FUNDRAISER Rob Sinfield has hit full throttle reaching his target of £20,000 for charity thanks to the help of Formula 1 race teams.

Father-of-three Rob, 47, will cycle from London to Paris with his 18-year-old son Alistair in July to raise money for Action Medical Research - a charity dedicated to the health of babies and young children.

They have now raised a staggering £20,000 from more than a thousand sponsors from 39 countries by giving away prizes on Twitter.

Rob, of Pinfarthings, Amberley, uses his Twitter page, where he blogs about F1, to promote the bike ride to his 25,000 followers.

He has given away prizes donated by his friends from the world of motorsport to randomly picked sponsors, including a signed race suit worn by Kimi Raikkonen and a top signed by Sebastian Vettel.

David Graham, head of fundraising at Action Medical Research, said: "Rob's Twitter campaign has been truly astonishing.

"Not only did he raise over £20,000, rapidly, but his creative approach has opened our eyes to how we can generate income in the future."

The father and son team will set off on July 17 and cycle 308 miles, arriving in Paris four days later.

"From our original target of £3,000 to raise this much has been a great surprise," said Rob, who used to work as a F1 writer for ITV.

"We will be tweeting and sending pictures as we cycle via Portsmouth and into Normandy, where we will stop and pay our respects at many D-Day sites.

"Then on to Paris where we will cycle down the Champs Elysee, the day before the Tour de France arrives, finishing our ride under the Eiffel Tower."

To sponsor Rob and Alistair go to www.action.org.uk/sponsor/GPD

Follow Rob on Twitter @GrandPrixDiary