AN EVENT FOR EVERY 4X4 AND COMPETITORS OLD OR YOUNG, EXPERIENCED OR NOVICE!

This year’s UK Rhino Charge raised £9,035.73, a brave effort by the 13 teams involved in the current climate and especially welcome for Rhino Ark, the Kenyan charity which has just completed a 400 km fence to protect the Aberdares National Park and safeguard it for future generations. In a time of severe drought looking after the water catchment area of the Aberdares is even more vital than normal.

Newcomers Team Dirty Berty lead by James Dodson, came first overall with 777 points scored out of a possible 850 and also took the Tiger Lines Trophy – a great family and friends team effort in a neatly prepared vehicle. The team hope to ship their Range Rover based special out to Kenya to do the Rhino Charge there soon. Second was the rorty Toyota Landcruiser FJ40/VX hybrid of Rashminder Bhabra on 723 points. They were pushing for glory in the voluntary and tougher Tiger Lines until a CV joint exploded on the final section – who said Toyota axles never break??

Veteran fund raiser Kit Kaberry was given the humorous Where the F*** Are We prize for generally ignoring his navigator and going backwards when he should have been going forwards. However, and much more importantly, he also achieved the highest funds raised overall and won the Victor Ludorum Trophy for the best combined performance in the Charge and sponsorship raised, meaning that he is given the opportunity to use a loan car provided by KVM in Kenya in the 2010 Rhino Charge, subject to bringing sufficient sponsorship along.

Pritam Choda won the Spirit of the Event award for consistently giving the lie to his age by driving like a lunatic teenager, demolishing section markers with great enthusiasm and never giving up, even when his supply of suitable tyres to borrow ran out!

This year more emphasis was put on the special tasks and varied trials sections and less on navigation, which seemed to make for a more relaxed event. One competitor remarked that the Rhino Charge was the most enjoyable day’s competition he had ever done and everyone went home with a smile on their faces.

Thanks are due as always to the competitors and their many and varied sponsors, to Brian Hartley and his Red Coats of Club Off Road for looking after the competition side of things and to Huw Wright and the South Coast Land Rover Club members who ran the spectator convoy and radio communications.

UK RHINO CHARGE COORDINATOR – JOHN BOWDEN:
JBOWDEN@GUMTREE4X4.CO.UK