The Kidney Kar Rally - revving up to raise funds for kids living with kidney disease

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The countdown has started for 42 rally cars to line up on Friday 9 August in Port Macquarie and start a challenging back roads route to Rockhampton and back to Armidale, all to raise vital funds to help kids living with kidney disease.

With Supercars Championship driver, Chaz Mostert in the starting line up at Port Macquarie, it’s sure to inject a new level of interest into the Rally for day one.

‘Rally driving’s a new experience for me so I’m excited to be kicking the Rally off and seeing how the experienced rally drivers do it, but I’m going to do my best to give them a run for their money” says Chaz, who’s supporting the event thanks to Biante Model Cars.

Kidney Health Australia’s Kidney Kar Rally’s nine day route will take in the beautiful and rugged NSW and Queensland countryside, stopping along the way at Port Macquarie, Walcha, Uralla, Goondiwindi, Dalby, Miles, Moura, Rockhampton, Monto, Gayndah, Jandowae, Toowoomba and finishing in Armidale on Saturday 17 August.

Locals will get the chance to see the cars up close as they pass through the towns and the local communities are urged to get behind the Rally and help fundraising efforts.

Chief Executive Officer of Kidney Health Australia, Chris Forbes, said the Rally was all about ‘big kids helping little kids’ by raising vital funds for kids living with kidney disease.

“The Rally is only a few weeks away so I urge everyone to get behind the race and help the drivers raise money for kids living with kidney disease’ says Chris . 

 “Our target this year is $500,000 but we’d love to smash it – the more funds we get, the more we can pour into programs to help children and young people deal with the physical, emotional and psychological impacts of kidney disease.

“We’ve had fantastic support from the Rally drivers for the past 31 years, raising over $15m in total, and helping countless kids from all over the country deal with the daily challenges of living with this debilitating disease,” Chris (?) says .

“Alarmingly, 65 people die with kidney related diseases every day, and currently 1.5M Australians are unaware they have early signs of the disease.  So, the rally is a great platform to connect with and educate local communities about kidney disease and the importance of prevention, early detection and support,” Mr Forbes said.

For more details about the Kidney Kar Rally or to donate to teams taking part please visit: https://www.kidneykarrally.org.au

About Kidney Health Australia

Kidney Health Australia is a not-for-profit and the peak body for kidney heath in Australia with the aim to protect 5 million at risk Australians from developing end stage kidney disease, and to save and improve the lives of people already affected by the disease through support services and funding crucial research. To find out more visit www.kidney.org.au

Kidney Health Facts

  • Kidneys are essential to a person’s health and wellbeing. They rid your body of waste (through urine), clean your blood of waste and toxins, regulate your blood pressure and manage the production of Vitamin D – essential to strong bones, muscles and overall health!  If a person’s kidneys stop functioning, they will die within a few days

  • The biggest risk factors for kidney disease are diabetes, high blood pressure, established heart problems and/or stroke, family history of kidney failure, smoking, obesity, being 60 years or older, of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander origin, or a history of acute kidney injury. To check your risk visit www.kidney.org.au/kidneyrisktest

  • 65 people die with kidney-related disease every day

  • 1 in 3 people in Australia are at risk of developing chronic kidney disease

  • A staggering 1.7 million people already have the early signs of the disease but 1.5 million of those are not aware of it

  • Kidney-related disease kills more people than breast cancer, prostate cancer and road accidents combined.

  • Kidney disease is a silent killer - sufferers can lose 90% of kidney function without experiencing any symptoms

  • Tragically, one in five Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders have indicators of chronic kidney disease and are four times more likely to die from it than the non-Indigenous population

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    Darren Saffin

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    Darren@progressivepr.com.au

 
Media RelationsKate Unsworth