

And so it's been left at BCA. We've turned the satellite tracking off now, and won't see the car again until auction day, where we'll be in attendance to watch it go.

Or bid and buy it back...

Labels:

Oops!

12 November 2009

Labels:

Day Three: Berwick to Benz

11 November 2009

After leaving Berwick-upon-Tweed this morning, stopping off at SportNetwork and Invent Partners, we've finally made it to the end of the rally, our trusty Audi 90 taking us all the way to Mercedes-Benz World at Brooklands.

The final blast form Wakefield, a 180 mile run down the M1 and M25, was despatched in well under three hours as we chased the setting sun. There's not much to say about the journey - dry, straight and dull. Somehow, any traffic parted and we arrived at Brooklands just in time for a celebratory lap or two of one of the many circuits, although an over sensitive safety car prevented speeds increasing much beyond glacial.

But that wasn't an issue. We'd made it, and that was reward enough.

That, and the trophy.

A prize giving ceremony took place in the Mercedes-Benz World building, with the guys from Hyundai taking the Best Decorated Car award, and the Honda teams taking the Best Twittering award thanks to their multiple people and constant laptop connection - we were runners up for that award, coping with nothing more high tech than a mobile phone!

The ultimate winners won't be decided until next Wednesday, when the cars go to BCA Auction to be sold off, with all proceeds going to BEN. While we think we'll do well there, we can't help but think one of the Honda teams could pick up that prize too - those Honda Prelude's are desirable cars after all. I may even bid myself.

So that's it. The easy part of Bangers4BEN has been completed. Next comes the hard part - handing the keys to the Audi 90 over to someone else.

Labels:

When Cima Racing met Invent Partners

Following a short drive from SportNetwork HQ, we arrived at the Holiday Inn at Wakefield where the guys from our supporters at Invent Partners were due to meet us - the second PR stop of the day.

After coaxing the ageing Audi 90 from Ascot to John o' Groats, and then back down towards Mercedes-Benz World at Brooklands, we were glad of the break, and what better company to keep than Invent's Matt Bradley and Julian Dyer, the guys behind our fantastic site.

So why did they get involved in building our site for us? Being used to producing business sites for proper grown up clients, they asked the rhetorical question "How often do we get to work on a site based around rusty bits of metal?"

Quite.

A cup of coffee, a pause for some photos, a gift of various chocolates to keep us going, and we were off for the final leg - Wakefield to Mercedes-Benz World.

Labels:

Stopping at SportNetwork

Day three saw us leave Berwick-upon-Tweed early in the morning and head south down the A19, through the Tyne Tunnel, and on to Castle Eden, home of SportNetwork.

Our bosses at SN HQ had agreed to put on some breakfast for the teams and, as the breakfast options at Berwick consisted of only a McDonald's, most were pleased to be presented with a huge number of fresh bacon rolls and a supply of tea and coffee.

I can't remember the last time I was actually in the office, so it was good to meet up with the team once again, including the new additions.

After a well deserved break, a quick photo shoot and some genuine thanks to the SportNetwork team from both ourselves and other banger teams, we were on our way once more.

Next stop, Wakefield.

Labels:

Day Two: Homeward Bound

10 November 2009

After leaving John o' Groats at lunchtime, it was a power drive back down the coast road to Inverness, retracing our steps as far as Perth, and then heading East towards Berwick-upon-Tweed. Easy.

Although in banger rallying, nothing is ever that easy. As the sun set, you realise just how dark the more remote parts of the A9 are. There's simply no ambient light at all. Nothing. Which is about the same amount of light the Audi's headlights give out, despite putting in 'Super Brilliance' bulbs the day before we started the event. Combine that with a windscreen that has an interesting set of cracks on the driver's side, a damp road that produces that muddy spray that covers headlights and windscreens, and finally a distinct lack of washer jets, and a worryingly high number of miles were driven by what can only be described as 'guesswork'. Oncoming cars simply blinded us, so making progress involved simply aiming slightly left of where the blinding lights were coming from, and hoping there isn't a central reservation.

We made it through, and arrived at Edinburgh, where there was enough light from busier roads and street lighting to be able to see the rest of the way. From there it was a simple drive down the A1 to Berwick, crossing the border in to England before arriving at another hub of despair. Or Travelodge. Facilities included a closed supermarket, kids in Nova's in the car park, and a vending machine offering cheap food for high prices.

