Ballymena Injured Soldier to Star in New Prime Time ITV4 Show

Gillespie became the first amputee to complete the gruelling Dakar Rally in January 2013 and now his challenge and that of his Race2Recovery team mates will be shown on TV.

The 2 x 1hr series will be aired on ITV4 Wednesday, April 24 and Friday, April 26.

The Dakar saw the team race almost 6000 miles over 15 days through Peru, Argentina and Chile. They tackled some of the most challenging, isolated terrain in the world, from giant sand dunes to the Atacama Desert and the top of the Andes. The Dakar is the ultimate test of man and machine versus the elements, but for the Race2Recovery team, there was an added challenge. Each of the four cars contained an amputee serviceman as part of the two-man crew.

The rally was the culmination of two years hard work. The idea for Race2Recovery grew out of a conversation between Neathway and Captain Tony Harris at Headley Court Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre and quickly grew into a twenty-eight strong rally team, comprised of volunteers and servicemen. Harris became the first amputee driver to enter the Dakar, using a specially adapted clutch pedal.

Already a hardened veteran of Afghanistan at 22, Phillip, of 1 Royal Irish, was part of the way through his third tour when he stood on an IED during a routine foot patrol. Even though the blast blew off his right leg below the knee and inflicted multiple fractures to his left leg, Phillip was able to celebrate his 23rd birthday with his girlfriend Kirsty after spending just one month in hospital. After 6 operations, unshakable determination and endless support from Kirsty, Phillip joined the project as a co-driver just 5 months after sustaining his injuries.

The team’s target was to get four Land Rover-based Wildcat vehicles across the finish line, but things did not go according to plan. Within days, three of the Wildcats had been forced to retire. The tears flowed as the crews saw their dream turn into a nightmare. The infamous Dakar had bitten hard but against the odds, the remaining Wildcat, nicknamed ‘Joy’ after the wife of a team benefactor, struggled on. Joy made it to the finish line in Santiago de Chile and in doing so, co-driver Corporal Barney Gillespie became the first amputee to complete the Dakar.

“It is almost two years to the day since I was blown up in Afghanistan,” said Gillespie at the finish. “There were dark days when I thought life as I knew it was over, but I hope I’ve shown that serious injury is no barrier to doing extraordinary things. Everyone here’s been through so much, but we’ve all supported each other. It’s been an emotional journey, but we made it.”

Dakar Rally: Frontline to Finish Line will be shown on ITV4 Wednesday, April 24 and Friday, April 26.

A trailer for the series can be viewed/embedded at www.youtube.com/watch?v=07HdX5LuaJ4