Hippo Motor Group regularly take part in and attend several rallies across the country, and in the past have taken part in ones such as the Grizedale and Cambrian Rally. Last Saturday, Hippo were once again at another rally to take part in the Legend Fires North West Stages.
The Legend Fires is a Multi-Venue Tarmacadam Rally, which began on Friday evening and ran through til finish on Saturday. The rally has become incredibly popular over the years, and was celebrating its 17th run this year. The North West stages are a great chance for rally crews to experience something similar to a serious and semi-professional European rally.
The event this year had 5 different venues spread across the Fylde Coast, with approximately 75 miles of sealed surface for drivers. On top of this, the Rally event had central servicing, a fully packed time schedule, night-time stages, and an indoor Parc Fermé within Norcalympia Exhibition Hall.
Tom Preston and co-driver Jack Morton started off well on the Friday evening, and by the end of stage 1 (which was in Lytham Hall) the Hippo team was an incredible 3rd overall, and were only 1 second behind the first place driver. By the time the night stages had finished, the Hippo team had slipped into 11th place, but were still doing great nonetheless. This gave our team great confidence for their start on Saturday morning for the next stages. The Hippo team once again started off strong, and managed to set the 5th fastest stage time. Unfortunately, at the beginning of stage 6, there were some issues with the clutch on the car, and it was decided that it would be safer for the team to retire and take it for servicing back at home. The team had a fantastic time though, and are looking forward to the next rally.
This year’s rally organisers were made up from several members of North West based motor clubs, and they all provided an excellent weekend filled with competitive and challenging rally stages, and a fantastic social atmosphere from thousands of spectators. The aim of the rally was to provide a challenge for the drivers, but also to give entertainment and enjoyment to everyone who came along. This year they were also raising money for Derian House Children’s Hospice, and in the past have raised around £90,000 for charities since the rally first started.
