CHARITY RACE DAY OFFERS VISITORS THE THRILL OF A LIFE TIME

During the event, members of the public will be able to experience all the thrills of being in a racing car, as they are given a rare opportunity to sit in the passenger seat of some of the fantastic vehicles which will be on display and enjoy speeding round the track with an experienced driver.

The event will be a fun-filled day for all the family and the organisers are promising something for everyone with their impressive line-up of vehicles, which includes performance cars, super cars, racing cars, dealer models and even vintage cars. Members of the public, including children over the age of 12 or measuring over 4’10" in height, will have the opportunity to experience the thrill of a lifetime, as they are taken round the track by a seasoned professional. There will also be a wide selection of activities for children, including face painting, and refreshments will be available from the restaurant and bar.

The Charity Day is being launched at The Holiday Inn Norwich North on Sunday 6th November, when organisers look forward to welcoming car enthusiasts, families and anyone who is interested in supporting the day, along to the hotel to learn more about it. There will be activities for children and refreshments, as well as an opportunity to view some of the race cars up close and personal in the hotel’s Lancaster Suite. In addition, visitors will be able to pre-book slots for rides in their cars of choice, when they attend the Charity Race Day later in the month.

The event is being organised by five local businessmen who have teamed up to create a unique and exciting day out for the whole family, which they hope will raise much needed funds for Ronald McDonald House Charities.

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Kevin Foley, one of the organisers and owner of two of Norwich’s busiest McDonald’s franchises, explains:

"I have worked for McDonald’s since I was 21. My father was one of the first people in this country to own a franchise of the business and I was the first ever second generation franchisee in the UK. It’s in the blood! So we have been familiar with Ronald McDonald House Charities since it began in 1974, although it wasn’t established in the UK until 1989.

The aim of the charity is to provide free accommodation in or close to hospitals and hospices throughout the UK so families of seriously ill children can stay together whilst their child is being treated. Having met some of the inspirational families who have been personally helped by the RMHC, my dream is to get one of these units built here for the Norfolk & Norwich Hospital.

I have been involved in a number of fundraising dinners but I really wanted to do something different. So it struck me that an event around my passion – cars – could really work. So I posted a message on LinkedIn, asking if anyone could help and the rest, as they say, is history...". Answering Kevin’s pleas for help were Devin Grosse, General Manager of The Holiday Inn Norwich-North and passionate part-time racing driver; Shawn Taylor, engineer, racing instructor and owner of the Shawn Taylor Racing Team; Danny Snelling, Managing Director of Pink Connect and Chairman of Scooby City, the East Anglian Subaru Owners Club and Rob Whitwood, Manager of Inspired Change and vintage car enthusiast. Agreeing to meet, it didn’t take the five businessmen long to pool their collective passions, experience and contacts to come up with the idea for the fantastic Charity Race Day Experience.

Devin explained : "The Charity Race Day is really a bringing together of the group’s two passions – cars and raising money for charity. We hope that by doing something so different and giving the public this rare opportunity to experience the thrills of what it’s like speeding round the track in a racing car, that we will have a great turnout and raise as much money as possible for RMHC. We would like to invite anyone who is interested to come along to our launch event on 6th November."

Organisers are also looking for groups or organisations who might be able to support the event on the day and any racing car owners who would like to take advantage of the opportunity to showcase their vehicle and their driving skills. If you are able to help or would be interested to learn more, please e-mail us at trade@charityraceexperience.co.uk / kevin@charityraceexperience.co.uk, or call Kevin Foley on 07778 163 942.