Race2Recovery, a group of severely injured soldiers aiming to
become the first disability team to complete the Dakar Rally, has
been awarded the first ever grant from the Endeavour Fund, set up
by The Royal Foundation of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and
Prince Harry, it was announced today.
The Endeavour Fund has been created by The Royal Foundation to
enable more wounded and injured servicemen and women to take part
in expeditions and sporting challenges as part of their
recovery. The Fund will offer seed funding for new endeavours
and will help emerging initiatives with advice, hands on support
and mentoring.
Race2Recovery, sponsored by Land Rover, is a rally team racing
to inspire those who are injured, disabled or facing adversity by
being the first team of predominantly injured servicemen to
complete the formidable Dakar Rally in South America, January
2013. The team, whose motto is 'beyond injury - achieving the
extraordinary', consists of people from all backgrounds and walks
of life: injured servicemen, former soldiers sailors and airmen,
and generous people with no military background who have given
their time and commitment to the endeavour.
Through its racing activity, Race2Recovery has committed to
raising money for a charitable cause close to the hearts of its
team members - the Personnel Recovery Centre at Tedworth House.
Based in Tidworth, Wiltshire, Tedworth House is one of five
Personnel Recovery Centres that have been established as part of
the Defence Recovery Capability. The Defence Recovery
Capability is an MOD led initiative in partnership with Help for
Heroes and The Royal British Legion to ensure wounded, injured and
sick servicemen and women have access to the key resources they
need as they recover. Race2Recovery has already raised well
over £100,000 for the Personnel Recovery Centre at Tedworth House
but has its sights set on achieving a much higher target.
Donations to the fundraising campaign can be made at
www.race2recovery.com.
At the launch of the Fund earlier this year, Prince Harry
said: "I am delighted that our Foundation is launching the
Endeavour Fund. The Fund will support injured Servicemen and women
in overcoming physical and psychological challenges with dignity,
pride and determination. We must never forget the terrible price so
many of our men and women in uniform have paid - and continue to
pay - to keep us safe and free.
"My comrades-in-arms across the Armed Forces are fighters by
definition, fighters by nature. The Endeavour Fund aims to reignite
that fighting spirit, and inspire those who have served their
country to go on and achieve great things."
Captain Tony Harris, one of Race2Recovery's rally drivers who is
a below the knee amputee as a result of injuries suffered while
serving in Afghanistan, said: "We're absolutely delighted that,
through The Royal Foundation's Endeavour Fund, The Duke and Duchess
of Cambridge and Prince Harry have shown such considerable faith in
the Race2Recovery project.
"The financial backing that the Endeavour Fund is providing will
enable us to realise our dreams of becoming the first disability
team to compete in the Dakar Rally. Not only that, but the
Foundation has recognised that our campaign goes further than just
the racing activity, and that we're aiming to inspire other people
who may be injured, sick or facing adversity. By helping us
secure the immediate future of our racing activity, we now hope we
can increase awareness of Race2Recovery and, in turn, increase our
fundraising activity, directly benefitting our country's injured
servicemen and women."
Nick Booth, Chief Executive of The Royal Foundation, said: "We
are extremely proud to support Race2Recovery by making the team the
first recipient of a grant from our Endeavour Fund. The grant
is a just reward for the passion and dedication that they have
shown to both their racing activity and also their fundraising
drive. The team is proving that, despite some of the
challenges they may have faced individually, their lives are about
their abilities, not their disabilities. We hope their
actions continue to inspire people who may be facing similar
challenges and we wish them well on their aim to become the first
disability team to complete the Dakar Rally."
The Dakar Rally, formerly known as 'The Paris-Dakar', is an
annual off-road desert race organised by the Amaury Sport
Organisation. The race is considered the
ultimate driving, mechanical and navigational test with only
40% of all competitors completing the course. Since 2009, the race
has switched to South America, with the Dakar 2013 starting in
Lima, Peru on 5thJanuary and finishing, via Argentina, in Santiago,
Chile on 20thJanuary.
Race2Recovery has created a capable and competitive rally raid
team from scratch in only 12 months. The team's challenge
first came to public attention when the early stages of their
project were featured on BBC's Top Gear programme, back in
2011. In early 2012, the team secured Land Rover as a
principal sponsor, providing the injured servicemen not only with
funds to help fulfill their aims, but with focused training in
Morocco with experienced all-terrain specialists in un-modified
Land Rover Defenders. In March this year the team finished an
impressive 10thplace in their first competition - Morocco's 2012
Tuareg Rally.
The Race2Recovery drivers, co-drivers and support team are
predominantly from across the UK, along with several international
members including Dakar legend Pierre De Frenne. The team operates
four Land Rover Defender-based Qt Wildcat race vehicles as well as
a 4x4 support truck and run the project in their spare time.
During the Dakar Rally, the four race vehicles will race in two
pairs, supporting each other across the gruelling course, whilst
the support truck also tackles the race and ensures it is on hand
for any of the four Qt Wildcat cars. The fleet will also consist of
two 8x8 support trucks, providing the team's service areas, as well
as three Land Rover Discovery support cars to ferry the mechanics
and team management. A conventional day will see the racers spend
over 10 hours per day in their Qt Wildcat racers, covering anywhere
between 500 and 800km a day, largely off road, at speeds of up to
120mph.
The 18-strong logistical and mechanical team will follow a
separate liaison route but the journey is arduous for them too.
Most of the mechanics will only sleep for a couple of hours each
night and the support fleet, as well as the race vehicles, needs to
be looked after. The team will sleep in small pop-up tents or, if
the racers don't make it through the dunes, then they will sleep
with space blankets under the stars.
Those members of the team that have been wounded in combat have
a huge variety of injuries - some have injuries that are more
apparent than others but each person has had their life completely
changed. Whether dealing with missing limbs, spinal and respiratory
injuries, or psychological and fragmentation injuries, each has
resolved to prove that their injury will not stop them completing
the toughest race on the planet.
All charitable money that is donated to Race2Recovery by the
public or companies goes to support the Personnel Recovery Centre
at Tedworth House and sits completely separately from the team's
racing activity (which is paid for by personal contribution and
corporate sponsorship alone). The team is still seeking additional
financial backing to help with the significant costs associated
with its racing activity and is keen to speak to any
interested companies or individuals.
People wishing to find out more about Race2Recovery, make a
donation to the fundraising campaign, or become a sponsor of the
team should visit
www.race2recovery.com
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