Rolls Royce owner to raise £200k for children charity through the Gumball 3000.

A Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupé stopped off in Edinburgh on Sunday 8 June as part of an epic 3,000 mile journey from Miami to Ibiza that promises to raise a six-figure sum for charity.

Rolls-Royce owner, Garreth Wood, founder of the Edinburgh-based Speratus Group, his wife Nicola and school friend William Rhind are taking part in the Gumball 3000 Rally, a star-studded event that sees an array of the world’s most exotic, luxurious and often outlandishly decorated cars cover remarkable distances in just seven days.

Mr and Mrs Wood have taken the opportunity to raise vital funds and awareness for ‘When You Wish Upon a Star’, a charity that has granted the wishes of over 14,500 children suffering from life threatening illnesses since it was founded in 1990.

Throughout their journey they will perform 50 Random Acts of Kindness with Garreth’s company promising to donate £2,000 for every act, the Gumball Foundation will then match the money raised. Every penny of the £200,000 is committed to sending a group of children and their helpers on a journey to Lapland to meet Father Christmas.

In preparation for the rally, the couple have commissioned a specialist wrapping company to decorate the car in a red chrome and black velvet finish complete with a Scottish flag motif on the boot.

“It’s a great honour to support ‘When you wish upon a Star’. This trip to Lapland promises to create magical memories for children and families dealing with life threatening illnesses,” said Garreth Wood, owner of the ‘Velvet Phantom’. “This journey presents an incredible opportunity to raise vital funds for such a worthy cause. It’s also important to raise awareness; this is why we chose a temporary wrap for the car that is sure to wow the crowds wherever we go! We are incredibly grateful to the Gumball Foundation for agreeing to match our donation allowing us to double the number of children we can take to Lapland at the end of the year.”

Vauxhall breaks or set 18 world/UK records with its Astra hatchback.

• FIA & MSA confirm that Vauxhall has set/broken 18 World and UK records
• Astra covered over 3,000 miles in 24 hours on tortuous banked circuit
• Exceptional reliability: zero down-time for lead record car, despite 125+mph average

Vauxhall flew into the record books today, after motorsport’s governing bodies confirmed that a recent attempt by two standard Ellesmere Port-built Astras to set and break 18 World and UK Speed Endurance Records had been successful.

The lead Astra 2.0 CDTi 165PS in the attempt covered a total of 3002.44 miles at an average 125.101mph, only stopping for fuel and a single, cautionary change of its Michelin tyres.

In partnership with sister company, Opel, Vauxhall attempted two sets of speed endurance records at Millbrook Proving Ground in Bedfordshire, UK: 12 in the FIA’s* 1600-2000cc forced-induction diesel production car class, and a further six in the MSA’s* 1500-2000cc forced-induction diesel production car class.

All 18 records (see table below) were achieved, with key records such as the World 1-, 6-, and 12-hour broken conclusively, and the long-standing UK 24-hour smashed by 25mph.

Vauxhall invited a team of twelve drivers to complete the challenge, comprising nine motoring journalists and three Vauxhall/Opel staff. Each drove a total of four hours, split between the two cars.

Despite circulating the two-mile banked circuit 1,500 times, both Astras proved hugely reliable and consistently quick, with the fastest two-mile lap achieved in 55.453 seconds at an average speed of 131.852mph, just 2.148mph below the car’s official top speed - no mean feat, given the steep banking on Millbrook High Speed Bowl’s fifth lane.

‘We’re over the moon with today’s news,’ said Simon Hucknall, Vauxhall’s PR Manager. ‘This was an important test for the Astra, and it proved that a car with the qualities that most motorists are after – exceptional reliability, a good performance/economy blend and long-distance comfort – can be found at their nearest Vauxhall showroom.

‘But the attempt was also a success thanks to the stamina and skill of our driving team, who performed faultlessly through the attempt. The team’s ruthless adherence to FIA rules, sponsors’, Michelin and Corbeau’s great support and Millbrook’s efficiency and experience with speed attempts completed the picture and turned an audacious attempt into an unqualified success.’

A presentation by Alan Gow, Chairman of the MSA, was made today at the Autosport International Racing Car Show at the NEC. Receiving the trophy and certificates for the 18 records were Duncan Aldred, Vauxhall’s Chairman and Managing Director and Volker Strycek, Head of OPC and Opel Motorsport. (http://www.autosportinternational.com/).

A short video of the attempt can be found at: http://media.vauxhall.co.uk/content/media/gb/en/vauxhall/videos.html

2013 FIA Land Speed Records
Category B Class 9 (over 1,500cc to 2,000cc): Diesel cycle engine with forced induction



2013 British Land Speed Records
Class E (over 1,500cc to 2,000cc) – Group III: Diesel cycle engine with forced induction



New FIA/MSA record holders:

The drivers listed below achieved all the above records collectively

*FIA – Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile; MSA – Motor Sports Association