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Blood, Sweat and Tears At the Rhino Charge(AllAfrica Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) On Friday June 3, in the hot and dusty hamlet of Yatya, north Baringo, the Rhino Charges were at it again: bashing their 4x4 vehicles through rocky bush land to raise funds for one of Kenya's most successful and crucial conservation initiatives - the Aberdares forest fencing project. The annual Rhino Charge, an off-road motor race now in its 23rd year, brings 65 of the toughest (or is it maddest?) teams to some of the remotest corners of Kenya. The vehicles drive through terrifically impossible terrains to reach 13 checkpoints using only a trackless map, a GPS device and sheer wits. The winner is the car that drives the shortest time and distance. Car number 48 of Mark Glen and Bryn Llewellyn emerged the winner this year, clocking 42.2km against a straight line distance of 30km. Team 5 of Allan McKittrick was the 'Victor Ludorum' of combined highest fundraiser and performer, having raised Sh11.5 million. The all-ladies team of Caroline Armstrong in car number 18 scooped the Chris Nicklin Coupe des Dames award. This year's event brought much excitement to the people living at the foothills of the picturesque Tugen Hills. They gazed for days upon an endless stream of automobiles in every make, shape and colour. They marvelled at the assortment of visitors: Africans, Indians, wazungu, children, grannies, locals and foreigners. City accents, foreign languages and the blare of loud stereo music drowned the local vernacular and bleating of goats. For spectators, Rhino Charge is a time of fun and entertainment. For the competitors, it's a massive test of machinery, muscle and mental power. For the organisers, this one-day event is the culmination of months of meticulous preparation by a small army of mostly volunteers committed to conserving Kenya's water towers - and having some fun in the process. "About 160 volunteers are involved in the Charge," says Colin Church, chairman of Rhino Ark's management committee. Rhino Ark manages the Aberdare fence project in partnership with Kenya Wildlife Service and Kenya Forest Service. "We start scouting for venues in December of the previous year. Then when a likely place is identified, we all sit under a tree with the local leaders and landowners, explain what we want to do and get their consent." All the event entrance fees go straight back to the local landowners, which this year amounted to She 2.4 million. In previous years, the locals have used the money to build boreholes, schools and health facilities. Other communities continue to use the roads created by the Rhino Charge. The venue preparation began with weeks of air and ground surveillance by the Charge committee to map out the various campsites, roads, event headquarters and race checkpoints, including the highly popular Gauntlet. This a section of tough driving ground, usually through a steep, rocky ravine that calls for ingenious driving in the shortest possible time. Gary Cullen's car number 22 won the Gauntlet category. After surveillance, the road teams arrived to create ground infrastructure with the help of residents familiar with the area. Harun was the local liaison in Yatya and he spent long days in the hot sun guiding the road-clearers. He also sat for many hours under trees explaining to his neighbours how crazy bush driving and environmental conservation are connected. Meantime, at Rhino Ark's Nairobi office, the staff spent many months soliciting sponsorship and contracting event handlers. Suppliers of security services, drinking water, campsite outfitters and caterers, GPS tracking, vehicle results monitoring, fuel, accounting services and so on have to be sourced for the event. Promotional materials, brochures, media requirements and public relation events must be organised. Raffle prizes have to be procured, which this year amounted to over 150 raffle pledges. Medical health and safety are a top priority. A full-time doctor, a team of volunteer medics, Land Cruiser ambulances, and aerial evacuation services were present at Yatya for days. Dr. Shah constantly reminded everybody to drink plenty of water, while oral rehydration sachets were generously distributed to the organisers toiling in the hot sun. Many vehicles also needed doctoring before the big day and Bradshaw, the onsite car service, was kept very busy until the last minute. Winning car 38 spent most of the day before in the garage. Mark Tilbury's car number 35, The Hog Chargers, didn't begin the race until 2.30pm due to mechanical challenges, but they still got through 6 checkpoints. That's a great tribute to the hundreds of school children that raise money for car 35 and Rhino Ark's conservation projects through the annual Hog Charge mountain biking competition. The cars were scrutinised the day before the race. This was an exciting opportunity for spectators to view up close the marvellous collection of brightly coloured, oddly shaped, modified vehicles riding on gigantic tyres. Then it was early to bed that night - at least for the competitors and officials. Wake-up time on the event day was 4am; even the local rooster hadn't crowed. Then at 7.30am the Bundi Fundis, Smiling Shenzies, Bush Babes and 60 other vehicles were let loose. For the next nine hours, headquarters was a beehive of activity: tracking vehicles, recording results, reporting breakdowns, coordinating with the checkpoints and liaising with the gyrocopter pilots, against a background of non-stop radio communication. Meanwhile, the peaceful Baringo countryside was punctuated all day by revving motors and moving clouds of dust. All the checkpoints were sponsored by a company or organisation. The Greensteds School checkpoint welcomed cars with drumbeating, whistling, fresh fruits and cool beverages. "The students fundraise all year to attend and support the Rhino Charge," explained Spanish teacher, Mr Samuel Maloba. The Pies-2-Go checkpoint served delicious, warm pies to the Chargers and a champagne toast for the finishing teams. Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) co-sponsored the gauntlet section. Present at the Charge was KWS Director Julius Kipng'etich, Rhino Ark Chairman Michael Karanja, MP for Baringo North Hon William Cheptumo, and Rhino Ark patron Charles Njonjo. Kipng'etich praised the achievements of the Chargers and reiterated the government's financial commitment to the new fencing projects of Mt Kenya and Mau Eburu, one of 22 forest blocks in Mau. "I think some of the locals are still in shock after watching all the mad idiots racing around yesterday," joked Anton Levitan, Rhino Charge committee chairman, at the prize-giving ceremony. He's a veteran of the Charge since the first one in 1998. Back then, it was a much simpler affair thrown together over the weekend by a group of mutual friends and acquaintances. They hoped to raise some cash to fence the eastern section of the Aberdares where the Black Rhino was being heavily poached. The first Charge raised about Sh250,000. Fast track 23 years later and the 2011 Rhino Charge raised a whopping Sh77.3 million in donations, mostly from Kenyan individuals and organisations. All of it will be channelled back into Rhino Ark's conservation and community projects. Behind the scenes, the Rhino Charge is a massive operation handled to clockwork perfection by a dedicated team of diverse Kenyans. With Rhino Ark due to fence two other forests, we're guaranteed one of the most exciting motor sport events in East Africa for many more years. Copyright Nairobi Star. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). |