The dust has now settled on one of the most amazing challenges for charity, the 2018 Shitbox Rally.
As the old shitboxes rolled (or limped!) into Darwin, the 550 participants were exhausted, dirty but in great spirits at achieving the staggering mission of travelling 3,800 kilometres in 7 days from Brisbane to Darwin in cars worth $1000 or less.
It was a truly unique experience which TradiePad loved being onboard with this year as a sponsor. We introduced our team and the cougar to you all in our first blog “Rallying To Cure Cancer” so here’s a little roundup and some pics from this epic journey.
The Trip
Day 1 – May 19 – Brisbane to Mitchell
Brisbane put on a cracking day for the start of the 2018 rally. All the teams, families, friends and supporters gathered at the start line at Manheim Auction in Eagle Farm ready and eager to kick off the challenge in their pimped out shitboxes. Who would make it all the way to Darwin?
Day 2 – May 20 – Mitchell to Yaraka
With energy levels still at an all-time high, all the teams dressed up for jazzercise day on day 2 of the challenge! Some seriously funny outfits in the mix, some were pretty questionable and we wondered how comfortable their ride would be on this leg of the journey – check out the official pics, hilarious!!
Day 3 – May 21 – Yaraka – Middelton
This is where the challenge really started to get real. Long stretches of unsealed, dusty roads in the middle of nowhere. Lots of shredded tyres, stone flicking and dust clouds for as far as you could see.
Day 4 – May 22 – Middleton – Camdoweal
And this is the point where we came unstuck. The Cougs was belted. The car ended up on a trailer with a busted water pump belt, the boys hoped it might be repaired overnight so they could hit the road tomorrow and continue the challenge. At least they got to play happy passenger, checking out the remote scenery, even spotting some emus and playing a bit of Desert golf.
Day 5 – May 23 – Camdoweal – Cape Crawford
On the road again! Thanks to the magic of the rally mechanics and some no more gaps, the Cougs was off and purring. Not sure if it was the harsh Aussie sun, the clouds of red dust or the Semi-trailer dodging but our moment of glory was short-lived. Again the Cougs ends up on the trailer, demonstrating why cars worth $750 aren’t your best option offroad! C’mon Cougs, we need to make it to Darwin, not the junkyard!
Day 6 – May 24 – Cape Crawford – Mataranaka
The sun rose on a new day and a new life for the Cougs! Hooray, she was fixed and running like a champion again even through dust, mud and water! (Check out the sweet action shot below!) One more day left in the challenge and it looks like the Cougs was gonna bring it home strong.
Day 7 – May 25 – Mataranaka – Darwin
Final leg of the challenge and the close of an amazing journey. The Cougs had done well making it all the way across some crazy terrain, 3800km to our destination in Darwin. The boys told us they had dust in places you could only imagine… we preferred not to. Good work fellas! Now go have a shower ready for auction day tomorrow!
Day 8 – May 26 – Darwin Auctions
The final part of the Rally is the car auction. All teams auction off their rally cars to raise as much extra money as possible for the Cancer Council. At the start of this adventure the boys brought the Cougs for $750, so I think we were all pretty stoked when she sold at auction for $350! Especially since we had to admit she broke down a couple times and spent part of the trip on the trailer…
With an aim to break last years record of $1.67 million, we are extremely excited to announce that the 2018 Shitbox Rally raised a whopping total of $1,959,702 for the Cancer Council! An amazing result which will fund research into preventing, curing and supporting cancer patients and their families.
To find out more about the rally or sign up to participate next years event, head over to the Shitbox Rally Website. 2019 will mark the ten year anniversary of the rally and the route will be from Perth to Sydney via Uluru! TradiePad can’t wait to be involved again in this amazing challenge!!
