A Driving Force 2026 raising funds for SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity launches at Autosport International 25 at the NEC Birmingham this weekend

A Driving Force 2026 raising funds for SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity launches at Autosport International 25 at the NEC Birmingham this weekend – Hall 3, Stand 3A404.

A Driving Force is a biennial charity driving adventure delivered by Torque Events. The charity we are sponsoring for the 2026 event is once again SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity, to support the welfare, health, and support services, of the UK military’s serving personnel, veterans, and their families. This amazing adventure covers:
10 Countries
11 Days
£100,000
ADF26 in more detail involves participants and support vehicles, experiencing an exhilarating 11-day driving adventure across 10 countries from 1-11 August 2026, hoping to raise £100,000 for SSAFA. This epic undertaking will begin in Dunkirk with a short memorial service for those military personnel that have made the ultimate sacrifice. Be assured this is no ordinary driving adventure; packed full of superb roads, exciting and unique destinations and will be full of surprises. This incredible and challenging journey will take you through:

Strasbourg, France
Innsbruck, Austria
Ljubljana, Slovenia
Split, Croatia
Sarajevo, Bosnia
Graz, Austria
Berchtesgaden, Austria
Heidelburg, Germany
Brussels, Belgium
UK
Yes, the driving and scenery will be amazing, the destinations are exciting, the ‘money cannot buy’ experience will create memories to last forever, but it is also about the wonderful people you will meet on this adventure of a lifetime!

Two ex-serving members of HM Forces Benn Laidler MBE (from South Petherton, Somerset) and Steve Shaw MA, FCILT, CMCIPD, (from Porchester, Hampshire) Directors of A Driving Force, witnessed first-hand the hardship and devastation suffered by casualties of military conflict. They realised that these courageous men, women, and their families needed support to cope with the aftermath of such traumatic life changing injuries or loss.

Since 2012, Steve and Benn have been fundraising through charity driving events, which have taken place across the UK and mainland Europe raising over £800,000 for many charities supporting military personnel. For 2026, this enormously successful campaign has set its sights on reaching a cumulative £1,000,000 target!

Partnering with SSAFA once again for the event in 2026, A Driving Force who are accredited Professional Fundraisers with The Fundraising Regulator, have pledged to raise a further £100,000 to support military personnel and their families.

Come and see the team in Hall 3, Stand 3A404 at the Autosport International 25 this weekend at the NEC Birmingham, where some of the team have bought their cars for you to see – they all have a story…..

You can still get tickets for the Show here: autosportinternational.com/en/2025show

Steve Shaw MA, FCILT, CMCIPD, Director of A Driving Force said:

“We launched A Driving Force for SSAFA at Autosport International in January 2023 and attended in January 2024 too – the shows are phenomenal. Not only do they provide us with a fantastic platform to announce the A Driving Force events, but we are always amazed at the welcome ADF receives from the organisers, exhibitors, and visitors.

We are back in 2025 to officially launch ADF26, and the team cannot wait to share the opportunities that A Driving Force can bring to participants and also potential corporate partners.

A Driving Force 2026 is going to be phenomenal, travelling to 10 exciting countries in 11 days and visiting some unique destinations along the way.

We have a big target of raising £100,000 for SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity, and by visiting these destinations, it provides us with a platform to improve awareness of all the fantastic work that SSAFA do and raise more money in our attempt to reach our goal.

As we know, the nation is coming to terms with the unseen impact of sending 150,000 military personnel to conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Of those, 636 people sadly lost their lives. Regrettably, tens of thousands more were left with unseen injuries both mentally and physically, which they carry with them each and every day. We can probably never relieve them of the burden, but we can certainly help, bringing to bear our passion, enthusiasm, and drive as ex-members of the Armed Forces.”