Team Charlie
In 2011 I was invited to join a friend as a co-driver for the 2012 rally, I thought wow this will be a once in a lifetime adventure. I was hooked, so bought a car to join the 2014 rally, unfortunately I could not attend the 2016 (but did a lot of fundraising).
This year I am thrilled to be participating in the 2016 rally, this time joined by David ( he participated in the 2014 rally in his Focus RS)
Its great to be part of the RFH Family we all spend a lot of time raising much needed funds for SSAFA meeting new people and having fun doing it.
My grandfather’s served in the army and RAF, one of them was affectingly know to me as grampy Charlie so it’s a fun coincidence is I was asked to be team leader of for team Charlie!
​
Focus RS
Pilot Rob ably assisted by co pilot and wife Jeanette, both served in the RN me 22 years and Jeanette 6 who left to have our first child. We will be in a battleship grey RS3 with just under 500Hp waiting to be unleashed in Europe. We met with some people down at Gunwharf last year and made the decision to attend and support this worthy charity, we however missed the deadline but was lucky enough to be allocated a place on this years rally, can’t wait.
​
Audi RS3
Just to give you some background info on me, I am married to the lovely Janine, no she is not watching me type this… As for my childhood I was a service brat, my father served 28 years in the RAF, so i spent most of my childhood at various camps and moving schools.
I then followed in my fathers footsteps and joined up in Sept 84 after training at RAF Cosford I was posted to RAF Odiham which was where i lived for much of my later childhood as my father was there.
After that I then changed trades due to the one i had chosen being massively overmanned, i then spent 18 months at RAF Locking on trade training, I was then posted to IAM Farnborough which was probably my favourite posting, just me and my civy boss, had a great time going around camps measuring cockpit noise in various aircraft as well as Army helicopters, I then did a stint in the Falklands, before going to RAF Oakhanger for my final posting before taking voluntary redundancy after 12 1/2 years service.
From there i went on to work in the city for 15 years working for Reuters in a Datacenter as an operations engineer, great times were had we even had our own bar, so my service drinking habits carried on..lol
After 15 years i took redundancy again and decided to start taking things a little easier and set up a plumbing business as a plumbing & heating engineer, after all the courses and training, here i am running my own little business, ticking over nicely thank you.
Steve my co driver is also a heating engineer and I met him whilst training for my Gas safe qualification.
I am looking forward to this experience, and all charity work that involves serving or ex members of the forces is very worthwhile.
Regards Ian Kirk
​
​
Ford Mustang GT
Ford Mustang GT
We are both very pleased to have been accepted to take part in the R4H 2018
JC - I am an ex soldier having served for 24 years in the Royal Corps of Signals, although finding myself attached to different Corps & Regiments for the majority of those years. I love my cars and bikes and really enjoy spending time with like minded people, rather than boring most others. This will be my third Rally for Heroes having completed in 2014 & 2016.
Jo – I am also an ex soldier having retired this January, again from Royal Corps of Signals. I also share JC’s enthusiasm for cars, well to a degree, and this is my second Rally for Heroes having been whizzed round Europe in 2016 in a car with no stereo, aircon, roof or even windscreen, my hair still hasn't recovered! However, I loved every minute of it and is one of the greatest things I've done, especially knowing that SSAFA is benefiting with every mile.
We now live in South-west of France, within the Pyrenees and enjoy all that the best roads in Europe have to offer.
Car 2014 had JC attempt it in a Ronart-Jaguar W152 S6, but that didn't quite make it to the start line, so a jolly good chap lent him his Porsche 911 (964) which was fantastic, and very nice of him indeed. 2016 and the Ronart actually made it to the start line, and then carried on to complete the whole 9 days without a single blip, which surprised everyone, especially us! 2018 will see us being a little more comfortable and sedate in our 2004 Mercedes AMG55 CLK convertible.
SSAFA is a charity very close to our hearts; we know the great work they carry out for both individual service personnel & their families. Jo has been a SSAFA representative twice and we have both seen first-hand what this fantastic and sometimes understated charity achieves for our boys & girls.
Model: Mercedes-Benz CLK AMG55 convertible
Engine: 5.4ltr V8 24v twin spark naturally aspirated (hand-built)
BHP: 405
Torque: 420 lb/ft
Max speed: 180mph (290km/h) unlimited
​
AMG55 CLK convertible
“Ebullient, charming, handsome Peter did the rally in 2016 as a co-driver and has again signed up for 2018 epic road trip.
My father was in the RAF during WW2 and had the most amazing stories....part of the Normandy D-Day landings as liaison between army and RAF; a spell at Bletchley using his German language skills to intercept shipping messages - bumping in to Alan Turin quite literally; liaison in the desert in Aden; part of the Malta campaign; and in Northern Europe he lay hiding as a German Panzer division rolled past 100yards away. What a guy! Our generation can not fathom those days and thank goodness.
I’m joined by the gorgeous and all round wonderful Julie as my co-driver. Julie has the most renowned and beautiful singing voice, having sung many operas and shows. She said she’s going to try to drown my tone-deaf screaming as I think I’m singing along to (destroying) well loved songs.
I’ll be driving a black Mercedes SL63 Convertible. It’s 6.3L V8 engine is truly fast. It goes without saying that speed limits throughout Europe and Bosnia will be adhered to religiously. I look forward to seeing the rest of the cars in my rear view mirror. 518hp at 6,800rpm and 465lb.ft. of torque 5,200rpm. That’s plenty of power to launch the SL 6.3 AMG to 60mph. (Copied from a website. I have no idea what any of that stuff means but this is a car adventure and I need to talk numbers.) All I know is it makes me smile from the moment I unlock it to when I lock it up again.
Looking forward immensely to an amazing 10days rounded off with a black tie ball with the truly precious RFH family.
Thanks to the Steve, Benn, Mick and Paula for organising another mega adventure. None of us really see the amount of tireless work these guys put in.
​
