Race2Recovery delighted to welcome Land Rover's sponsorship support

The Race2Recovery team, now sponsored by Land Rover

Race2Recovery, the cross-country rally raid team comprised predominantly of injured British service personnel, is delighted to welcome Land Rover as major sponsor of its 2013 Dakar Rally campaign. The iconic British marque will provide vehicle and parts support, as well as invaluable training as Race2Recovery prepares to tackle the most arduous motoring adventure in the world, to raise money for service charities and inspire the wider disabled community.

Land Rover joining Race2Recovery is a perfect endorsement of the team's key values, of determination, inspiration and overcoming adversity. It is also a natural fit for Land Rover's brand and will see the marque support the team by supplying engines for the four Qt Wildcats that Race2Recovery will use on the Dakar, as well as Land Rover Discovery support vehicles and a wide range of parts.

Land Rover will also provide bespoke desert training for the team members, essential in making sure that they stand the best chance of achieving their goal of reaching the finish of the 2013 Dakar Rally after 9000 gruelling kilometres of competition through three countries in South America.

Race2Recovery has already clearly indicated its intention; it is currently competing in its second season of the British Cross Country Championship, recently brought two cars to the finish of the demanding Tuareg Rally in Morocco and took a stage win for each crew en route and is scheduled to contest the Pharaons Rally in October, part of the Dakar Series and a crucial preparation event ahead of the 2013 Dakar Rally.

The Race2Recovery Foundation charity is directing all funds raised to Help For Heroes which will then be restricted to supporting the Tedworth House Personal Recuperation and Assessment Centre. It also hopes to inspire the wider disabled community to realise their goals by demonstrating that injury or disability needn't be the end of one's dreams.

Race2Recovery driver and co-founder Captain Tony Harris said: "We are incredibly proud that Land Rover has chosen to support our Dakar Rally campaign. To have the endorsement of the world's leading off-road brand, combined with the direct support in terms of vehicles, components and training is invaluable to us as we work towards next year's event.

"We are also pleased that Land Rover is joining us until the end of July 2013. We already view our campaign as lasting well past the end of the Dakar in January next year and clearly, Land Rover shares this view. This will allow us to raise the maximum possible support for Help for Heroes and Tedworth House and the marketing and PR support that we will enjoy from Land Rover will be key in this."

The sponsorship will see the team benefit from Land Rover's technology and reputation for strength, performance and durability, key attributes when it selected the Qt Wildcat as the base for its campaign. As a result, all team vehicles, clothing, website and identity will feature the iconic Land Rover logo, demonstrating the brand's support.

The newly branded Race2Recovery team will be present at this month's Cholmondeley Pageant of Power (15-17 June) and the Goodwood Festival of Speed (29 June - 1 July). The team's next international rally raid will be the Pharaons Rally in Egypt from 1-6 October.

Busy June for Race2Recovery

This June will be a busy month for Race2Recovery, the team of predominantly injured and disabled service personnel raising money for charity by targeting a finish on the 2013 Dakar Rally. The team will be attending two of the season's highest profile events to raise awareness of the campaign and funds for the Race2Recovery Foundation charity, which in turn supports the Help for Heroes Tedworth House project.

This weekend, the team will be at the Cholmondeley Pageant of Power, held in the grounds of Cholmondeley Castle in Cheshire. The event is in its fifth year and brings together some of the highest-octane action on land, water and in the air.

There is a huge array of action for any enthusiast and particularly relevant for the Race2Recovery team are two main areas: the Dakar Rally arena will allow the team to demonstrate its Qt Wildcats, which it will be using on next year's gruelling event in South America while the event's Military Combat Vehicles Area will have a familiar feel, as many of the Race2Recovery team members are serving military personnel.

However, the activity will begin even earlier than the official start of the Pageant, as the team has been invited to take part in a cavalcade from MediaCityUK in Salford to the venue on Thursday 14 June. This will see one of the Race2Recovery Qt Wildcats on display at Media City early on Thursday morning before forming part of the procession to the event, which will eventually mark the official opening of this year's Pageant.

Two weeks later, the team will again be out in force, this time at the world-famous Goodwood Festival of Speed. Here, it will be split across three distinct areas: several Qt Wildcats will be seen running through the Forest Rally Stage. The team will also have a presence in the main arena where visitors can find out more about the personalities of the team, a chance for fans to donate to the cause as well as purchase Race2Recovery merchandise.

However, by far the most interesting aspect for visitors will be the team's 'Dakar Experience' area set up close to the Formula One paddock. Here, they will build a section of sand dunes, similar to those they faced on the recent Tuareg Rally in Morocco and will face again on the Dakar next year.

But this will not be a static display; fans will have the opportunity to experience, first-hand, some of the pressure and demands that the most arduous motorsport adventure in the world places on team members. The Race2Recovery team will be running a Wheel Change competition, where members of the public can try their hand at changing one of the Silverline wheels and Cooper Tires that the team uses on its Wildcats.

Determination and teamwork, two of the key qualities personified by the team, will be crucial to success here and there will be daily prizes for the fastest time, as well as a unique, money-can't-buy prize donated by the motorsport community for the best time over the course of the three-day event.

Commenting, team driver and co-founder, Captain Tony Harris, said; "We are incredibly excited and honoured to have been invited to attend these two events. They are both very high profile and attract a huge attendance, so we are hopeful that not only will we be able to raise significant funds for the Race2Recovery Foundation and therefore, to directly support Help for Heroes and the Tedworth House project but also, raise awareness of the campaign even further than so far.

"The Cholmondeley Pageant of Power may be a relatively young event but it is one that is incredibly close to our hearts. The fact that it draws together action from land, sea and air makes it particularly relevant to us, as our team is made up of personnel from all three branches of the services. The combat power on display will also be very interesting to see, bringing our 'Day Jobs' into contact with the project we have chosen to demonstrate that our injuries, and wider disabilities, don't necessarily mean an end to your dreams.

"The Goodwood Festival of Speed is probably the best-known motoring event in the world and it is an honour to be invited to attend, and in so many ways. We are delighted that several Qt Wildcat owners are supporting us, as they did at RallyDay last year, by providing passenger rides on the rally stage with proceeds going directly to the Foundation.

"We will also have a big presence in the main arena, where we will be able to chat to people, explain what Race2Recovery is all about and raise more funds for the charity. But of course, it's the Dakar Experience that we are most excited about.

"We know from this year's Tuareg Rally just how demanding competing in the sand dunes can be - half of the eight-day event was run in the Sahara. So it will be really good to see how people react to changing a wheel and tyre on one of our Wildcats. We have had some amazing prizes donated by members of the motorsport community and will be giving these to the best time of the day, as well as the best overall time all weekend."

The Cholmondeley Pageant of Power takes place at the Cholmondeley Castle, Malpas in Cheshire on 15-17 June while the Goodwood Festival of Speed takes place at Goodwood House, Chichester, from 29 June - 1 July.