Motoring fanatics are gearing up for this year's South West Endurance Rally. After the success of last year's event, competitors from far away as the Dordogne in France will be racing to Newton Abbot to get involved in the event, next month. Among the 80 competitors expected to start are Bovey Tracey husband and wife crew Kevin and Claire Sherlock, who will be hoping to improve on their seventh place last year in their Toyota Starlet. The back to basics rally features inexpensive hatchback cars up to 1400cc, many costing less than £1,500 and some are even bought on eBay. Starting from Newton Abbot racecourse, the 450-mile route runs through south, mid and north Devon before moving into Cornwall with an overnight halt and finish in Plymouth, amounting to approximately 110 competitive miles, the majority off-road. The aim of endurance rallying is to put as much emphasis on the driver's skill as possible, by limiting the cars and changes that are made. entry secretary Andrew Bulpin said: 'The navigator is as important as the driver on this type of rally as the crews will visit around 40 different test venues, so staying on the correct route is paramount. It's a real trial of endurance, testing the crew's teamwork, friendship and the cars reliability to the limit,' The event, organised by the South Hams Motor Club, was a great success last year and Audi South West will sponsor the event again this year. ' The last event was the first Endurance Rally that South Hams Motor Club had organised and it was well received, many competitors said it was the best endurance rally of 2006, something we are very proud of as a club,' said Mr Bulpin. Organisers plan to offset the rally's carbon footprint with a tree- planting programme in the South Hams. The race starts on March 9 at Newton Abbot Racecourse.
