A Driving Force bring Torque the Rock to Gibraltar for the first ever Airport Sprints!

15 August 2024

At the midway point of their 2024 event for SSAFA the participants in A Driving Force arrived in Gibraltar for a well-deserved pit stop.

A Driving Force for SSAFA is a biennial fundraising charity event. It involves seventy people, in thirty-five vehicles, including participants and support vehicles, on an exhilarating 10-day driving adventure across the Iberian Peninsula and Gibraltar from 30 July to 9 August 2024, hoping to raise £120,000 for SSAFA.

The 10-day event visited Gibraltar on Saturday 3 and Sunday 4 August, which was seen as the jewel in the crown of the 2024 A Driving Force for SSAFA event. They made quite a spectacle as they arrived. The team worked closely with Commodore Tom Guy, Commander of British Forces, Gibraltar to put together ‘Torque the Rock’, which saw the first ever airport sprints in Gibraltar on Saturday!

The afternoon was an amazing success, raising lots of money for SSAFA, with many Gibraltarians and the participants of A Driving Force for SSAFA taking in the spectacle together. The sunny skies and iconic outline of the Rock of Gibraltar made for the perfect setting for the races along the airport tarmac, which famously runs the full length of Gibraltar’s border.

On Sunday, there was a special remembrance service at Trafalgar Cemetery to remember those military personnel that have been lost. Event participants including 10-year-old participant Jack Cordery laid a wreath on behalf of A Driving Force (pictured). There was also a special VIP dinner hosted by Commodore Tom Guy, Commander of British Forces, Gibraltar at the top of the rock on Sunday evening.

Commodore Tom Guy, Commander of British Forces, Gibraltar said:

“British Forces Gibraltar was delighted to host the 35 supercars participating in the 2024 Driving Force for SSAFA ‘Torque the Rock’ this weekend. It was fantastic to be able to offer some unique experiences in Gibraltar, raising lots of money in aid of such a worthy cause. We wish them well on their return journey to the UK and look forward to supporting other such events in the future.”

A Driving Force for SSAFA has two Directors who are both ex-serving members of HM Forces: Benn Laidler MBE and Steve Shaw MA, FCILT, CMCIPD. Since 2012 they have been fundraising through charity driving events, which have taken place across the UK and mainland Europe, raising over £750,000 for many charities that support military personnel. The 2022 event managed to raise a staggering £173,000.

Steve Shaw MA, FCILT, CMCIPD, Director of A Driving Force for SSAFA said:

“We could not wait to bring A Driving Force for SSAFA to Gibraltar, for the highlight of our 2024 fundraising event. We have a big target of raising £120,000 for SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity, and by visiting Gibraltar and creating the event Torque the Rock, it provides us with a platform to improve awareness of all the fantastic work that SSAFA do and raise more money in our attempt to reach our goal.”

The Clements Prestige team at Clements Worldwide (a Gallagher company) are dedicated to finding solutions for their clients when others struggle to do so. They were immensely proud to have been able to support Torque Events and SSAFA by providing an insurance solution that allowed all those in attendance to experience the thrill of a never before held event at Gibraltar Airport. The A Driving Force team are extremely grateful for their assistance, as without it the event would not have been able to happen.

Neil Entwistle from Clements Prestige said:

“Watching our clients and others have the opportunity to go full throttle in a sprint along the taxiway of the airport was immensely exciting and memorable. We are so happy to have been able to help make this event a reality for Torque and help support SSAFA in their fundraising activities”.