Life in the fast lane

Northern England’s cold October wind probably accounted for the local beauty queen’s shivers as she flagged off the drivers at the start of the 2006 Lombard Rally. But Liam Shaw and his brother-in-law, Glenn Conlon, didn’t feel the cold – their trembling was caused by the anticipation of one of motorsport’s most exciting endurance events.

Based on the classic Lombard RAC Rally, the 2006 Lombard Rally retraces much of the original race’s route. The drivers are tested over four days and cover more than 1,200 miles over a varied terrain, including winding forest roads.

“It was my first ever rally event”, said Liam who is a Business Manager at Morgan Advanced Ceramics in Stourport-on-Severn (UK). “And we were tested to our limits. We had to deal with a fuel leak, a loose gear shift, some scratches and broken indicators. But toughest of all was the lack of sleep. We started each day at 6am and finished at 1am the following morning!”.

Heavy rain made the early stages very slippery and the pair decided to take things carefully in the opening miles. Their aim was to finish safely, for every mile they completed meant they would raise more money for their chosen charity, the National Children’s Hospice Association.

The Rally was thrilling. Several competitors had to be rescued from ditches and, with more running repairs to cope with than ever before, the breakdown crews became desperately low on spare parts.

Liam and Glenn did finish successfully – a respectable 74th out of the 120 who started. They raised over £1,500 for their charity. They would like to thank all those who supported them.

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