One of Australia's longest running charity events will host it's 31st year of rally car driving for a good cause, and a Dubbo local will once again be helping them meet their goals.
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Richard Edgely, a frequent fixture in recent years amongst the rally drivers supporting the effort, will once again be putting his mettle to the test in a journey along the Capricorn Coast, travelling from Port Macquarie, to Armidale and then back down to Rockhampton.
"The track's brilliant, as of last year, we've got a new Rally director John Payne and he does a lot of rallying, so he's going to organise more rally tracks, rather than the straight roads we've had in the past," Mr Edgely said.
"You get to have a bit more fun in the Kidney Kar rally."
"I love it, the family and friends you make in the rally world, it's unbelievable, the new people you meet, you virtually get a new family."
Even though the event won't formally start until August 8, Edgely and his team, 'Doing It For The Kiddies' have already raised over $13,000 this year.
"It's a great feeling to help the kids out and you do get to meet some of them along the way, which is very rewarding."
The round trip will cover approximately 2300km and the drivers will be stopping at towns along the way to try and encourage locals to support the fundraising effort.
"Preparation is going brilliantly, we're even trying to get an all girls team together for next year," Mr Edgely said.
"I'm just getting the car checked at the moment, so a big thank you to Dubbo Tires and Batteries and Craig Orchard automotive for all the work they've done."
This year, organisers Kidney Health Australia are aiming to raise over $500,000 dollars to assist children and young people who are battling kidney disease.
Chief Executive Officer of Kidney Health Australia, Chris Forbes, described the rally and fundraising efforts as 'big kids helping little kids'.
"Our target this year is $500,000 but we'd love to smash it - the more funds we get, the more we can pour into programs to help children and young people deal with the physical, emotional and psychological impacts of kidney disease," Mr Forbes said.
"We've had fantastic support from the Rally drivers for the past 31 years, raising over $15 million in total, and helping countless kids from all over the country deal with the daily challenges of living with this debilitating disease."
"Alarmingly, 65 people die with kidney related diseases every day, and currently 1.5 million Australians are unaware they have early signs of the disease. So, the rally is a great platform to connect with and educate local communities about kidney disease and the importance of prevention, early detection and support."
