The Funguy 500 Rally, organised by Paulton resident, Jennie Sleep, who is hoping to raise £2,500 for Help for Heroes, is now firmly underway – with the teams currently neck and neck as they race towards the halfway point of Monte Carlo.
Now heading into day four of the week-long, 3,510km-long rally, the Funguy 500 teams have already faced many driving challenges along the way, while at the same time competing to capture the most attention-grabbing daily photographs on five themes: comedy, costume, culture, creative and company.
"Team Mustang have already managed to grab some really creative photos," says organiser, Jennie, from Paulton. "They stumbled across a medieval re-enactment team, which made for an interesting shot and then managed to talk their way into getting onto the bridge of a ferry. Who knows what the teams will come up with on the next leg of the journey!"
Already the rally has visited the racetrack in Le Mans and the tallest sand dune in Europe at the Dune Du Pilat in Bordeaux. Winding their way through the twists and turns of the Pyrenees, day three found the teams unable to reach their booked accommodation due to heavy snowfall – leaving them with the additional challenge of driving on to alternative digs for the night.
"Wednesday brings the biggest driving challenge of the week: over ten hours of driving, heading from Sète to Guillaumes," adds Jennie. "The teams will take in the historical sights of Nimes, drive on part of the Formula 1 track in Monte Carlo and tackle the extreme hairpin bends of the famous Col de Turini – which is listed by Top Gear as one of the world's best driving roads."
Teams have been raising sponsorship in the run up to the rally and will be auctioning off their vehicles, all of which are valued at £500 or under, including tax and MOT, at the end of the event to raise further funds. A week after the teams return home, on Sunday, 30th March, a presentation and fundraising evening will take place at the Traveller's Rest pub, in Pensford. Various individuals have already donated some very generous prizes to contribute to the evening's raffle and any further donations would be very welcome – please contact: [email protected]">[email protected]
You can follow all the highlights of Funguy 500 and see photographs from the team's adventures via Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/funguy500">www.facebook.com/funguy500