Victory as RNLI team from Highlands wins Monte Carlo challenge in 21-year-old BMW
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
A four-man team from RNLI Kessock has claimed victory after making it to Monte Carlo in an old banger.
Alan Mcdiarmid, Ross Sproule, Chris Howard and Graham Hastie, who are volunteer tractor drivers at the lifeboat station, reached their target destination on the Mediterranean coast yesterday.
As they approached the finish line, they also heard they had already raised £10,000 to improve the station's facilities.
Their vehicle for the challenge – which marks the 30th anniversary of the station – was a 21-year-old BMW estate decked out in the RNLI's signature orange and blue colour scheme.
The crew was rallying alongside other teams which were issued with a list of 16 daily challenges to complete in order to earn extra points.
After completing 1442 miles, the guys from RNLI Kessock were declared the winners but the challenge is still not over – they have to complete the return journey in 48 hours.
Along the route to Monte Carlo, the team visted a Dutch Lifeboat station in Zandvoort, drove through the Champagne region and negotiated the mountainous roads on Great St Bernard’s Pass.
Their challenges en route included getting a photo with a bottle of Louis Roederer Cristal Champagne, finding a Michael Jackson CD, painting their knees, fist bumping McDonald’s staff and taking photographs in front of various places.
They posted on social media: "Around 30 miles short of Monte Carlo we reached our fundraising target of £10,000.
"Knowing this made our grins even larger as we cruised into the Monte Carlo’s Casino Square surrounded by equally as exotic cars.
"Our log is now at 1442 miles but our challenge is by no means over as we are still 1436 miles from home and need to complete the journey in 48 hours.
"We made it to Monte Carlo and reached our target but the RNLI still has a lot of work to do."
They will put their prize money of 200 euros into the pot along with the donations people have already made.
But people can still donate at www.justgiving.com/rnlikessocktomontecarlo.
