The Petrol Head Rally

Most of this years banger Rallies have been and gone now, so, as we approach 09, it is a good time to start researching what’s in store. The popularity of even the smallest rally is on the up, people are finding out just how fun a break they can be. A mad dash through several countries, in a shitbox car along with several other up-for-it idiots is a far more memorable way of spending time away from work, rather than a predictable beer fueled week is some greek isle destination.

So, over the next few posts I will be taking a look at what you should be signing up for in 2009…

Some Australian road trip ideas

While on the road in Oz, I met the same faces, cropping up here and there through out the trip. The main reason being, too many people follow the same old route: Pick up a car in Melbourne and head north, or do the same in Cairns and head South. The east coast basically, up or down, you become part of a predictable flow of fellow travelers. The backpacker trail. It’s enjoyable, it’s pretty and rather boozy – but there is a lot more to Australia than just the one coast line.

Here are a few links to some articles I’ve found detailing alternative road trips within Australia:

A drive through the Flinders Ranges - (photo by Georgie Sharp)

The Daily Telegraph - Suggestions such as Flinders Ranges in South Australia and Nature’s Way in the Northern Territories.

Budget Travel magazine – An indepth article profiling must-do Australian road trips such as the red centre, and the remote South West Corner down from Perth.

Sunrise at Flinders. Beautiful. (Photo by Georgie Sharp)

About.com – Student travel. Advice on licenses and driving conditions in Oz, as well as profiles of the Great Ocean Road, and a little know road trip destination, of Gippsland, Victoria.

TNT Magazine – A good article from the TNT guys, with information covering a series of road trips on the great island. Including some details on how to do Sydney to Cairns sticking to the more off beat locations.

Bushfire smoke over Gippsland - (photo by Timmy Thesuk)

Mayor hits the road

This one makes me laugh. I am currently working for Local Government in Sydney, attempting to save the cents for my next trip. Although it seems if I stayed around for long enough, I might get the state to pay my way. That was the case for one Bill Ronald at least.

As a Mayor of Cardinia Shire Council down in Victoria, Bill recently took a road trip up to the Northern Territories, ‘to broaden (his) outlook on other local governments.’ Good stuff – however a 9000km drive in your council-funded six-cylinder Holden Statesman is quite the way to rack up the expense account, especially at a time many households have been forced to cut back on fuel.

An estimated $9000 of ratepayers money was spent on Mr Ronald’s little jaunt. A fact he defended with, ‘I don’t have to justify my trips.’

But wait, it gets better.

On the hunt for some pictures to add to this posting I come across the fetching little number below. Yes that’s Clr Ronald posing for the press on a Penny Farthing bicycle.

It seems young Bill has a new crusade. He has begun a new cycling initiative in Cardinia Shire, saying that, ‘council should be doing more to encourage people to leave cars at home and get out on their bikes..’

That’s pretty hard to swallow from a guy who just drove 9000km for a couple of business meetings. ‘This is not going to just be another talkfest,’ he said. I’m glad to hear that. If only we could all wrangle positions of limited accountability, and six-cylinder Holdens, in an area where the general public evidently has the memory of a gold fish. I wouldn’t be stuck here writing about it, that’s for sure.

Sources: http://www.ntnews.com.au/article/2008/10/02/7041_ntnews.html

http://treadly.net/2006/10/09/after-ride-to-work-day/

Oasis brains to road trip Mexico

No longer such the patriot

 

Noel Gallagher has declared England a shit-hole, and is planning a road trip around Mexico. In a recent television interview his opinion of the homeland was less than favourable, saying: ‘England isn’t that f***ing great. To live here is a f***ing s**thole to be honest. People have this romantic image of England. London is a f***ing dump.’ – Eloquently put.

He’ll be joining fellow Northerner, Ricky Hatton after the boxer has finished his bout against Paul Malignagg in Vegas next month. Their plan is to hit the road after the fight and head down to Mexico where Oasis will be performing in December. ‘It’ll be a proper smash-up,’ Noel predicts.

