Richard Burns Foundation and Michael Park Fund to benefit from celebrity kart race.
Two of world rallying's newest charitable foundations will be well-represented at next month's all-star kart race at Birmingham's NEC but, despite aces coming from all areas of the sport, fans can also take to the track.
The Richard Burns Foundation has two places up for grabs in its 'Michael Park Fund' team which will compete in the BP Ultimate 102 Unleaded Celebrity Kart Challenge at the Autosport International show on 11 January, where the highest bidder will be lining up alongside Stobart VK M-Sport Ford's Matthew Wilson, rally legend Markko Märtin, top national racer Joe Twyman and another, yet to be named, star.
The reserve on each available place in the team is just £300, with hopefuls able to apply by sending their name, contact details and bid amount to info@richardburnsfoundation.com before midday on Monday 7 January.
There will also be another very special team competing to raise cash for the Richard Burns Foundation, as 'Marino's Marauders, led by Scottish ALMS ace Marino Franchitti, fields ex-F1 star Johnny Herbert, Le Mans and Porsche racer Danny Watts and DTM driver Paul di Resta in a bid to win the event for RBF.
All the money from public entries will go straight to the winning team's chosen charity, while race organisers are hoping to raise £50,000 for David Brabham's Racing 4 Charity organisation from the event.
Over 70 of the world's top motorsport stars will be taking part in a battle of the motorsport formulae, with virtually every major championship represented among 22 teams, which will include drivers from ALMS, DTM, WTCC, BTCC, British and FIA GT, British F3, WRC, Formula Renault and karting.
Joining the likes of Herbert and Brabham among the former F1 stars in the field, some of the biggest names in the business will be lining up to support the event, including Indianapolis 500 winner Gil de Ferran.
"To me, this is a no-brainer!" the former Honda F1 team boss said, "First, you go and visit one of the best racing car shows in the world while, at the same time, spending time with your friends and family. Let's not forget, you can also have some fun with them bumping around the kart track for a couple of hours, but, most importantly, you can do all this and help a charity as well! I can think of many worse ways to spend an afternoon."
The entry list is also expected to boast multiple ALMS racewinner and champion Allan McNish as well as DTM star Gary Paffett, BTCC ace Darren Turner; this year's Macau F3 GP winner and A1 Team GBR driver Oliver Jarvis; BTCC race-winner Tom Onslow-Cole - fresh from his Wembley triumph with the Crash.net team - and GP2 ace Adam Carroll.
"We are really gaining a lot of momentum now and the response from the star drivers and public has been superb," Brabham commented, "The racing is going to be hotly contested and I am sure the public will have fun watching it while the drivers will be getting the Christmas break boredom out of their system. Meanwhile, with the race being televised all over the world, the charities and sponsors will have great TV awareness."
Other charities set to benefit from the event include: Bliss (The Premature Baby Charity), Whizzkids, NARA (The Breathing Charity), Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Warwickshire & Northamptonshire Air Ambulance, Christies Hospital Cancer Ward (Manchester), Breakthrough Breast Cancer, The British Heart Foundation, The Multiple Sclerosis Society, WOMAC and The Butterfly Appeal for About Face, Cerebra and Karting for the Disabled.
