Dakar Rally entrant to raise cash for military charity

A Burnley man is hoping to raise £25,000 for Help for Heroes (H4H) by taking part in the Dakar Rally.

Justin Birchall is going to fulfill a lifetime ambition when he competes in the world famous race, This is Lancashire reports.

He will be forming part of the Race2Recovery team and his navigator will be triple amputee Tom Neathway, who has completed tours of duty in Northern Ireland, Iraq and Afghanistan.

Mr Birchall is undergoing a series of training sessions to make sure he is fit enough for the gruelling challenge, which will see him cover 9,000 km in 15 days. 

"It is the world's biggest off-road endurance rally and is the pinnacle of anyone's driving career. Having said that, it's extremely daunting," he added.

Mr Neathway will be the first triple amputee to ever take part in the race, while all of the money collected will go towards the H4H-funded Tedworth House.

Posted by Trevor Smith