Can't wait to leave in the morning, as it'll be a good day tomorrow!

Labels:

Crash Crash Banger Banger

A banger rally isn't considered a success unless somebody writes off an almost worthless car. Bonus points are on offer for those that do it in an amusing manner. Of course, by banger standards 'written off' means anything from gently bumping a duck upwards, given the lack of value in the cars.

This time it was the turn of the Big BEN Banger team, made up of Emily and Kirsten. Deserted Scottish highland roads, damp surfaces, an Astra (yes, that Astra), and following a Peugeot whose driver was pressing on a bit, meant the Big BEN Banger team seemingly drifted a little wide on one turn, and bent the front of the car.

On a Royal Mail van.

Given the general lack of traffic anywhere north of Inverness, that has to be worth an extra 15 points.

Obviously everyone walked away unscathed, but we imagine the bar might get hit later. Just not in an Astra.

Labels:

Lovely day for a swim

We're not taking this event too seriously. Being banger rally veterans, we know that however you approach matters, something will always go wrong. You might as well enjoy the ride, and laugh about the failures later.

That said, the boys from Honda are taking the whole 'not taking it seriously' concept to an entire new level.

John o' Groats is right up at the top of the country. It really is very high up indeed. It's farther north than Moscow or Toronto., and the Sea of Alaska stops at roughly the same latitude. Talking of the sea, the Honda boys decided to swim in it.

Cold, smelly and oily, they jumped in complete with moustaches, sunglasses and helmets, and had a swim in the North Sea, before getting in to their 1.4 Civic, turning the heaters to max, and heading south on the 340 mile drive to Berwick-upon-Tweed.

We feel like amateurs now.

Labels:

Day Two: Going right to the top

Inverness to John o' Groats. That shouldn't be too tricky, even on damp roads and with plenty of mist about.

Firing up the 90 behind everyone else, we reckoned a quick blast up the A9 and A99 would see us in John o' Groats by lunchtime. We got there quicker than that - the roads are magnificent and, despite the dampness, the trusty Audi never once protested about my slightly 'enthusiastic' driving. Undulations, hairpins, sweeping bends, long straights, it had it all. And then, after just over two hours, we arrived in tenth place at John o' Groats.

And that's when a wave of enormous disappointment washed over
us, as we realised what a dire, drab and depressing place this famous landmark is. It was difficult to tell the difference between the gift shop and toilet block, such was the grey blandness of it all.

But still, we'd made it! The Audi had got us the length of the country to Britain's second most northerly point - Dunnet Head, slightly to the west, is actually further up, but John o' Groats is furthest from Lands End.

Now all we have to do is go all the way back down again. Next stop, Berwick-upon-Tweed!
  • Mileage: 120 miles
  • Estimated fuel: 20 litres
  • Toll charges: £0.00

Labels:

Day One: From BEN to the banks of the Ness

09 November 2009

Day one was always going to be the long haul day, covering miles of motorway purely to get somewhere more interesting, as seems to be the case for most banger rallies. But before we hit the road, it was along the road to Ascot to meet up with the other teams at BEN's head office - could our competitors match the enthusiasm and inventiveness of the previous StreetSafari rallies, considering this event was altogether more 'corporate'?

Yes. Mostly.

Turning up behind our rivals from Poole Audi, jealous glances were witnessed once they caught sight of the four rings running up each side of our car. Hyundai turned up with a rare XG30, decked out to resemble (loosely!) a Rolls Royce wedding car, while Honda turned up with two cars, a Civic and a Prelude, with the entire team dressed as the Impossible Dream man - complete with moustaches, glasses and retro helmet.

Marshall Motor Group put in a number of cars, but bravest had to be Cambridge Land Rover, who turned up in a an old series 3 that lacked the ability to hit 60mph. That'll be fun.

Some bacon butties, some coffee, a quick photo shoot and a blast from our air horn (apologies to the BEN residents!) and we were away. We hit the motorway. Then, after a few hours, we were still on the motorway. Some more hours, some more motorway, and we finally hit Scotland! After that, there's just more motorway and then, finally, some mildly interesting roads on the approach to Inverness.

