19 December 20112011 has been a great year with a whole heap of award-winning work (see blog below) – and for working with some wonderful people, none more so than the hugely inspirational Race2Recovery boys whom we introduced to TeamSport as their corporate charity this year.
Words fail us when we look at what the team have gone through, what they have achieved so far – and what they are setting out to achieve. Race2Recovery, we wish you well!
In lieu of Christmas cards this year The View is making a donation. If you’d like to do the same, good for you! Just scroll down to the link. It’s below their story…
Race2Recovery began when a fledging racing team of wounded soldiers were inspired to take up cross-country racing and decided to raise money for the incredible charities that have helped them during their recovery.
R2R driver Tony Harris explains: “We wanted to inspire other service personnel and the wider disabled or disadvantaged community through achieving an extraordinary feat - and raise funds at the same time.”
He continues: “Our goal is competing in and completing the most punishing off-road race on the planet – The Dakar Rally Raid. In January 2013 we’ll start the race in South America after 18 months of training and racing in the UK, Europe and North Africa. The rally covers over 6,000 miles in 15 days through Argentina and Chile. We’ll be driving the ferociously powerful Qt Wildcat”.
With typical speeds of between 70-120mph and up to 700km covered per day through some of the most arduous terrain in the world, the stress and strain on the driving team, vehicle and the mechanics is beyond comprehension.
Tony Harris hopes to be the first amputee driver to compete in International Rally Raids and 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.
Dave Reeve leads the mechanical crew, one of the non-military members of the team, but with more than 20 years of both competing and fixing vehicles. 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 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.
More can be found at: http://www.race2recovery.co.uk/. To make a donation, please visit: http://www.bmycharity.com/charities/Race2Recovery
