Disability team soldiers on in Rally
Race2Recovery team crosses the Dakar Rally finish line after two weeks and 8570km of high speed, heat, rocks and sand dunesA team comprising injured soldiers triumphed at the 2013 Dakar Rally by numbering among the finishers in a field depleted during the event by more than one third.
The Race2Recovery Land Rover Defender-based Wildcat race vehicle that finished the ultra-tough event was part of a team of four race vehicles.
The Race2Recovery team totals 28 people in various roles and includes a fleet of support vehicles including 8x8 trucks, numerous Land Rover Discoverys and a 4x4 truck. It all started with one Land Rover Freelander and a “handful” of members, becoming a fully functioning unit in just 18 months.
The triumphant Dakar vehicle was driven by Major Matt O’Hare and co-driven by amputee Corporal Phillip Gillespie.
Major O’Hare said at the finish: “It’s not quite sinking in that we’ve actually done it. I’m ecstatic and am so proud and pleased for the whole Race2Recovery team. Our mechanics and support team have kept us in the race and their work and dedication was second to none.
“Our other drivers and co-drivers who were forced to retire earlier in the race became an integral part of the support team as we continued the challenge and so this really is a team success. To complete the Dakar
Rally is an incredible achievement in itself, but to become the first ever disability team to cross that finish line lifts the achievement to a whole other level.”
Corporal Phillip Gillespie, 24, from Ballymena, Northern Ireland, who is a leg amputee as a result of injuries sustained in Afghanistan, said: “We have found out first-hand why they call the Dakar Rally the hardest race in the world. It has pushed every single one us to our limits and beyond.
“To be able to stand here at the finish line and say we achieved what we set out to achieve, to become the first ever disability team to complete the Dakar Rally, feels magical. Our team motto is ‘beyond injury – achieving the extraordinary’ and we’ve done just that.
“I hope that we’ve been able to inspire people who may be facing difficulties through injury or illness. The support we’ve received from everyone – our sponsors, supporters, families, friends, the military and complete strangers – has been amazing and is testament to the ability and dedication of this team.”
The two-week, 8750km Dakar Rally was run in high temperatures over rough terrain encompassing giant sand dunes, with daily stages as long as 852km. The finish line in Santiago, Chile, was crossed 15 days after the start in Lima, Peru on January 5.
The Race2Recovery team is sponsored by Land Rover, which provides off-road training, parts, Discovery support vehicles and financial support.
Race2Recovery has been raising money for Tedworth House Personnel Recovery Centre, one of six Personnel Recovery Centres that have been established as part of the Defence Recovery Capability which works 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.
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