A motor sport fan’s dream is on offer to mark a special anniversary.
Simon Willis, a friend of Frinton teenager Andrew Gard, who died just days before his 18th birthday from sudden heart failure, is organising an online auction to mark the tenth anniversary of his death.
Simon, from Great Oakley, an Engine Event Engineer with Mitsubishi Motor Sports, is offering the lucky bidder the chance to ride as a passenger in a full 2007 specification World Rally Car in a bid to boost screening funds for youngsters.
The event will take place on Saturday, June 23, at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.
The car is identical to those driven on the WRC rallies this year by Toni Gardemeister, Xavier Pons and Juho Hanninen and will be piloted by a professional world rally driver – yet to be confirmed.
It will consist of one run up the famous Goodwood Hill climb and one run around the Goodwood rally stage. The bidding has already reached £160 on eBay.
The money will go towards Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY) which provides support to families affected by the sudden death of a young person and to young people diagnosed with a life-threatening condition.
A fund set up in Andrew’s memory has raised more than £100,000.
The keen sportsman of Glebe Way, Frinton, was found dead in his bedroom after suffering a cardiac arrest.
Simon said: “We hope, through this auction, to raise money for a screening programme in local communities, schools and sports clubs.
“We also want to raise awareness of the conditions that can lead to cardiac deaths in young people and fund medical research.
“It will be a real blast for the winner – the kind of experience that money can’t normally buy.”
