Car fans charity run
by Julia Roberts
juroberts@thekmgroup.co.uk
Car enthusiasts are hoping to dispel the notion that they are
nothing more than boy racers with a charity rally.
The BMW Facebook Owners Club is holding its first “tunnel run”
on Saturday, November 17.
The event, dubbed Lost Without Cause, will be raising money for
Demelza children’s hospices and sets off from the Waitrose store
car park in Dartford at 8pm.
Tunnel running is a more unusual type of road rally for owners
of high-performance sports cars as it focuses on the enjoyment of
the noises engines make in enclosed spaces rather than outright
speed.
They usually take place at night when other traffic is minimal,
and have become an online phenomenon, with videos of hundreds of
cars driving in convoy regularly posted on YouTube.
The starting lines for many of the events are believed to be car
parks near the Dartford Crossing but the rallies have attracted
fierce criticism with claims made by Labour MP Jim Fitzpatrick
(Poplar and Limehouse) that they are putting people’s lives at risk
and should be banned.
However, the organisers of Saturday night’s event say they are
not breaking the speed limit or any laws and hope to raise
thousands of pounds for charity.
Jamie Spinks, co-founder of BMW OC, said they like to refer to
the event as a road trip with photo opportunities.
“It is common knowledge the car-cruising scene has a bad
name.
“While we are mainly doing this for charity we are also trying
to raise awareness that all car enthusiasts are not the same.
The organisers hope that at least 200 cars will make up the
convoy.
They say they have been liaising with police and councils to
obtain the necessary permission to drive the planned – but as yet
undisclosed – five-hour route. It will pass through a number of
tunnels before finishing in Lambeth’s Leake Street graffiti
tunnel.
15/11/12
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