Sadly, we couldn't see any of it. One issue the Audi has thrown up is a lack of washer jets, so the road spray combined with darkness falling, means the picturesque parts of Scotland remain unseen. Perhaps we'll see something on the return leg...

Checking in to the Best Western Palace Hotel for the night, the bar was a welcome sight. Some dinner and drinks, then it's time to prepare for day two.
  • Mileage today: 568
  • Estimated fuel: 86 litres
  • Toll charges: £4.70

Labels:

Day Zero: From here to there

08 November 2009

The first day of the rally, but a day before it starts, and the Audi 90, nicely fettled by our friends at Huntingdon Audi, part of the Vindi's group, has to make its first post-fettled journey of any length, along the A14, M11 and M25 as it heads to the start line, stopping only to pick up Juliana, the co-driving totty. It was also a chance to test the satellite tracking worked, and it all seemed to go fine thanks to the help of Ben Collins.

There's not much to say about a day like this - it's a journey purely to get somewhere in order to go somewhere else, and it's almost entirely made up of motorway. Still, the Audi copes fine with the tiny demands made of it, and we arrive at the grim hub of despair that is the Bracknell Central Travelodge in time to take a couple of beers from the school canteen like Bar Cafe.

I'm quite glad tomorrow is an early start.
  • Miles today: 156
  • Estimated fuel: 22 litres
  • Toll charges: £1.50

Labels:

Before the off

07 November 2009

It's Saturday afternoon, and the Audi has finally returned from the garage, and it's now got a shiny new radiator thanks to the guys at Huntingdon Audi. There's still plenty to be done, as preparations for these rallies always get left to the last minute - that's part of the appeal and challenge.

However, it's not all as last minute as some. In an hour or so, Emily and Kirsten from BEN, who we're doing the whole rally for, will be arriving to pick up their own entry. The Astra in the fleet to the right will be their chosen steed, and it's notable by the very fact I still own it with less than 48 hours before the start of the rally. And I thought I was brave.

Our banger is mostly prepared, with the mechanical side in good order and a valet having taken place,. Now it's just a case of loading up the spanners, socket set, hammer, tape, etc., and then finding space for phones, sat nav, laptops, luggage and so on.

Then we're off!

Labels:

The SportNetwork Cima Racing Bangers4BEN Car

It's no secret we're running an Audi 90 in next week's Bangers4BEN event, specifically a 1991 Audi 90 2.3 SE, but we've kept the design under wraps.

Until now...

Labels:

It's alive!

With less than 48 hours before the start of the Bangers4BEN rally, we've finally got a working car, thanks to our good friends at Huntingdon Audi, part of the Vindi's group.

Following our recent woes, where our beloved Audi shed most of its cooling system on the A14, Huntingdon Audi stepped in and worked wonders under the bonnet. Sitting in the workshop, our car certainly attracted attention amongst the S3's, A5's and Q7's, with most of the staff there tinkering with the car at some point during the week.

Come Saturday morning, the car was finished and collected. By Saturday afternoon a borrowed 15 year old will have cleaned it, and we'll be ready to tackle Bangers4BEN.

Something that, without Huntingdon Audi, we may have struggled with. Thank you to Gil and the staff there.

Labels:

The competition!

03 November 2009

We've found out who we're facing on the Bangers4BEN rally starting next week, and this one man and a totty team has some pretty stiff competition.

Rally organisers Car Dealer Magazine are in there, with editor James Baggott and commercial manager Duncan Chappell. They're being secretive about their car, but we do know they've got manufacturer support.

Talking of manufacturers, there's three of them in it! Honda Motor Europe and Honda UK have each put a team in, although their plans for twin cars was scuppered when one shed all its coolant on the road. That sounds familiar... They've got a distinctive wedge shaped 80's Honda to play with. An old Accord, or did they succeed in getting hold of a Prelude?

Hyundai have teamed up with Laika Creative to produce the HyRollers team. They've found some luxury for under £250, so we're guessing they've got an old Sonata. At least it'll be comfortable while they wait for the RAC.

It's a family affair at Toyota, as general manager press and public affairs Scott Brownlee brings along his stepson. Keeping requirements to a minimum, all they need is a working cassette player. Why didn't we think of that!

