Staples2Naples

Intrepid Andrew Edmonds from Andover was taking part in the 2006 Staples2Naples Banger Rally Challenge to raise funds for the Test Valley Arts Foundation.

 

Staples2Naples is the leading European banger rally, first run in 2003. Rally rules state that any car taking part must have been bought for under £100.  Andrew’s lurid pink 1988 Mazda ‘Candyfloss’ cost him just £75, and with help from Andover Ford it even managed to pass its MOT – another rally rule.

 

Andrew painted the car eye-catching ‘Elvis Pink’ in honour of his three-year-old nephew, whose middle name is Elvis.

 

Staples is simply short for Staples Corner, the junction of the bottom of the M1, but the race challenge doesn’t actually start there.

 

Instead, the cars gathered at the start-point in Calais on September 22^nd before making their way 1,500 miles south to Naples in four stages, stopping at Sarnen in Switzerland, and the Italian towns of Tirano and Viterbo.

 

Andrew stressed that it is definitely not a race, which could be a good thing as many of the cars would probably not stand up to a high-speed.

 

Even teams that break down aren’t out of the rally as there is a prize for the team which hitch hikes the furthest.

 

Andrew was accompanied by his brother Simon who is an English language teacher in Naples, and who found out about the event on the internet. The third member of the team is Simon’s friend Guy Stephenson who supplied the mechanical expertise.

 

‘Candyfloss’, who had 96,000 miles on the clock, survived the journey. She wasn’t even scrapped; Simon was able to sell her for €35 as a run-around.

 

Andrew, who works for sporting firm Orvis in Andover where he repairs fishing rods said: “The Test Valley Arts Foundation is my chosen charity to benefit from this challenge because I strongly believe in supporting local  artistic talent, and the Foundation helps individual artists, musicians & arts-related groups throughout the Test Valley region.  ‘Candyfloss’ was named at a recent Test Valley Arts charity event organised by them and I hope that my team will be successful in raising funds and bringing the work of the Foundation to a wider audience – even as far afield as Italy”.

 

‘Candyfloss’ raised £1,500 for Test Valley Arts Foundation and Andrew is grateful for all the sponsorship help received and thanks his sponsors including his employers Orvis, also Utopia Design and Bulpitt Print .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

‘Candyfloss’ visiting Thruxton Circuit on 16 September 2006

Final preparations outside the hotel in Calais