Page 11 - Phonebox Magazine October 2006

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Phonebox Magazine 11
Czeckwreck Challenge raising money for The Cystic Fibrosis Trust
Along with two of my friends Christopher Palfreyman and Adam were not allowed in, including
Hamblin from Market Harborough we decided to enter the Czeckwreck Challenge (www.czechwrecks.com) – which was a challenge to drive a car from Calais to Prague on a 1500 mile journey in a car worth less than £100!
Our 23 year old Peugot 205 had been in our family all its life, and always known as Chug, it was taken off the road about a year ago. We decided to try to get an M.O.T. which it did with no trouble, much to our surprise. We then set to for an evening with paint and transformed it into the car it is now.
We set off in Chug from Olney on 31st August so we were in Calais for the 9am start on 1st September. The first day was a relatively long day for Chug as it was over 500 miles of motorway down through France ending in Annecy. There were about
50 other cars and, although we were
not the fastest, a BMW did blow up
so we were not last! The second day
was far more challenging with steep
mountain passes and hairpin bends
through the Swiss Alps ending up in
Bormio in Italy. The scenery was
spectacular. Next morning we had a
police escorted parade through the
streets of Bormio which was fun. Third day was another hard day. Today we climbed the Stelvio Pass and this was the ultimate test for the cars – some didn’t make it – but good old chug kept chugging on – with frequent stops for cooling down. We ended day 3 in Salzburg. The final day was to be the easy day. No mountain passes – just relatively flat countryside. However news of the escapade had filtered to the Czech Republic and the press was waiting at the border. They seemed to think we were all going to dump our cars in Prague. So quite a number of us
us. Not to be defeated we
managed to get a lift in one of
the other cars and made it the
last 100 miles or so to Prague
that way, leaving dear old
Chug in nomans land for the
night. Next morning we were given a lift back. We fully intended to drive home – but now it was more important than ever to prove that it would have made the last 100 miles. We set off from the Czech border at about 4pm in the afternoon and drove non-stop for the 750 miles or so through Germany, Holland, Belgium and arrived in Calais at 7am next morning – I am sure the longest journey the poor car had ever done. Hopped on a ferry and were home in Olney by lunchtime.
It would never have been possible without the help of the many sponsors who helped cover the cost of the trip including the following local companies – J. Garrard & Allen, Ian Coleman, Marcus Jordan & Co, K.I.M. Developments, John Drake & Co, Captain Carpet and Michael Graham as well as many friends and others from the Market Harborough teammates.
We also felt that we would like to raise money for charity by doing this event and chose The Cystic Fibrosis Trust as we have a friend with the disease. www.justgiving.com/czechwrecks2006 . The site is still open and we think once all monies are collected we should have raised around £1500. It will be open until end of October, so if anybody feels they would like to donate we and the C.F. Trust will be most grateful.
It was an amazing trip on which we had tremendous fun and we met many interesting people which we will never forget and hope you enjoy reading about it. Our parents were very pleased and relieved to see us back home and certainly never expected Chug to last the course and make it home! Jonty Pibworth