The charity this is all for, BEN, have got a team in. The Big BEN Banger team are currently without a car, but we know what they're getting - mainly as we're selling it to them! The must-haves they've listed include air conditioning, leather interior, DVD player, revolving shoe rack, ejector seat, hot tub, butler and mini bar. Or suspension and a working engine at the very least.

They're going to be very disappointed!

Marshall Motor Group have no less than six teams in, representing Welwyn Garden City's Vauxhall dealership, Knebworth's Vauxhall dealer, Hull's Honda franchise, and the local (to us) Peterborough Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge, Peterborough Peugeot and Cambridge Land Rover outlets. A £250 Land rover... that'll be quick!

Poole Audi have put a car in, making them our direct competitors. An Audi dealership up against a man with some spanners and a Haynes Manual from a Vauxhall Cavalier? No problem!

Elsewhere there's another 13 teams in the event, including another four dealers and a few media outlets.

Should we be worried?

Labels:

A crushing blow

28 October 2009

Today really wasn't easy. Our Bangers4BEN effort took a crushing blow, followed by a crushing blow and then a final extra crushing blow.

First of all we find a problem with a wheel, and that looked like it would scupper our plans to really test the car at Millbrook Proving Ground on Friday. We're on the hunt for a replacement wheel, but that all became somewhat redundant later on.

The second problem came when heading out in the late afternoon, only to find the battery was flat. That's a problem we face with this car, as we can't take the ignition key out, but at least it's handy for thieves who don't know how to hotwire a car. Some jump leads and a BMW later, and we were on our way.

For a bit.

We got about two miles before the coolant level warning started sounding. That wasn't a huge concern, as we were stopping for fuel within a couple of miles, but it soon became apparent that even that short distance was perhaps pushing it, as steam started enveloping the front of the car.

Pulling in to the Total services and opening up the bonnet, it was quite clear what had gone wrong - we'd blown a hose off and dumped all our coolant in the engine bay. Easily fixed with nothing more complicated than a screwdriver and some water, we were soon on our way.

For a bit.

This time there was a loud bang, lots of spray, and the entire contents of the cooling system along with a few bits of hose bouncing down the A14. With nothing at all cooling the engine, we found a spot to stop in within half a mile and looked in the engine bay with despair. We're just over half a mile from home at this point, but had to sit and wait for everything to cool down, that last stretch possibly being too much for a hot engine to cope with without suffering damage.

Finally, with nothing at all in the cooling system and a stone cold engine, we fired it up and drove the last leg home.

Two hours, 8.6 miles. At that rate, we should finish Bangers4BEN in a time of around two weeks.

We love a challenge!

* Eagle eyed readers will notice the lack of sponsor logos. We've PhotoShopped them out to keep it a secret from our competitors. All will be revealed soon.

Labels:

It's all gone wheelie wrong!

Whilst busy preparing our stunning Bangers4BEN car for an excursion on Friday, we've discovered a bit of a problem - the left front wheel has a pretty significant crack in it that renders it unsafe, at least for what we were planning.

Normally it wouldn't be a huge issue as, frankly, it would drive gently on the road and we'd have a spare wheel handy. However, with banger rallies things are rarely that simple...

Firstly, we don't have a spare wheel.

Secondly, our plans for Friday didn't include a gentle drive. Instead, they involved hurling the car around the most glorious test track facilities in the country thanks to the very very kind people at Millbrook Proving Ground.

We're now on a hunt for a new wheel, and hoping we can have it in place within the next 24 hours.

Labels:

The site's suddenly got sexy...

14 October 2009

Regular visitors will hopefully have noticed that the site has suddenly got all sexy, and it's all thanks to our friends at Invent Partners.

Our old site was dull, boring and inflexible, even if the content was entertaining and informative. Following the vaguest of briefs from us, Invent Partners worked tirelessly to provide something unique and interesting.

We're eternally grateful for the work they've put in, and the end result which, and we may have mentioned this, is great.

Hopefully they'll be as happy with our efforts on the Bangers4BEN car...

Labels:

Partners

image image

Live Tracker

Live tracking has been turned off.
Thanks for following us.

Archive