EREWASH residents are being urged to back the borough’s youngest ever Mayor as he prepares for an epic charity trip in a Reliant Robin – which will include racing the Del Boy-style three-wheeler around Germany’s infamous Nürburgring.
Cllr Harry Atkinson, 26, is one of four pals who will this month squeeze into the motor to head for the continent on a near 2,000-mile grand tour of Ilkeston and Long Eaton’s twin towns.
The jaunt – which they are funding themselves – aims to boost links with Langen in Germany and the French towns of Romorantin-Lanthenay and Châlons-en-Champagne.
It will include tackling what has been described on BBC motoring show Top Gear as “the world’s most demanding racetrack”. Harry and his chums reckon it will be the first lap ever in a Reliant Robin.
A council colleague joked: “Good luck Harry and crew! Stay safe and fingers crossed the front wheel stays on!”
Harry admits the 34-year-old blue car – which sports a Union Flag on the bonnet – is unlikely to break any lap records. He beamed: “It has a 0 to 60 time of around 16 seconds and the top speed is only 85mph – downhill.
“But it is a fun way to raise money for my Mayor’s charities – the 1st Sawley Scouts in their mission to build a new scout hut and the youth academy of local community radio station Erewash Sound.”
His friend Matt Micklewright – who the Mayor has known since they were both six – bought the car three years ago for “a bit of fun”. The vehicle, which has just 55,000 miles on the clock, previously made it to Norway and back on a volunteering mission. Del Boy Trotter – played by David Jason in TV sitcom Only Fools and Horses – famously owned a yellow van version called a Reliant Regal. The three wheelers, which have fibreglass bodies, were manufactured in Tamworth.
Harry’s trip will also include a visit to the World War One Belgian battlefield of Ypres. He will lay a wreath at the Menin Gate. The provisional itinerary is:
10 April (Fri): Set off from Ilkeston Town Hall at 3pm → Dover (3h 19m – 326 km)
11 April (Sat): Dover → Paris (3h 6m – 288 km)
12 April (Sun): Paris → Romorantin-Lanthenay (2h 19m – 205 km)
13 April (Mon): Romorantin-Lanthenay
14 April (Tue): Romorantin-Lanthenay → Châlons-en-Champagne (3h 41m – 341 km)
15 April (Wed): Châlons-en-Champagne
16 April (Thu): Châlons-en-Champagne → Nürburgring (3h 32m – 329 km)
17 April (Fri): Nürburgring → Langen (1h 53m – 177 km)
18 April (Sat): Langen
19 April (Sun): Langen → Ypres (5h 12m – 529 km)
20 April (Mon): Ypres → Erewash (5h 43m – 489 km)
The Nürburgring has repeatedly featured on telly’s Top Gear, including when Richard Hammond was one of the show’s presenters. He described it to viewers as a “fearsome 13-mile track with 147 corners that over the years has claimed hundreds of lives”.
Hammond then climbed into a Ford Transit van driven by racing queen Sabine Schmitz – who managed to complete a circuit in a shade over ten minutes.
Harry is giving up his spare time to embark on his grand tour and is not being funded by the council in any way. To support him click here: Crowdfunding For Good From JustGiving
Châlons-en-Champagne – formerly known as Châlons-sur-Marne – has been Ilkeston’s twin town since 1957. Long Eaton is twinned with Romorantin-Lanthenay, in the Loire Valley, and Langen, which is a town near Frankfurt. More information is here: Twinning | Erewash Borough Council
