Shropshire soldier on high and lows of Dakar rally team

Captain Tony Harris, of Newport, was a team leader with the Race2Recovery team taking part in the world famous Dakar Rally.

The team was made up of mainly British servicemen, many of them amputees following injuries suffered in Afghanistan.

Of the four Race2Recovery Land Rover Defender-based Wildcats that started the rally in Lima, Peru, on January 5, one made it to the finish line in Santiago, Chile, 15 days later having completed more than 5,000 miles across mountain and desert terrain.

Capt Harris's Wildcat was disqualified for a technicality and two others crashed out. But Captain Harris, who has two children, Felix, five, and Emily, three was just delighted that one vehicle, called Joy, did complete the challenge, becoming the first disability team to do so.

"I was eliminated at stage two of the race," said Capt Harris, who was driving alongside navigator Cathy Derousseaux.

"There was some miscommunication about what time the race started the next day so we ended up missing too many way points and that put us outside the regulations for the race.

"That was confirmed on day four after we had completed day three. It was incredibly frustrating because we had just got the car running properly.

"It was distressing on a personal level but our objective was always to get one car over the finish line. We had to put it to one side and concentrate on getting one home."

But despite the elimination, his involvement in the rally was far from over.

He continued to play a key role in supporting the Race2Recovery team and parts of his car were used to patch up the other vehicles.

A former pupil of Adams' Grammar and Castle House, Capt Harris said: "We were all at the finish line to see Major Matt O'Hare and Corporal Phillip Gillespie finish.

"It was a special moment. It was two years of pretty intense work. To see them do it and realise that what we set out to achieve wasn't impossible was amazing.

"It required a special commitment. All our team were volunteers which is different for Dakar because a lot are paid.

"It's just astonishing that we managed to finish it and put a marker in the sand about what is possible," he added.

"I never thought before that I'd end up doing it, even before I was injured. It's been one of these true adventure races that has been going for so long. To be part of that history and put our name down as the first disabled team to finish is incredible."

There was drama on day five when three members of the Race2Recovery team were badly injured in a serious crash.

A team support vehicle collided head-on with other support vehicles in the town of Tacna, in Peru, near the Chilean border.

Two people were killed. The Race2Recovery members are recovering in hospital. Capt Harris added: "The team decided before we even started that we would continue our endeavour.

That was obviously a huge shock but we knew that we had the blessing of the injured."

The icing on the cake for the successful 28-strong team was a congratulatory message from the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, who praised their 'perseverance and teamwork'.

The team had received a grant to compete from the Endeavour Fund, set up by The Royal Foundation of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry.

Capt Harris, who now lives in Buckinghamshire, said: "We weren't expecting that at all. The team were thrilled."

Capt Harris, who had his left leg amputated below the knee after his vehicle struck an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan in 2009, is serving with the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers until March.

The challenge has raised more than £100,000 for the Personnel Recovery Centre at Tedworth House in Wiltshire.

Captain Harris said the money was one of three key reasons for the challenge. He said: "It was important for us to throw ourselves in and be part of the competitive arena again. We really wanted to inspire others, we were getting messages from all around the world.

"We were blessed that people were taking strength from what we were doing. It wasn't easy at times but you remember those messages and realise why you are doing it.