Newport man's Dakar Rally challenge ends after car rolls over
A serviceman from Newport has been forced to pull out of one of the toughest road races in the world after the car he was driving rolled on to its roof while going down a sand dune.
Captain Tony Harris was part of the 16-strong Race2Recovery team hoping to complete the notoriously difficult Dakar Rally across rough terrain in Argentina and Chile for a second time, having made history last year.
The team is made up of severely injured soldiers.
Captain Harris lost his left leg after an explosion while serving in Afghanistan in 2009 with the 2nd Battalion, the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers..
The 32-year-old was forced to pull out of the 6,500-mile challenge on Monday after his Land Rover race car rolled over while driving on sand.
The car ended up on its wheels and Captain Harris and his co-driver Quin Evans were both uninjured.
They were able to complete the stage, but on returning to base the service crew discovered a crack in the roll-bar, making the car unsafe to continue.
Race2Recovery's other race car also suffered failure on the same day, causing them to withdraw as well.
Captain Harris, the founder of the team, said: "We're clearly very disappointed that we've had to retire two race vehicles.
"Our preparations had gone very well but this year's experience just goes to show why they call the Dakar the toughest race in the world."
The team is continuing the challenge with its T4 truck, which supports the race cars.
Captain Harris, who is a former pupil of Adams' Grammar and Castle House in Newport, added: "As a team, we'll now focus on the T4 truck and put all our efforts in trying to keep this vehicle in the Dakar.
"We want to stay in the race as long as possible and we're proud that our efforts continue to raise the profile of military charities including Tedworth House, Help For Heroes and Blesma. We'd like to thank everyone who has supported our Dakar challenge so far."
The Race2Recovery team, including Captain Harris, last year became the first disabled team to complete the Dakar Rally, raising more than £250,000 for Tedworth House Personnel Recovery Centre and Help for Heroes. The tale of their success was told in a book.
The team plans to enter future Dakar challenges.
