Here’s the press release covering the Land Rover ‘Go Beyond’ bursary. If you love adventure, then I suggest you read on as you may just be able to fund the experience of a lifetime.

Calling all expedition enthusiasts! With only weeks to go before the Land Rover ‘Go Beyond’ Bursary 2012 application draws to a close, now is your chance to apply for funding and the loan of a Land Rover Defender 110 to do a journey of a lifetime.

For the fifth consecutive year, the Land Rover ‘Go Beyond’ Bursary, run by the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) is one of Land Rover’s six Global Humanitarian & Conservation Partners.

The award is aimed at those who want to take a journey beyond their limits and boundaries, offering challenges for the team and using a Land Rover Defender 110 as an integral part of the expedition.

Mark Cameron, Global Brand Extension Director for Land Rover said; “It’s brilliant to see such a wide and exciting variety of expedition enthusiasts applying for the ‘Go Beyond’ Bursary 2012 this year.

And for the first time ever, we have also trebled the total amount of Land Rover funding to £30, 000, enabling the winning Bursary team to adventure further afield than ever before.”

Paul Rose, Vice President of Expeditions & Fieldwork, RGS-IBG added; “The Land Rover ‘Go Beyond’ Bursary offers recipients an amazing opportunity to take a journey to promote a wider understanding and enjoyment of people, places and environments.”

“With the use of a Land Rover Defender 110, you can really get off the beaten track and make the most of the vehicle’s capabilities in remote terrain and in demanding environments, helping to turn ideas for challenging and inspiring geographical journeys into a reality.”

The journey may connect the team with schools, local communities or projects but, whatever its aim, the team will be expected to inspire and engage others, both from the field and on return.

A bursary of £15,000 is available and in addition applicants can apply for a discretionary fund of up to £15,000 to support essential expedition-related costs. The application deadline is 3 February 2012 and interviews will take place in March 2012, in London. To apply, please visit; www.rgs.org/GoBeyond.

Additionally, the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) will also be exhibiting at the Telegraph Adventure Travel Show; Expedition planning zone. The show will provide a collection of extraordinary travel experiences under one roof, at London Olympia on the 28 – 29 January 2012.

The Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) is one of six Global Humanitarian & Conservation Partners with Land Rover which forms part of an integrated approach to sustainability and sits within Land Rovers’ Our Planet.

Here’s the information direct from BEN on a new scheme you may be interested in if you’re looking to dispose of your old car:

BEN the automotive industry charity has teamed up with Cartakeback and launched “Scrap & Donate” – the ethical way to dispose of your unwanted car whilst turning it into a valuable cash donation to BEN. This will help to solve one of those age old problems and help to support the charity at the same time. It’s also good for the environment so everyone benefits!

Disposing of old cars that have failed MOTs or are just too old to get back on the road is a problem that many people are faced with and the growing number of abandoned cars on the roadside suggests it is something that we don’t always have an answer for. BEN can now help with this so that your old vehicle will be disposed of in an environmentally efficient way whilst donating the value of the vehicle to BEN at the same time.

The scheme is really easy to take part in as all you need to do is visit the website www.ben.org.uk/scrapanddonate and enter a few details. Then you choose whether to deliver your old car to your nearest Cartakeback recycling centre, or make things really easy and ask them to collect it from you free of charge!

The team at Cartakeback will decide the best route to dispose of your vehicle. They will complete the necessary DVLA paperwork and issue you with a DVLA Certificate of Destruction, freeing you of any liability and confirming that your old vehicle has been disposed of in an ethical and environmentally responsible way. Once your car has been disposed of then they will pass the value of the vehicle back to BEN as a donation on your behalf.

Anyone with an unwanted or unused vehicle, failed MOT or one just too old and who would like to donate it to BEN can log on to www.ben.org.uk/scrapanddonate and find out more.

Nigel Williams BEN’s Commercial Development Manager says “Partnering with Cartakeback was an easy decision for BEN; it allows us to push the environmental agenda whilst also providing us with an additional fundraising option. Obviously the value of any vehicle is dependent upon a number of factors but at an average of around £100/vehicle this is an initiative that can provide us with another significant fundraising stream to help us continue to support those people who have turned to us for help”

Trusteddealers.co.uk are offering a new book as a free download. The Hypermiling Handbook does exactly what it says on the tin, with some great advice on how to get the most mileage for your moulah! Take a read through it now to see some top tips and find out for yourself how you can save. It’s no cost so it is a win win download.

