'Old bangers' to set off from Holyport on charity drive to Monte Carlo

A convoy of old bangers is set to descend on Monte Carlo this year – starting out of Holyport on a nine-day round trip.

‘Monte Carlo or Bust’ is a planned long-distance car rally using vehicles costing no more than about £1,000.

The ‘endurance motoring’ challenge will see old bangers – including one that ‘looks like a Batmobile’ – trundling through France.

In the early stages of planning, organisers are looking to set off on May 29 and return on June 6, stopping by several picturesque towns on route.

Drivers can ride solo, as couples, or small friend and family groups in their old bangers.

Every team will be responsible for their own supplies and organising their own accommodation, but there will be a fully-kitted-out support vehicle on hand to tackle any breakdowns.

Organisers imagine the adventure might appeal to retired people with more time to spare who ‘have done all their beach holidays and want to do something different’.

Darrell Bluck, one of the organisers, said: “I got the idea from seeing a bunch of supercars on a rally in France and I thought, I’d like to do that – but I can’t afford a supercar, so I’ll see if I can use an old banger instead.

“Whether all of the cars will make it all the way there and all the way back, I don’t know – I suppose that’s part of the fun. I wouldn’t mind betting that we may lose one or two along the way.

“But we’re going to make sure everybody gets to Monte Carlo and back. We’re not going to leave people stranded.”

The route goes from Holyport to Le Touquet, Le Mans, Clermont-Ferrand, Digne, Monte Carlo, then on to Nice for an overnight stay – then a different route via Grenoble, Troyes and Calais for the return trip.

There are plans to drive on parts of the Le Mans and the Monaco Grand Prix racing circuits (both made up of public roads) including the latter’s famous tunnel.

In general, the convoy will stay off the main road and toll roads, and stick to A-roads.

The convoy – perhaps around 20 cars or more – will drive for about four or five hours a day and the group will likely have dinner together, with a view to forming new friendships.

“It’s very much a social, fun, come and meet some people, make new friends, have a bit of a laugh, raise a bit of money for charity along the way [kind of event],” said Darrell.

“We’re trying to make it as fun as possible and give people some experiences to remember, while raising a significant amount for charity.”

Because it’s for charity, each participant is asked to pay a £250 charity contribution, to be shared equally between Thames Hospice, Kidney Care UK, Neuroblastoma UK, JackTheLad and Aerobility.

JackTheLad campaigns for safer adventures for young people and helps deal with holiday accidents.

Aerobility provides people with disabilities with a chance to fly aircraft.

Organisers welcome anyone interested in taking part and has registration page on its website montecarloorbust.com

If the rally is a success and goes down well, the organisers might seek to arrange another trip somewhere else, such as Istanbul, and make it a recurring event.