RAF Races Supercars For Charity!

Steyr

http://www.thecourier.co.uk/output/2008/03/29/newsstory11135575t0.asp

Jets take on supercars in charity race



By Gordon Berry
FIFE RAF fighter jets went head to head with some of the fastest cars in the world yesterday as part of a special charity challenge.

Pilots from 43 (Fighter) Squadron at RAF Leuchars, together with a Scottish company that specialises in the hire and use of ultimate performance cars and has an exclusive drivers’ club, helped raise around £10,000 for Help for Heroes, the charity for wounded servicemen and women.

The Tornado jets were up against three pieces of motoring exotica, which were in the hands of specialist drivers for the challenge.

The fund-raiser came about after personnel at RAF Leuchars hired one of Rio Prestige Performance’s cars for a function and the squadron later contacted the company with their idea for the daring event.

The cars involved in the race—for the record, two of the cars came some way behind the awesome performance of the fighter planes—were a Koenigsegg CC8, a Gumpert Apollo, and a Pagani Zonda C12.

They reached speeds of between 180mph and 200mph as they hurtled down a track alongside the main runway is their bid to beat the jets to the finish line.

Only the Zonda beat the jet to the finish line.

Tornado pilot flight lieutenant Simon Grieve said, “It was not so much a race for me as they started the race before I was ready, and I was still doing my pre-race checks.

“The car had already started when the starter fired his gun so it was more of a chase. But the event is good fun.”

RAF Leuchars spokesman squadron leader Keith Wardlaw said RAF Leuchars flying squadrons are always looking for innovative ways to raise money for charity.

“The partnership with Rio provides not only participation and an exciting spectacle but the chance to raise thousands of pounds for a charity with which all service personnel can identify,” he said.

Rio Prestige general manager Edward Legge said the event provided the ideal opportunity for club members to experience the fleet of “hypercars”, watch the exciting action, and tour the station.

At the event was Kim Wardner, Help for Heroes’ Scottish fund-raising representative, who said the charity had been launched last October to do something practical for men and women wounded while serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.

She said that the charity is already two thirds of the way towards its £6 million national appeal target for a much-needed swimming pool and gym complex at Headley Court, near Epsom, the tri-service rehabilitation centre.

She paid tribute to everyone involved in the Leuchars effort and said that the charity was “absolutely delighted” to have people from the armed services helping in this way.