Buying a race car is the easy bit. Once you’ve got it, the reality of having a high-maintenance mistress bites hard – in the wallet. Stuff wears out a whole lot faster when you’re pushing it to the limit, and there are always improvements to be made. Just the mandatory clothing and helmets will set you back around Dh20k. So unless you have very deep pockets, you need to find sponsors to help foot the bill. After our first race we had some live race photos, as well as a couple of trophies to show for it, and I hastily put together a prospectus and sent it off to all our suppliers – more in hope than expectation.
I’m one of the partners in Al Thika Packaging. Our business is the distribution and servicing of packaging equipment and associated equipment. To my great surprise, two of our suppliers came up trumps. Robopac from Italy supply the stretch-wrap machines we sell for pallet wrapping, and they were quick to make a contribution. Soon after, Meijer Special Equipment from the Netherlands came to the party. They make forklift attachments, including their unique RollerForks for handling unpalletised loads, and agreed to sponsor one side of the car. We thought that would give us enough cash to pay for the rest of the season and the entry costs for the UAE Desert Challenge. Little did we know how optimistic this was to prove!
These are the voyages of the starship 'Newtrix'. Its multi-year mission: to compete in any rally within striking distance of Dubai, and to acquire shiny trophies. To boldly go wherever this quest may take us, as long as we can be home in time for tea.