New technology is being incorporated into the latest generation of Ford cars in order to make us all that little bit safer on the road.

Ford’s new Driver Alert safety technology gives motorists the ultimate wake-up call to keep him or her on the road.

First a soft warning will pop up in the instrument cluster as a text message and will stay there for 10 seconds with an accompanying chime. If the driver continues to demonstrate drowsy behaviour, a hard warning will appear in the instrument cluster which the driver must acknowledge by pressing an OK button.

“If the driver fails to acknowledge the hard warning, the system can only be reset by stopping the car and opening the driver’s door,” Nieh said. “The system then recognises that perhaps you have changed drivers or that you have had a rest and can continue.”

An onboard camera identifies lane markings and predicts where vehicle should be relative to them, whilst the Driver Alert recognises erratic driving and issues initial soft audible and visual warnings that intensify if the driver doesn’t react.

This latest feature is one of seven technologies available as part of the Driver Assistance Pack on all-new Focus for £750. If you do a lot of driving (statistically likely to increase your risk of a crash anyway) then I’d certainly recommend it. A safer car is a better car.

Here’s the latest news from SEAT on a deal that might just get you into showrooms before Christmas:

SEAT is ensuring new car buyers searching for the best deal this September need look no further than the Spanish marque’s showrooms as it unveils an array of tempting deals, including great offers on its special edition Ibiza Good Stuff model.

Celebrating SEAT’s partnership with Columbian pop sensation Shakira the special edition Ibiza Good Stuff debuted earlier this year. Based on the popular Ibiza 1.4 SE, the car’s available in either practical 5dr or sporty SC bodystyles, and whichever one is chosen buyers will enjoy a sparkling array of neat extras as standard.

Originally priced at a very competitive £12,300 RRP (£12,710 RRP for the 5dr) these extra-special Ibizas are now being made available with both significant discounts and enticing finance deals.

SEAT’s push for September savings means all Ibiza Good Stuff 1.4 SC models bought and registered before 30 September are being offered at £10,495 – a saving of £1,805 off the RRP – while Good Stuff 1.4 5dr models are available at £10,995, saving £1,715 off the previous RRP.

What’s more, the cars are being made available with eye-catching low deposit and low payment plans courtesy of SEAT Solutions. Both versions are offered with a low deposit – just £199 in the case of the SC – followed by 41 monthly payments of £199 on the Solutions Personal Contract Purchase (PCP) plan, at an APR of just 8.5%.

Welcoming SEAT’s latest suite of offers the Spanish brand’s Head of Marketing in the UK, Steve Robertson, said: “September remains a key month for car sales in this country, and helped by great offers like this I’m sure our dealers are going to be busier than ever.”

SEAT Exeo

This Bank Holiday weekend (29-31 May), SEAT is offering used car customers a suite of tempting deals on some of the Spanish brand’s most desirable models.

For three days only the sporty Spanish outfit is making available selected, pre-owned Exeo saloon 2.0 TDI SE models from just £15,250 with two years’ free servicing and low rate finance. Meanwhile, selected used Ibiza 1.4 SE and Sport models will be offered with a great, low rate finance deal of just 4.9% APR – subject to status, conditions apply.

Explaining the thinking behind the event, SEAT UK Used Car Manager David Ardern said: ‘The appeal of all Approved Used SEAT models is clear, but with the addition of these limited-time finance and servicing offers on selected models I believe we’re making the cars pretty much irresistible! The SEAT Exeo, for instance, has already made a great impression with demanding fleet and business drivers while the Ibiza remains the mainstay of the SEAT range and, undeniably, one of the most desirable superminis on our roads.’

Subaru Impreza WRX STi Type UK

If you’re looking for a high performance bargain, then take a look at the latest special deal from Subaru. If you’re into serious four wheel drive performance, you’ll be interested by the following:

From April Subaru’s highly acclaimed Impreza WRX and STI Type UKwill be offered with complimentary optional upgrades worth over £3,200 at participating dealers. The free items include the Prodrive Performance Pack, which further improves acceleration, and stylish new 18-inch alloy wheels and tyres.