(sources: www.undercover.com.au)

Top 5 places to find a bargain banger

So you’ve entered a Banger rally. In a couple of months time you’ll be trekking across Europe in a car that is, well, a complete banger. So how do you go about finding one that fits the bill? A piece of crap that costs less than the weekly food shop, but will still cover several thousand miles and hopefully limp you to the finish line.

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Well here’s a few ideas to get you started:

Stay away from dealerships - what good is a warranty if it blows up in Bulgaria

1. Ebay. You just can’t beat it for a cheap second hand motor. The beauty of Ebay is the abundance of cars being flogged prior to the MOT running out. The owners know that it won’t pass without some major pocket burning outlay. However, this makes no difference to you. You only need it to last until the end of your trip. As long as the MOT expiry date is after the rally, you have all that you need. If you able to test the car before bidding, it obviously helps. Although I have bought two cars on Ebay on pictures alone. (Cash on pick up) If it has MOT, and is stated as road worthy (daily runner, listed mileage etc) with only the necessary TLC before launch day (make sure the breaks work and that the tyres won’t get you arrested) you’ll be laughing.

2. This sounds bad, but talk to some old people. I have picked up a couple of aging motors from some of my wiser relatives, and their friends. There comes a time for us all where getting behind the wheel is an accident waiting to happen. Eyesight just isn’t what it used to be; and those older vehicles – no power steering; the damn wheel is stiffer than the bones trying to turn it. And a little later still, where short of a belief in the paranormal, they’ll be no driving going on. Or much else for that matter. Cars sit on gravel driveways, with giant weeds crawling around the mud flaps. This is where you come in. Generous relatives sometimes give them away, after all you’re doing this for charity and Alfred won’t need it anymore.

They'll pay you to take this away - How much will it cost to get road worthy though?

3. Local Classifieds. Okay that may feel a bit 1990’s, and although Ebay has killed off much of the market in classified ads, the local rag should still have a small section devoted to it, as well as more offerings in the weekly motor supplement. Local post office notice boards, and shop windows may also come up with something. And with these, it is probably Alfred’s wife who has placed the advert anyway.

4. Other internet sites to check out depending on your location: www.autotrader.co.uk This is available in print and online all over the world. They do a great sub-price classified section. Craigslist, if you live in the US. www.gumtree.co.uk in the UK (and Oz) www.usedcarmart.co.uk – also in UK. I just did a test on the later: cars below 300 pounds – came up with 9 pages of search results. Plenty enough to get you started.

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5. Keep your eyes open. People often stick their old cars out on the road with a little sign in the window. Ask around. Make it known that you’re off on stupid adventure and that you’re raising money for charity. For the Mongol Rally one of our party got into the local paper, and had two cars donated to them.

Travelers Notebook – Greenest road trip series

Many of you may have come across the Travelers Notebook website. It’s a professional looking number, with contributing writers from all over the world. The standard of writing is very high with a scope that covers all you’ll ever need to know regarding the subject of travel. I dip in and out of the site on a regular basis, and on a recent look have discovered that they are currently running a series of articles on the greener side of road tripping. (Eco friendly driving evidently getting editorial attention of late – see my last post on road tripping with a conscience)

The first part covers advice on driving around Nova Scotia. With a detailed account of where you should go and what to look out for. And although it might be a while before you find yourself in the area with a car to use and a few weeks to kill, the article is still worth a read. The message is really on planning; discovering a route that will take you past all you need to see, without clocking up the superfluous gas miles. And that’s not to say you have to limit yourself to a strict regime, it just means that better planning will lead to a more efficient road trip, helping to minimise both your carbon footprint, and the loss of dollar from your wallet. A lesson you can take to wherever you end up traveling. (Read the Nova Scotia article here)

www.yert.com – Road tripping with a conscience

I have to say, I am slightly conscience of the fact that with this blog I am transparently endorsing damage to the environment. By harking on about the good old road trip, I’m not exactly being eco-friendly. And as we all well know, that’s just not cool anymore. So, in an effort to minimize my carbon footprint, and a chance to earn some brownie points on the Goreometer of responsible green living, I’ve been researching methods of undertaking that journey behind the wheel, in a manner that will mean our Great Grandkids might have a small chance to do the same.

