Pensioner beats the odds to complete Fireball Monte Carlo Rally

A rally driver who hand-crafted a dragon to adorn her car had to ditch the creature before the race even started.

Carolyn Corliss adopted a Middle Earth theme for her entry into the Fireball Monte Carlo Rally.

She created a model of Smaug from Lord of the Rings to sit on top of her Nissan Primera as she raced 2,480 miles across seven European countries.

Unfortunately Smaug didn't even get to cross the Channel as Carolyn's gearbox broke en route to the start line.

Carolyn, of High Street, Thurlby, said: "We sadly had to ditch the dragon and my Nissan in Dover and find another vehicle."

Thankfully Carolyn and her team-mates Richard Gumsley, 77, and nephew Chris Gamble, 44, got back on track and successfully competed the challenge.

Carolyn dressed as Belladonna Took Baggin with the others taking on the roles of Gandalf and Frodo.

The 76-year-old said: “I had an absolute blast.

"We were a bit unlucky with the car and the weather, but some of the scenery was still simply stunning.

“Some of the rain was torrential and certainly made camping more of a challenge than it needed to be. Some unseasonal snow also blocked a number of routes which meant we had to double-back a couple of times - but that all adds to the fun of it."

Carolyn took on the challenge in aid of Action Medical Research.

She hopes to raise £2,000. Donations can be made at www.justgiving.com/fundraising/carolyn-corliss1

Carolyn's original car has been returned to Thurlby and the dragon model has been donated to the charity to use for future fundraising events.

The charity funds research into childhood diseases.