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Kelisa rallies again with district nurse at the wheel

19th December 2005 Print
The Perodua Kelisa has proved its versatility once again with a resounding success on the Lombard RAC Revival Rally. District nurse Karen Young, who previously excelled in the World Cup Rally and Welsh Endurance Rally, guided the Kelisa into 28th place overall with her husband Nigel as co-driver. Karen also achieved a ranking of third in class despite stopping to offer her assistance to an injured competitor!

The 2005 Lombard Revival Rally recreated the gruelling Lombard Rallies of the past with more than 50 tests and no service crews allowed. The Rally began in Oxford on Thursday 24 November and moved onto Chester before finishing in Llandudno on Sunday 27, covering 1250 miles in total. Of these, 300 miles were timed to the second on private land at stately homes and airfields. During one particular stage, which took place on the rally circuit at Silverstone, the Kelisa was second fastest out of all 140 cars.

The Kelisa held its own through terrain which included forest tracks and hills, sometimes in ice and snow, and at the end of the first day Karen had already managed to edge into 17th place after starting at 119th. According to Karen the Kelisa was also incredibly economical to run over the course of the Rally, only needing a top up of petrol twice a day and costing about half as much to fill as many of the other cars. Karen’s skills as a nurse also came in handy during the Rally when another driver suffered a head injury. After patching him up by the side of the track she got straight back into the Kelisa and continued with the event.

"I’m really excited to have done so well," says Karen. "The Kelisa is a fantastic little car and didn’t miss a beat despite the demanding conditions".

Karen & Nigel plan to contest next year’s Lombard Revival Rally in the Kelisa and are confident that they can achieve even better results in 2006 with the experience they have gained this year.