Peter Lyon
December 27, 2024
The things people do for charity. In an oddly named ‘Car Pull Karaoke’ event in the U.K. this week, two gents have just pulled a Kia Picanto some 50 kms in 24 hours to raise $15,000 for the Millimeters To Mountains Foundation, a mental health charity.
Now, we are sure you’ve heard of or seen British comedian and actor James Corden’s hugely popular Karaoke Carpool segments on CBS’s The Late Late Show with James Corden, in which he featured and sang with such stars as Adele, Rod Stewart, Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder, Katy Perry, Justin Bieber, Madonna, Elton John, Ed Sheeran, Bruno Mars and Lady Gaga.
But this Car Pull Karaoke is a little different. In a unique charity event for the Millimetres 2 Mountains (M2M) Foundation, ex-rugby star turned disabled adventurer Ed Jackson and grammy-nominated, award-winning creative director Ross Stirling have undertaken the epic challenge of pulling a brand new Kia Picanto ‘GT-Line’ as far as possible, on foot, within 24 hours – ultimately finishing the pull having dragged the car more than 30 miles or 50kms.
Fortunately for Ed and Ross, the car in question was Kia’s new Picanto; the smallest and lightest in the brand’s comprehensive UK model line-up, with a kerb weight of just under a tonne (985kg), pulling it for more than 30 miles over 24 gruelling hours is no small achievement, reflected by the £12k ($15,000) raised for the M2M Foundation by Jackson and Stirling.
Provided by FJ Chalke Kia in Mere, Wiltshire, the Picanto ‘GT-Line’, the more sporty trim-level of the A-segment model’s family, is less accustomed to travelling at an average speed of 1.25 mph. The new Picanto is capable of achieving a top speed of 90 mph – unsurprisingly, however, not when being pulled along by human strength alone.
George Clarke, the Dealer Principle and Director at FJ Chalke, said, “We were delighted to be approached by Lois and Ed to ask if we could assist with this year’s M2M Christmas Challenge and knew we had the perfect 1-tonne car in our range to support them. Ed and Ross’ accomplishment, along with the work the charity completes, is inspirational and something we’re proud to be part of. This sense of adventure and relentless desire to achieve high standards aligns perfectly with FJ Chalke and Kia. Well done, Ed and Ross, we hope you’re able to put your feet up over Christmas.”
Throughout the challenge, a number of musical artists joined Jackson and Stirling, however from within the car, whilst they dragged it along behind them. While this added more weight to Kia’s city-car in question, it provided Late Late Show style laughs and entertainment for everybody along the way, echoing the ‘Carpool Karaoke’ segment of the aforementioned James Corden-hosted US late night talk show.
CARLIST THOUGHTS
These two guys are heroes. Following a career as a professional athlete, Jackson broke his neck in a diving accident and was told in hospital he would have to adapt to life as a quadriplegic. But he overcame all odds to not only walk and again but climb mountains and pull cars! Having raised more than £1 million for charity to date, Studio Juice founder Stirling said “When it comes to fundraisers, I knew this one would be a real mental challenge. Pushing through at 4am in complete darkness was tough, but the incredible supporters who showed up in the morning gave us the energy to keep going!”
