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.

Military heroes to pilot new Bowler racer on demanding Dakar drive

“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”

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.”

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.