Stories of the Ireland Rally – The Next Generation

One of the things that we are very keen to do as a club is keep an eye on the future and who might be the future custodians of our wonderful cars, keeping them going as far into the future as possible. Where better to start than talking to two wonderful women who joined us in May in Ireland on their first Figaro Rally!

Amelia owns a custom-coloured black sparkly Fig named Frida and joined us with her cousin Sophie.

Hi Amelia and Sophie! Thanks for speaking with us.

What were you expecting from your first Figaro Rally?

Amelia – Being my first rally, I didn’t really know what to expect other than seeing lots of Figs. I didn’t expect to meet such a cool, creative and welcoming group, but I did!
Sophie – For my first Figaro rally I was expecting to meet a lot of passionate Fig owners and following the itinerary I knew it was going to be jam packed, and fun.

Was there anything which surprised you?

Amelia – I was surprised there wasn’t a pink one!
Sophie – What surprised me was the sight of all the cars together when convoying through the countryside. It was also surprising to have created good bonds with so many people at the rally.

Was there anything which you hadn’t anticipated?

Amelia – I hadn’t anticipated being up drinking past 3am, let alone 2 nights in a row!
Sophie – I hadn’t anticipated winning the quiz with Amelia.

What was your favourite part?

Amelia – My favourite part was the 50s ball, everyone looked amazing and it was the perfect end to the week.
Sophie – My favourite parts of the trip were driving through the Wicklow Mountains National Park and visiting the Irish National Stud Farm.

Was there anything you didn’t enjoy?

Amelia – I didn’t enjoy saying goodbye! Or the 4 hour delay for the ferry home.
Sophie – I enjoyed every moment of the trip except the long travel day back from Ireland with ferry delays

Is there anything you think the next generation of Figgy owners would like to see at future rallies?

Amelia – I think the next gen of Figgy owners might like to see some novelty/jokey prizes e.g best sounding horn, worst behaved Fig! Also, maybe a photo booth on the last/event night.
Sophie – I think it would be great to include even more fun activities and awards on the rallies, as well as more outreach to younger owners to make rallies feel more accessible and encourage the next generation to get involved.

How did you feel about winning the quiz trophy?

Amelia – We feel honoured to have come away with the quiz trophy, although we would have preferred best dressed 😜
Sophie – It was so nice to win the quiz award, I felt like I gained so much information in the past week about a Fig for someone who doesn’t own one.

And the last word to Amelia –

Amelia – As I said, I didn’t really have any expectations for the rally, but I can’t describe the lovely feeling of community and belonging that I felt. Perfectly organised and great company, I look forward to many more. Thank you guys!

So glad you enjoyed it. We look forward to welcoming you on future rallies, and thanks for your thoughts!

Enjoy the gallery of photos below: