Road trip party grows into £2m venture

When Mr Bourgerie handed over the games console, his new website went live. The tickets sold out within six weeks. “Tickets were £295 then so no one could say no,” he said. “We’re four times that price now, but it costs $40,000 [£24,000] to register a single vehicle for the Gumball Rally.”

Modball Rally is open to those aged 16 to 60, provides all the accommodation for the trip, and lays on a party in each country. Any car with two or more modifications can be entered in the rally.

In its first year, the rally visited just nine countries, now Modball takes its caravan of cars through 19.

Mr Bourgerie has overcome his fair share of challenges. “I lost money on the first one because I registered for VAT too early,” he said. “I only made £60,000 and you’re not supposed to register before the £70,000 mark. Still, they stung me for £16,000 and I barely broke even.”

In that first year, the entire Modball Rally was also thrown out of Germany after a couple of the attendees were caught speeding in Dusseldorf. “We were surrounded by 200 police and there were two helicopters,” Mr Bourgerie said. “It was only the second day of the rally.”

Today, the Modball Rally takes place three times a year and Mr Bourgerie runs sister events in the US and Australia. To date, Modball events have taken 2,500 participants through 25 countries and 65 cities, throwing more than 75 parties.

Mr Bourgerie estimates his business is worth £2m, and his growth plans for Modball remain ambitious. “We are planning to license out the Modball brand in several new countries. South Africa is next on the hit list,” he said.

All company growth has been organic: “I’ve never had a loan from the bank,” he said. “We’ve done it all on our own. Not bad for a business I started for free.”

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