ALRC National Rally 2012

At the ALRC 2012 we are proudly supporting Race2Recovery and hope you will join us in supporting this inspirational team by making a donation when you enter. This is great way for us all to show our support to the worthwhile causes that are supported and should be close to all our hearts.

Below is an extract from www.race2recovery.co.uk which explains more on the aims of the project. Visit the site where you can get an in-depth view of what the project is all about.

We are very pleased that the team will be attending, fundraising and taking part at the ALRC National in 2012. You can show your support by making a donation online with your booking.

The full amount of all donations made will be passed to the charity and we hope to present a cheque representing your online donations at the event. Please make a donation along with your booking, every pound will make a difference to an injured serviceman or woman and their families.

Thanks,
Dave Banner (Chair)

Read the book

The Race2Recovery team are writing a book about their experience which promises to be an inspiring read.

The book tells the story behind each member of the team and how Race2Recovery was founded. It follows their progress of fundraising, training and awareness campaigns, through to gaining professional rally-driving experience as they head towards Dakar, at events such as the Britpart British Cross Country Championships (BCCC), Tuareg and Silkway Rally. Written with a blend of accessible motorsport reporting, personal interviews and first-hand accounts from team members, this will provide a fascinating and truly inspiring read.

Find out more about the book.

Below is an extract from the website www.race2recovery.co.uk

Race2Recovery was started when a fledging racing team of wounded soldiers were inspired to take up cross country racing and decided to raise money for three incredible service charities that have helped them during their recovery. Inspired by the work done at Row2Recovery the team asked to be part of the hugely successful effort to inspire other service personnel and the wider disabled or disadvantaged community through achieving incredible feats.

Tony Harris hopes to be the first amputee driver to compete in International Rally Raids and after his appearance on Top Gear this will soon become a reality. Tom Neathway, who was Tony’s co-driver on Top Gear, will be the first triple amputee to compete and will be co-driving with an experienced off-road racer, Dave Marsh. The team manager Andrew ‘Pav’ Taylor, who sustained back injuries in Afghanistan, organises the logistics of the team for the many events that they are planning to participate in.

Dave Reeve leads the mechanical crew, one of the non-military members of the team he struck up a strong relationship with the guys and after being inspired by their determination to succeed. With more than 20 years of both competing and fixing vehicles it was important that we had his knowledge and experience before we embarked on this ambitious project. A further 4-6 wounded service personnel make up the vital mechanical team with some of them training to be co-drivers or drivers depending on their injuries.

The team has partnered with Qt Services to bring their exceptional understanding of endurance racing, a wealth of experience and the incredible Qt Wildcat DKR500.

Race2Recovery are actively competing in the Britpart British Cross Country Championship (BCCC) Freelander class and Tom is in the main Britpart BCCC event co-driving for experienced driver, Greg MacCleod. Tom has become a valued member of Greg’s team in a short time.

The team acknowledged the risks involved in off-road racing by not starting with the incredibly powerful Qt Wildcat; but by building their experience up quickly, efficiently and safely with a Freelander V6.

With their first major sponsor, Orange Plant, the team have secured the “Orange Plant Wildcat” for Tom and Dave. Gordon Chapman commissioned it before he sadly passed away and it was always his dream to compete in the Dakar Rally, Race2Recovery will complete the journey for him and his family in 2013. R2R expect to have their second Qt Wildcat ready for the Tuareg Rallye in Mar 2012.

Race2Recovery’s goal is competing in and completing the hardest motor sport race in the world – The Dakar Rally Raid. In January 2013 the team will start the race in South America after 18 months of training and racing in the UK, Europe and North Africa.

The Dakar Rally Raid typically covers over 9,000km in 15 days through Argentina and Chile although every year the route is improved or changed. With typical speeds of between 70-120mph and up to 700km covered per day through some of the most arduous terrain on the planet the stress and strain on the driving team, vehicle and the mechanics is beyond comprehension. Our wounded soldiers hope that the teamwork, sense of humour and experience of sleep deprivation built up during their time in the military will give them an edge over the other more experienced teams in this event.

Generally when people talk about recovery they mean being cured or getting better. If someone catches the ‘flu, for example, they expect to be ill for a while, then recover and get back to normal. In rehabilitation, however, the word recovery takes on a whole new connotation. When someone is learning to live with a life changing injury recovery means being able to find a new sense of identity and developing a strong sense of purpose for the future. A key concept at the heart of recovery is hope.

Taking control of the future and being able to fully participate in all the opportunities that life can offer is vital to recovery. Achieving a meaningful and purposeful life is not easy for anyone undergoing rehabilitation, but injured service men and women face particular challenges. The adjustments involved in returning from a war zone and adapting to permanent disability are very complex but many of these soldiers appear to thrive with an extreme form of challenge. Most able-bodied people would not contemplate rowing the Atlantic or driving in the Dakar Rally, but facing this type of challenge seems to be exactly what is needed for wounded soldiers to truly embrace recovery.

Race2Recovery has aligned itself with Row2Recovery and has taken on board their key tenet, to run a campaign aimed at breaking down misconceptions about what life is like for an injured solider and their family. It will champion the extraordinary achievements of people with disabilities, and inspire others with life-altering injuries to realise their potential.

For some wounded service personnel they can fight back to a relatively normal life but for others the injuries are too severe or the mental scars too deep. These wounds will not disappear when operations stop and fresh ones may emerge – Race2Recovery want to help all their brothers-in-arms for the future, give them the best opportunity to live with the dignity and respect they deserve and by fundraising during the campaign the team hope to do their bit for three major service charities that are actively supporting our brave heroes now and in the future.

Money raised by Race2Recovery will be distributed between three major charities that work tirelessly to improve the lives of British service personnel and their families: Help for Heroes, the Royal British Legion and Combat Stress.

Please support Race2Recovery’s incredible mission to help wounded servicemen and women go beyond injury and achieve the extraordinary.