Sarah Leitch and Geraldine Leavy have heard every joke in the book about women drivers.

The pair are one of the only all-female teams taking part in The Italian Job Mini rally and although they claim women are better behind the wheel, they do admit to having one problem.

They don't have a Mini.

They are hoping someone will let them borrow one for the ten-day event in October, which sees 100 of the classic cars drive from Imola in Italy to The Grand Hotel in Brighton, taking in landmarks from the film along the way.

Sarah, 42, said: "We are really hoping someone will offer us their Mini so we can do the tour.

"We did have a couple organised but they both fell through."

The jobbers, as the participants are known, recreate scenes from the Michael Caine film with a couple of notable omissions.

While they will be whizzing around the Lingotto rooftop test track and through the streets of Venice, they don't intend to be followed by police cars or end up dangling on the side of a cliff.

To stand out from the crowd Sarah and Geraldine, 35, are driving in cocktail dresses - a different one for each day.

Sarah said: "We are trying to get our wardrobe together but we will be wearing a number of little black dresses depending on how many we can fit in the car.

"I hope we don't get lost. I don't want to end up in the middle of Italy in a cocktail dress with no idea how to fix the car."

Luckily, the pair still have six months to brush up on their Italian as well as find a sponsor.

They are not particular about the age or colour of the car, the only requirement is that it must have enough life in it to drive 4,000 miles.

The £3,000 Sarah and Geraldine hope to raise from sponsorship will be spent at Palmeira House, a home for autistic children funded by Brighton and Hove City Council, where Sarah is a project manager.

She said: "I am looking forward to meeting all the other jobbers who do this every year. They are a very dedicated bunch and they raise a significant amount of money for NCH."

The event, now in its 15th year, has raised nearly £2 million for children's charity NCH.

Geraldine, a service manager for Brighton and Hove City Council children's disability respite service, said: "I think it is quite rare to have an all-girl team and we are some of the only participants who actually work with the children the event is going to benefit."

The event finishes when the Minis roll into Brighton on November 5.

For more information on The Italian Job rally or to donate a Mini to Sarah and Geraldine, contact race organiser Freddy St George on 01273 418100 or visit the web site www.italianjob. com.