Race2Recovery gets set for second Dakar Rally

Race2Recovery, a rally-raid team filled mostly with disabled veterans, is headed to its second Dakar Rally in two years. The team took its two Defender-based Wildcat rally trucks, one T4 competition truck, one T5 support truck and two Land Rover Discovery (LR4 in the U.S.) support vehicles to the Le Havre port in France for scrutineering. Then they joined 650 other competitors in loading the ships bound for South America.

Race2Recovery is a team of volunteers and injured servicemen who race in the Dakar rally for charity and, of course, bragging rights. This year's charity is the Help for Heroes project in Wiltshire, England, where injured servicemen and women can receive support.

Last year, only one of the team's four cars finished, with Major Matt O'Hare and Corporal Phillip Gillespie behind the wheel.

This year's race starts Jan. 5 in Rosario, Argentina. For the first time, the route will enter Bolivia crossing the Andes and will finish in Valparaiso, Chile.

The two Discovery support vehicles were provided by Land Rover as part of its sponsorship package, and they will help the Wildcats over their 14-day journey. The SUVs carry roof racks and front-mounted winches. They run on all-terrain tires.

Come back to Autoweek later this month for more Dakar coverage. We'll also have day-by-day coverage once the event starts in January.

For more info on the Race2Recovery team, go here; check out the Dakar site here.

By Jake Lingeman