Three friends, including a former Scotland rugby forward who played alongside Doddie Weir, are set to set off on an arduous road trip across Europe to raise thousands of pounds for research into Motor Neurone Disease (MND).
Weir was diagnosed with MND in 2016 and set up the My Name Dodie Foundation to fund research into the rare and debilitating disease before his death in 2022, aged 52.
Alan Watt, 56, played rugby with Weir at the 1991 Rugby World Cup and has decided to take part in this year's Last to Rome Rally Challenge with friends Paul Toone and Murray Watt to raise £25,000 for the foundation.
The challenge involves teams pooling their resources to buy a car for under £1,000 and driving it from Edinburgh to Rome over 12 days, staying overnight at a location known only to the teams before setting off each morning.
Mr Toone, 57, a senior consulting engineer from Bridge of Allan, travelled to London to buy a vehicle for his friends to drive during the challenge, which features Weir's old playing number and the number '5' in reference to the Dodi Foundation.
He said: “The route will be challenging because it is not a straight line to Rome, but I am sure we will succeed in this journey.”
“This year we have 34 cars taking part. We'll have a showcase in Monaco and then travel to Rome and park at the Coliseum.”
“The great thing about this tour is that you never really know where you're going along the way. You only find out your destination the morning of the trip, which adds a bit of mystery to the adventure.”
“There will be breakdowns and accidents, but hopefully none will happen. And at the end of the day, we'll all be able to sit around the campfire and share our memories.”
Toon said he expected the team would celebrate their achievement with some pizza and a few beers once they arrived in Rome, before facing having to fly back to Britain in much less time than they had arrived.
“From there the fun begins. Alan is going on holiday with his family and I'm working in Dubai so we both have to return home within three days,” he said.
Alan Watt, also from Bridge of Allan, remembers first meeting Doddie Weir in the early 1990s, when Watt was playing for Kelvinside at Glasgow High School and Weir was playing for Melrose Rugby Club.
Mr Watt said: “In his early years he was about 6ft 8ins tall and weighed about 14 stone.
“He could take care of himself. He was a great athlete.”
Weir won his first cap for Scotland against Argentina in 1990 and went on to play 61 international matches for the national team before retiring in 2004.
“He was a very outgoing guy,” Watt said of Weir. “He was the type of person you always gravitated towards.”
“He was a very likeable guy who you would love to spend time with because he was always fun.
“And he always had the ability to make everyone in his company feel special, which is a rare quality.”
The trio set up a JustGiving page to raise funds for the My Name Dodie Foundation, and have raised more than £3,500 so far.
The Rust 2 Rome Rally Challenge begins on July 7th. If you would like to donate,
https://www.justgiving.com/page/teamdoddie-mnd-mistakenidentity-drivetorome
