Wick Hill boss in spectacular Monte Carlo charity rally

Woking, Surrey: Friday, 10th  September -  Sports and historic car enthusiast Ian Kilpatrick, chairman of security and IP infrastructure VAD Wick Hill, accompanied by his wife Kirsty, is driving their historic Mark 1 Lotus Cortina to Monte Carlo next week, as part of the ‘Monte Carlo or Bust’ charity rally.

The rally is raising money for the charities ‘Help for Heroes’, ‘The Teenage Cancer Trust’, National Osteoporosis Society and The Mara Rianda Primary School.

Kilpatrick, whose car is sponsored by Wick Hill vendor partners WatchGuard, Check Point and Kaspersky Lab (Germany) will join a convoy of 35 historic and exotic cars departing from a private motor museum near Guildford on Sunday 12th September. The rally will take them through six countries, arriving in Monaco four days later.

The rally, which will be waved off near Guildford by film and TV star Susan Hampshire OBE, and met in Monte Carlo by motor racing commentator Murray Walker OBE, will take in some of the most spectacular motoring in Europe, including the Black Forest, the Gotthard Pass, the San Bernadino Pass, the Furka Pass and the Italian Lakes.

The San Bernadino Pass includes 18 hairpin bends at a gradient of over 9% with views to die for, and the Furka Pass, with its sweeping bends, tight hairpins and intense gradients, was featured in the James Bond film Goldfinger.  Other cars taking part in the event include a Jaguar E-type, several Aston Martins, a Bentley Brooklands, several Porsches and a Maserati.

Ian Kilpatrick commented: “We’re really looking forward to an amazing drive in our 1964 Lotus Cortina, the same type of car that competed in the Monte Carlo rally in its era. The route is going to be both incredibly stunning and challenging for the car, but we’re looking forward immensely to the experience, and to sharing it with our fellow competitors.

“At the same time, we’re hoping to raise a considerable sum for the chosen charities. Anyone wanting to support our efforts and these worthwhile causes can do so by visiting www.justgiving.com/monte-carlo-or-bust . We’ll be keeping everyone informed of our progress on Twitter and YouTube.”