Passenger side of the Bulldog rally car

Tony Trowbridge makes his mark on Islander’s Bulldog Rally car

Thanks to Fiona for news of this charity event. Ed


The Isle of Wight will have its first ever entry in the Bulldog Rally which starts in just over a week’s time, on Wednesday 22nd July.

The rally starts in St Omar, France and travels through ten European countries over nine days.

One of the features of the rally is that cars should be decorated and the Isle of Wight car is going to be one of the most decorated cars in the race.

As the 1994 Lexus GS300 drives around some of the most famous routes in Europe, it will be displaying the artwork of the Isle of Wight’s own urban artist, Tony Trowbridge, also known by his tag ‘Not Dead Yet.’

The Artist
Tony spent many days preparing the designs and stencils for the car and last week, hidden away in a lockup somewhere on the Island, he set to work covering the car in artwork from bonnet to boot in the hope that it wins the most decorated car in the Bulldog Rally 2015.

As an urban artist, Tony enjoys painting on large surfaces and where some artists would feel that a 30 x 40 inch canvas was their limit, Tony would relish the chance to paint a 30 x 40 foot wall if he was given the opportunity.

Tony with the Bulldog Rally Car he painted

The Drivers
The Drivers of the Isle of Wight entry, David Livingstone and Jon ‘Conky’ Coleman have named their team, the Sandown Bay Bulldogs having decided to enter the rally after the idea came to mind over a pint in the local pub.

The front of the Bulldog Rally car

The pair will be sharing the driving over the nine days and hoping to raise funds for their chosen charities. David has chosen The Multiple Sclerosis Trust after losing his first wife to multiple sclerosis just over ten years ago and Jon is fundraising for the Earl Mountbatten Hospice on the Isle of Wight who looked after his mum so well when she really needed it.

The side of the finished car

David says that he’s looking forward to meeting the other teams and seeing the other cars, and although he has never done anything like this before, he believes that spending nine days with his friend in the same car will not be a problem. He’s not looking forward to getting caught in traffic and the cost of fuel for his thirsty car though.

Donate
Donate via David’s JustGiving Page or Jon’s JustGiving Page