MPG Marathon champions aim to retain their title
MPG Marathon champions Nick Chapman and Rosemary Homer have confirmed they are to defend the crown they won in last year's eco-driving event.
Chapman and Homer, from Leicestershire County Council, achieved an amazing average of 88.69mpg over the total route of 339.3 miles in their Ford Fiesta ECOnetic 1.6 diesel Titanium. The pair out-performed the field of 23 other vehicles with their eco-driving skills to take the win.
They have now confirmed they will be entering this year's event to try and retain their hard-won title a feat which has only ever been achieved once before.
Event organiser said: "We are delighted that Nick and Rosemary have decided to defend the title they so ably won last year in the country's leading eco-driving event.
"Eco-driving remains an important aspect of fuel management due to the continued high pump price. And councils, and other fleet operators, can save substantial sums by implementing eco-driving techniques which have been shown to cut fuel costs by up to 10 per cent."
The 14th MPG Marathon takes place on Wednesday, October 8, and Thursday, October 9, when it will be based at the Cotswold Water Park Four Pillars Hotel, near Cirencester, Gloucestershire.
The 360-mile route will begin at Cirencester, take in the Brecon Beacons in Wales plus a number of points in between. Contestants are allowed to plan their own routes, provided they include a number of pre-agreed points.
For the first time this year, electric and hybrid vehicles are being included in three new classes: all-electric vehicles, range extenders and plug-in hybrids.
In previous years, the UK's most prestigious eco-driving challenge has attracted celebrities, motoring journalists, academics and senior figures from the automotive industry, all striving to see if they could complete the chosen route using as little fuel as possible.
by: Danielle Bagnall