A Perthshire man is to help a group of severely injured soldiers compete in one of the world’s toughest off-road races.
John Goldie, 45, will act as a support for the Race2Recovery team, which is made up of former servicemen, during the Dakar rally.
John, from Blairgowrie, formerly served in the Cheshire Regiment in the Territorial Army.
The 16-strong team has entered two race vehicles into the 2014 race from Rosario in Argentina to Valparaiso in Chile, via Bolivia for those competing on motorcycles. John’s role will be on the support crew, and will be one of the drivers of the 8×8 support truck.
The injured servicemen will be driving Land Rover Defender-based Wildcat rally-raid vehicles, both of which were entered in last year’s race, as well as a T4 race truck and a T5 support truck, which will follow the route and provide support for both race vehicles.
John praised the bravery of his team mates, saying: “They’ve achieved so much already and I hope that, by coming on board, I can be part of their future success and that we can progress this team to another level. ”
The team will race almost 5,600 miles across some of the world’s most unforgiving terrain, including crossing the Atacama desert and the Andes mountain range.
So far, the team has raised more than £250,000 for charity.
John Goldie, left, with a Race2Recovery teammate in Argentina ahead of the 2014 event.