THREE Bridgwater students have managed to return unscathed from a no-holds barred, seven-day, European charity road rally.

Gregg Berry, Tom Bugden and Marcus Donnelly completed the Motoscape Banger Rally racing through ten European countries within a week and managed to raise £600 for Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance.

Gregg, who is studying at Bridgwater College, said: “It was a fantastic experience.

“We had such a good time, saw some amazing sites and thankfully managed to raise some money for a really good cause.”

The Banger Rally rules meant that the boys had to complete a route through ten countries in a car worth no more than £333.

They managed to buy a car from Tom’s dad for exactly £333 and so had no more budget to improve the appearance of the 15-year-old Peugeot.

Gregg said: “We were lucky to get the car from Tom’s dad and even luckier to have Durleigh Displays do the livery for free so the car looked decent in the end.”

Covering a total of 3,394 miles, the rally route took them through France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Hungary, Slovenia and the Czech Republic with the finishing line in Prague.

Gregg said that travelling that distance in a car that has seen better days presented a whole host of challenges for the 20-year-olds.

He added: “There were some pretty dodgy moments.

The car overheated twice going up the Stelvio Pass in Switzerland but the big problem was going down it.

“I put my foot on the brake and the pedal went straight to the metal – there was nothing there at all. Fortunately we managed to steer onto a gravel lay-by and come to a stop but it was a little bit worrying at the time to say the least.”

After reaching the finish line the trio then needed to race back to the UK so that Gregg could attend his graduation ceremony.

He said: “The race finished on the Monday and I had to get back for the Tuesday to make the graduation. Luckily we made it with a bit of time to spare.”

Anyone wishing to donate can visit the just giving page at www.justgiving.com/dsaimoto scape/