Father of hero soldier from Corby wins car rally

The team chose a Trabant for their epic journey

A team led by the father of a war hero has cruised to victory in an international car rally.

Duane Ashworth's son, James, from Corby in Northamptonshire, was killed in Afghanistan in 2012.

Mr Ashworth's team drove a Trabant 601E in the Veterans Banger Rally which lasted for a week and took them from Dover to Gibraltar.

They were raising money for a specialist hotel in Suffolk for veterans and their families.

Mr Ashworth (left of picture) and his team were raising funds for Kitchener's Memorial Holiday Centre.

L/Cpl James Ashworth was 23 when he was killed as he led a team in an attack on a compound held by insurgents in Afghanistan.

He was awarded with a posthumous Victoria Cross in 2013 and the area outside the Corby Cube was named "James Ashworth Square" in his honour.

L/Cpl James Ashworth VC was killed in Afghanistan in 2012

His father is now chairman of the management committee of Lord Kitchener's Memorial Holiday Home in Lowestoft, Suffolk.

He found three other people involved in the charity to join him on the rally adventure.

They chose a Trabant 601E as their preferred method of transport, one of about three million manufactured in communist East Germany before the fall of the Berlin Wall.

The team's Trabant 601E had to be left at a British classic car garage

'Fancy dress'

The cars were infamous for their uncomfortable ride and unreliability and - true to form - Mr Ashworth's Trabant broke down during the rally just before the Pyrenees in France.

"We went online and found another clutch and we were going to get it delivered to Benidorm and spend the following day replacing the clutch and then catch up with the rally," he said.

Unfortunately, Spanish law did not allow the Trabant to be towed so it was left at a British classic car garage in Pau in France and the team transferred to their back-up car - a Land Rover.

A different challenge awaited them in Benidorm.

Mr Ashworth added: "All teams had to be in a fancy dress beginning with 'B' ... the four of us went as bunny girls."

Each team collected points during the rally and completed a number of challenges and Mr Ashworth's team came out as the overall winner.

The money they raised will go towards low-cost holidays at Lord Kitchener Memorial Holiday Centre in Lowestoft for serving soldiers and veterans.