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“One
step closer to Dakar: Project Mobility team members Gavin Harvey and
Nathan Cumberland with Jon Chester of Bowler and a prototype of the
Bowler EXR they will be driving in Dakar 2014”
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Project
Mobility, the British not-for-profit organisation which helps
re-habilitate injured military personnel through motorsport, has
selected specialist all-terrain vehicle manufacturer Bowler to
provide the cars to help it reach its ultimate aim: completing the
2014 Dakar Rally.
The
organisation – which appeared in a recent feature
on BBC
Top Gear TV – is
preparing to enter a team made up entirely of former service men and
women, all of whom have suffered injury in combat, in the 2014 event.
The team will develop its rally-raid skills with other vehicles in
national and regional events over the next three years, before
tackling the 2014 Dakar in Bowler’s all-new, fourth generation
model, codenamed EXR.
The
Project Mobility venture aims to engage, involve and inspire injured
military personnel, and the wider disabled community, to participate
in motorsport and off-roading activities; enhancing confidence,
independence and providing a sense of achievement – from behind the
wheel.
Director
of motorsport at Bowler and company founder, Drew Bowler, commented,
“Project Mobility is a fantastic organisation with inspiring core
values; empowerment, adventure and performance – things which came
across powerfully in their recent appearance on BBC
Top Gear.
Bowler shares these values and we’re delighted to be involved with
their Dakar programme.
“For
the 2014 Dakar event, the Project Mobility team will be using our
upcoming model – currently under development – so their drivers
will be among the very first to get behind the wheel of this exciting
newcomer. The Bowler EXR will deliver exceptional off-road
performance, and will be more capable than any vehicle they will have
driven. Bowler’s motorsport pedigree has been one of the driving
forces behind the development of this new model, so it’s great to
be able to support Project Mobility and see a Bowler vehicle
participating in yet another rally-raid competition.”
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| The Bowler is a potent rally raid machine |
Stefan
Povolotsky, Project Mobility’s Team Principle, added, “We’re
very glad to have Bowler on board with us. The competition and
technical experience they have is extremely valuable, and their new
model will provide the best possible platform for our team.
“We
have an extraordinary crew at Project Mobility, and each member has
overcome various injuries sustained in combat. From flesh wounds and
psychological trauma, to multiple-limb amputees, they have all been
affected in some way, but the team has incredible determination to
achieve its goal of completing the 2014 Dakar Rally, and we’re all
excited that Bowler will be there with us.”
Bowler’s
involvement with Project Mobility heralds a return to racing for the
manufacturer, after taking a sabbatical from the 2011/12 seasons to
develop its newest model, which will be offered in both rally-raid
and – for the first time in the company’s history – road-going
form. With experience in rally-raid racing since the 1980s, Bowler
has enjoyed considerable success in a variety of competitions over
the years, including the gruelling Dakar Rally, thanks to the
reliability and performance of its vehicles.
Project
Mobility mechanics have transformed various 4x4 vehicles into
competition specification over the years, and the team has had to
undertake driving and theory tests to achieve the requisite licences
to allow them to compete. The project’s first vehicle –
nicknamed Freida – was a Land Rover Freelander, converted to
Motorsport Association (MSA) competition standards. The team will
continue to compete in UK rallying events over the coming months and
aims to progress to the European stage in 2012, before taking on the
Bowler
EXR in time for the 2014
Dakar Rally.
For
further information, visit www.projectmobility4x4.org [or click the banner over to the right] or www.bowler-offroad.com.
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