The Performance Packs, developed in conjunction with Banbury-based tuning experts, Prodrive, adds a reconfigured ECU and high-flow sports exhaust to the Impreza’s already impressive performance arsenal. The 18-inch alloy wheels, meanwhile, give the car a more aggressive, purposeful stance and improve handling and grip.

As if the prospect of this extra equipment wasn’t tantalising enough, the Japanese firm has reduced the retail price of the All-Wheel Drive WRX by £95.

Subaru UK Marketing Director, Kenyon Neads, said: “With this offer we’ve added even more value into the Impreza equation. The WRX and STI are performance-car icons with a seriously loyal following and we hope that the prospect of these free upgrades will broaden their appeal still further.”

Before you Google them, here are the straight line performance figures that will make your mouth water in anticipation of a bit of B road action:

- Impreza WRX (standard car): 6.5 seconds
- Impreza WRX (with Prodrive Performance Pack): 5.9 seconds
- Impreza STI Type UK (standard car): 5.2 seconds
- Impreza STI Type UK (with Prodrive Performance Pack): 4.8 seconds

Vauxhall Insignia

The ‘Swappage Programme‘ ran by Vauxhall – which includes their most popular models – has had an overhaul to now include three new models, the Insignia, Meriva and Zafira.

Vauxhall’s Swappage offer allows buyers to use any seven-year-old UK-registered car with insurance, road tax and MOT – no matter what its value or condition – as currency to reduce the cost of any of the six models listed by at least £3000.

But in some cases, the deal is almost double that. For example, the Swappage price on a Zafira Life 1.6, which normally retails at £18,670, tumbles to just £12,995, if the buyer has an eligible trade in – that’s a massive saving of £5,675!

‘There’s never been a better time to buy a new Vauxhall’ said Rory Harvey, Vauxhall’s Retail Sales Director. ‘Better still, buyers can take full advantage of the Swappage programme just in time for the new ‘10’ plate on March 1.’

Vauxhall’s Swappage scheme launched on February 5th and applies to new cars ordered or registered before March 31 from participating dealers.

Vauxhall Corsa

As I know you’re all such big fans of the Vauxhall Corsa VXR, I thought you might like to know that for those of you without the hot version of this great hatch (e.g. just a ‘standard’ Corsa) you can still get the look. Vauxhall is offering racing stripes in white, silver of black fully fitted for only £150. Alternatively, grab the great looking rear spoiler for only £299, or 15 inch alloys for £369.

For those who want the whole kit – Vauxhall offers a VXR Styling Pack, which includes a rear roof spoiler, a rear lower skirt, a front lower spoiler and side sills. This can be supplied and fitted for just £1,399.

The great advantage of course means that you get the styling and looks of the superb hot hatch, without the added insurance costs that come with it. No doubt these styling options will be seen on many cars doing cruises around the country!

The Daily Telegraph are running a really cool competition which will see the winner getting two VIP tickets to the fantastic Rockingham race track in Northamptonshire.

In order to enter all that is needed is that you visit here Daily Telegraph BTCC competition and enter online, it’s that easy and the prizes are pretty fantastic:

The winner will receive two VIP tickets for race day, which include VIP parking, breakfast and morning refreshments, lunch and afternoon tea in the hospitality suite, a programme and access to a complimentary bar.

Three runners-up will each receive a pair of race-day tickets each. Rockingham is the only circuit on the BTCC calendar to have panoramic views of the track from every grandstand seat, so you can guarantee that you’ll catch the action wherever you sit.

For anyone who does not win the competition, but would still like to go, then Grandstand seats are free for everyone over the race weekend, and you can even take a walk over to the BTCC paddock and get a close up view of the cars, stars and atmosphere.

Tickets for the BTCC race are on sale now from http://www.rockingham.co.uk/events Advance ticket prices are £21 for race day or £26 for the whole weekend and children aged 15 or under go free. Advance tickets can also be booked by calling the ticket hotline on 0871 231 0846. If you’re looking for a special day out, VIP hospitality packages in one of Rockingham’s modern, fully air-conditioned suites cost £130 + VAT per person.

Source [Telegraph]