A Scottish grandfather is realising his lifelong dream of completing the Historic Monte Carlo rally to raise money for a young people’s charity.
Alex Young, 70, will be driving with his son Jonathan, 32, from Paisley on Wednesday, where vintage cars will gather to make the journey south to the principality of Monaco, almost 1,300 miles away.
The chairman of family-firm Scot Seat Direct, Mr Young has competed in motorsport events since the age of 16 and he hopes to raise £15,000 for the Outward Bound Trust.
It will pay for three-week outdoor adventure courses run by the charity to “unlock the potential” of 15- to 19-year-olds from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Along with their experienced navigator Michael Hyrons, 50, the father-and-son team will be getting behind the wheel of a 1967 Volvo Amazon 123 GT, which has previously completed the rally.
The Youngs, who will have to travel non-stop for up to 36 hours, will share the driving and have an ice car ahead to warn them of snow – the biggest challenge they face.
Mr Young said: “The Monte Carlo has been a lifetime dream for me to do, right from the 60s and it is, in everybody’s mind, the most prestigious rally, so I thought I’d better do it sooner rather than later. It’s one on the bucket list.
“In preparation, we have obviously stripped the car bit-by-bit, from end-to-end, and rewired and rebuilt as necessary.
“I’m a fast driver but we’ve practised and we’re doing more practice with special Norwegian snow tyres.
“My wife and my son’s girlfriend are flying out to Monte Carlo for the ball at the end of the rally and they’ll be at the start with my granddaughter to see us off.”
The challenge begins at Paisley Abbey on Wednesday where the first cars will set off at 6pm, aiming to reach Monte Carlo by February 2.
Other starting points for the exciting and challenging rally across Europe are Bad Homburg, Barcelona, Oslo and Reims.
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