Here’s what I learnt:

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• Get rid of the Hummer.
• By a bike.
• Log onto www.yert.com and see how it’s done.

Okay, so the last one is actually the extent of my research. It is a great site though. Yert stands for “Your Environmental Road Trip”, so straight away we’re in the right place. Basically three individuals from the US have gone about filming a year long road trip, putting various eco-warrior-type demands on themselves, while they go in search of America’s unique method of environmental sustainability (They have a method!?)

The yert team wiggled there way across the states - I wonder how much fuel they used?

The site details their progress so far, and I have to say it sounds like a great idea for a documentary. The road rules include no more than one shoebox of rubbish between them each month, no incandescent lights, (except headlamps), and a limit of 25 gallons of water per person per day. (An amount that seems bloody huge to me, but maybe I just don’t wash enough).

Apparently they are in phase two of their project, with most of the filming done (you can get excerpts on the site) they are now on the road in an attempt to find funding for the feature release. So, check out the site and Facebook page to pledge your support.

www.yert.com Yert Facebook Group

An inspiration for us all

The Great American Road trip

These guys didn’t hang about. 48 States in under 5 days. That’s some road trip. The website and blog details their ludicrous journey. Three of them actually completed the route starting from Maine, and finishing in Colorado, non stop, in a time stated as 4 days, 10 hours and 43 minutes. They did this back in May 08, but some of the blog entries are as recent as late September, so it still worth checking in on to see what they have to say about their escapades.

www.greatamericanroadtrip.us

 

Squeeze in an Autumn banger Rally… JOE 08

My random searches today have brought me to an 08 rally that is still requesting sign-ups. Most of European rallies for the year are over now that we’re approaching October, but this one, called ‘JOE 08′ from the ‘Rally Europe’ team, looks like a small start up that could do with some support. The starting date is November 13th in Calais, it goes for five days, and the usual rules apply – 300 pound maximum car value, 180 pound entrance fee, complete challenges to win a grand. The route takes you through Frankfurt, Prague, Bratislava and Munich. So, if you’re after a bit of Rally action before the year is out, you’re kinda running out of choices, you may as well give this one a try. Check out the website and Facebook page for complete details on how to get involved. http://www.rallyeurope.com  JOE 08 – Facebook Group

Enough banger rallies already… Go solo for the real adventure

Going Solo – You never know where it might take you

Organising a banger rally is all the rage these days. I seem to come across a new one everyday on my random searches into content for this blog. Which is excellent for road trippers after a short fun break, with a chance to meet others, and maybe even cover all costs by coming first. However, following a predetermined route to a specific time scale, does remove a fundamental aspect of the road trip: freedom and the element of the unknown. You get a taster on these rallies; you never know what might happen on any given day, but to able to wake up each morning, close your eyes and poke your finger on the map and say, let’s head there today. And then to have the freedom at any point to deviate from that plan, because lets say you’ve found a track that leads somewhere intriguing, and along it you meet a campervan with 3 girls from Denmark, and after talking for a while, you all make a camp there, and the next day you’re heading in the same direction so you spend the three weeks travelling together, during which time one of them becomes your girlfriend that you end up living with for over a year.

Or alternatively. You come across a farmer who asks for help with his ditched tractor and then repays you with an evening of great wine and local delicacies, all in a language where your combined knowledge is 5 words, and a situation that looks as if your bed for the night is the same one as his daughter’s. (I have been there on both counts). To enter the realm of the bizarre is the reason we take these trips in the first place. It is difficult to juggle such experiences with the demands of an organised rally, with check points and obligations. You all to often have to move on before such situations have a chance to present themselves. Or worse still you have to make your excuses and leave just as everything is getting interesting. You’re always meant to be somewhere else. A to B to C are the prioritized elements. Much adventure can come out of that, but it can also get in the way.

So in short I’m saying this, yes these rallies have their place, but if you’re really after that quintessential road trip experience, take some time off work, sort out your car, buy a map and supplies and hit the open road. It’s liberating in a way that is easy to forget in a world where it is even easier to sit around and be spoon fed. Getting lost should be the fun part.