The Rusty Rally is an adventure on four wheels. You will be taking on the challenge of driving through 6 countries in 3 days, navigating some of the world’s most scenic driving roads and spectacular high mountain passes. Doing this in a car worth no more than £500 makes this a Rusty escapade you will never forget.

Teams will be given a briefing each day of the route ahead, with suggested stops along the way. These include the most scenic roads, museums, restaurants, castles and even places to swim! Of course, you can decide your own route if you wish.

Each evening The Rusty Rally teams meet for dinner to swap stories of the people, places and cultures you have encountered along the way. You will get to enjoy local cuisine and entertainment and our intention is that every minute of your experience is an adventure, regardless of whether you are inside or outside of your vehicle.

4-Star accommodation and dinner is provided for the Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights (on a single or shared basis). 

There will be a maximum of 15 cars on the event. The number is capped so that we keep the sense of team and camaraderie that the Rusty Rally has become known and loved for.

The Rusty Rally, whilst a fun challenge, will raise important funds for The Outward Bound Trust and each car is requested to raise or donate a minimum of £10,000. There is an additional registration fee of £250 per person to enter.

Successful teams have reached and exceeded this amount through a combination of corporate sponsorship, holding fundraising events and using professional and personal contacts. With a few clever ideas and bit of hard work, your goal of £10,000 is easier to reach than you may think. Please contact us for a chat about what fundraising methods would work best for you.

The money raised will go towards funding our important bursary programme to enable disadvantaged young people to attend a life changing Outward Bound course in the outdoors. We focus on improving young peoples’ confidence, tenacity and resilience - key skills which young people need to thrive in education, employment and throughout their life. With your help, we can make a positive and profound difference to huge numbers of young people from across the UK who would never get such an opportunity to realise there is more in them than they think.

Here are some ideas to get you started, but download our complete Rusty Rally Fundraising Guide here too.

Ask friends, family, clients and local businesses for support.

Approach clients, suppliers & local businesses to sponsor your team. Offer to brand your car with their logo.

Ask for a specific donation in exchange for a logo on your car (e.g. £500 or £1000 per logo).

Incentivise companies to sponsor you by offering to mention them in any social media that you are doing to promote your participation before and during the event.

Host a fundraising event – a dinner, a quiz, a race night.

Plan an auction or raffle event. Ask suppliers and local businesses to donate a prize (items, services or experiences can be auctioned!).

A fun part of your challenge will be to buy your car. The basic rule is that the car must cost no more than £500 (or hold this value) and be roadworthy. There is no limit to what you can spend to modify your car but any modifications must be declared to your insurer.

You will be surprised what you can get for £500 and a good place to start is to look at the Autotrader website and on Ebay. As you will be in the car for a minimum of three days it is advisable to consider the comfort of passengers. For example, check that you can open the back windows and see how much luggage can fit in the boot. You should also make sure you can plug in a sat nav.

Included in the challenge will be dinner and hotel accommodation (single or shared room) for the Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. Plus, two mechanics with a back-up vehicle, 24 hour emergency assistance and tour leaders from Outward Bound.

You will be responsible for all expenses related to your car, including insurance, breakdown cover and petrol. The Habsburg challenge starts in Vienna and finishes in Bratislava and you will need to arrange your own transport to and from these destinations. We can arrange to transport your car, for a fee.

Your car:

Your car should not cost more than £500 or hold that value. If you make any modification to it please discuss this with your insurers before the cover is placed or modifications made.

Your team:

You must have a minimum of 2 team members. The maximum number in your team is the number of passengers your car can legally carry. At least 2 of your team must share the driving. The minimum age for drivers is 25.

Documentation:

Your car must have a valid MOT certificate and be taxed for the duration of the event. All drivers must be covered by car insurance, including European cover. All drivers must have a valid driving license which covers them to drive in the countries shown on the route. All participants must have European travel insurance.

No racing:

The Rusty Rally is not a race. Racing and ramming is strictly forbidden. All participants are advised to drive safely and to obey the regulations for the country you are in. The organizers can take no responsibility for any accidents or damage caused by anyone taking part in the event.

Fundraising:

Each car must raise or donate a minimum of £10,000 in addition to the registration fees. It is recommended that you reach this target before the Rally takes place.

Cancellation:

The registration fee of £250 per person is non-refundable. However, you can make changes to your team up to 4 weeks prior to the event.

Please click here to read our Ts & Cs.

We take safety very seriously and we have therefore put in place 24 hour back up for both you and your vehicle for the duration of the event.

Two dedicated mechanics in a recovery vehicle will follow the route, about an hour behind the group. They will be able to assist one vehicle at a time. If your car is not repairable on the roadside it will be transported to the next hotel (for free) or back to the UK (for a fee). If you find yourself with no vehicle you can either hire a car or join another team.

You are also strongly advised to take out European breakdown cover for the event. This could be the quickest way of getting your vehicle repaired.

In the event of a serious incident, there is a dedicated 24 hour helpline number that you may call. They will deal with accidents, emergencies, lost passports, repatriation or any other serious incident.

You will make your own way to the start point. You can choose to drive to the start or, if you wish to fly, we can arrange transportation of your car. This will be an extra cost and your car must be ready for transportation up to 10 days before the event. The event starts with a full briefing at 8am on the Thursday morning. For the Habsburg route, this is in a hotel just outside of Vienna on 4 July. You can fly to either Vienna or Bratislava.

The event finishes on Saturday night with a celebratory dinner and overnight stay. You will make your way home on Sunday after breakfast and all routes finish within an hour of an airport. For the Habsburg route, we finish in a hotel in central Bratislava. Flights home can be from Bratislava or Vienna.

You can choose to drive home and continue your adventure for a few days. If you wish to fly home we can arrange transportation of your car for an extra cost. Alternatively, you can choose to scrap your car at the end point. We can provide assistance with scrapping, for an extra fee.