We brought you the news at the end of last year of the London to Cape Town World Cup Rally featuring many vintage cars and ordinary saloon cars racing down to Cape Town in one of the world’s most exciting and epic endurance races. The racers set off on the 1st of January 2012 from the Houses of Parliament in London. The London to Cape Town World Cup Rally endeavours to capture the spirit of the long distance World Cup Rallies of the 1970s. The event is not designed as a tour but as a “press on” driver’s challenge with Time Trials and a time-schedule to be maintained every day. The ambition is to revive the kind of rallying last seen on the 1977 London to Sydney marathon. As the January 1st start date approached and several years of planning came to an end the Prime Minister found time to send a letter with his best wishes to the crews and all involved with the London to Cape Town World Cup Rally.
There were veteran teams, all female teams, professionals and amateurs racing down to Cape Town. There are no back-up teams to help them with breakdowns, if you break down your race is over. There was, however a huge amount of support and goodwill that went with them that saw many a competitor through some of the tougher moments. Many have reported how unbelievable gruelling the race was but what a great representation of British sporting spirit it also was. Some of the quotes from the race’s website sum it up nicely;
“I got a new Jeep with a big V8 and put on Baja desert racing suspension and drove it half way round the world down the full length of Africa …I’ve just been well and truly beaten by two birds in an old Maestro” – Marc Buchanan, Jeep Wrangler
“Everyone wants to go back to Ethiopia …nobody will ever forget the sight and sounds of the thousands who stood by the roadside in those villages to cheer us on our way.” – Eric Claeys, Toyota 73
The first over the finishing line into Cape Town on January 29th were Steve Blunt and Bob Duck driving their Subaru Impreza. They have driven through 14 countries, touched three Continents, and covered 14,000 kilometres in 26 driving-days. They have travelled through the desert sand dunes, through the towering mountains, tricky rocky terrain, sticky mud and jungle like scenery – all a truly epic achievement. But not only is the Rally a great sporting achievement, it also is a great charitable achievement.
The London to Cape Town World Cup Rally hopes to benefit three major causes to help improve the lives of locals living along the route. The two official charities are Water Aid who are involved in several African countries providing clean water and sanitation in remote villages and as a Non-Government Organisation currently working in drought-relief in East Africa, and African Revival, a UK educational charity providing equipment and teachers for village schools in several countries along the route of the London to Cape Town World Cup Rally. The Rally is not just trying to raise money for good causes – in addition it hopes to provide some practical help. Each competing car will be carrying a supply of children’s reading books to equip a village primary school near Victoria Falls in Livingstone, Zambia – the school recently benefited from the building of a new school library, but has no reading books to help children learn to read. Over 200 books will be delivered by the rally when it stops in Livingstone. Another fantastic achievement!
