You grew up in Kenya watching the East African Safari. Is that what got you interested in the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge?
The ‘Safari' was a similar event and the competitors came from all over the world. It had a great atmosphere, and certainly opened my eyes to motorsport.
I love driving and being in the desert. I am very competitive and in the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, there is a great combination of arguably the toughest terrain on earth and competing with the world's best.
You're especially keen on Range Rovers...
I learnt to drive in a Land Rover Series III atage 12, but to this day, I remember the first time I went for a ride in a Range Rover. I remember how comfortable it was and the sound of the V8 engine. It made a real impression on me as a youngster. To own one was a huge aspiration of mine.
Tell us about your Rangey…
I bought it here in Dubai in 2008. It was modified to compete in local off-road rallies, so the interior had to be stripped out. It was fitted with a roll cage and had dual shock absorbers and a fire extinguisher system fitted.
But it's had a lot more done to it sincethen, right?
I set about having almost a full rebuild to get it up to FIA standards and in order to be able to compete in the 2008 Desert Challenge.
The fuel tank has been replaced witha 300-litre fuel cell and it now has four fuel pumps. I added bigger shock absorbers and had it lifted for better ground clearance.
The ECU has been chipped and the fuel flow re-mapped. The brakes are upgraded with vented slotted discs while the roll cage has been strengthened. It also has a heavy-duty quick ratio steering box.
It must be a blast to drive with all of those modifications.
It's amazing. It has low gearing for steep climbs and quick acceleration through soft sand — 160kph down a sand track on deflated tyres is probably the fastest I've gone in it!
It handles extremely well and soaks up the rough terrain brilliantly.
I want to try different gear ratios to see if it can average higher speeds off road without losing the climbing ability. I may try different sized tyres too.
I'm also keen to move the radiator behind the cockpit for better weight distribution and to reduce strain on the front of the car, which takes an absolute pounding.
It makes a change from the usual white Range Rovers we see. But, it isn't your daily driver, is it?
I wish it was, but it lacks AC. It's also very noisy. I have a 1999 Range Rover 4.6-litre HSE as a daily driver, and a Defender 110.
You've been involved in the Desert Challenge since 2005. Tell us about that.
It's not the sort of event you can just go out and do, so I decided to learn as much about it beforehand by volunteering as support staff. This gave me a chance to see the vehicles, drive the routes, learn the rules and see what it takes to finish the Challenge.
You made your debut in 2008 and came 11th last year. How did you and the RR cope?
It was very tough and though the car performed admirably, the crew sufferedfrom dehydration. That said, we finished20th overall.
For 2010, we were more familiar and had made improvements to the car, with more power in particular. Unfortunately we brokea differential on day four which knocked us out of a top-ten finish.
This year, we had a number of technical problems resulting in time penalties. The last two days went very well, giving us 17th overall.
What's your dream car?
A QT Wildcat. The new 300STR is street legal, has AC and would leave many sportscars in its wake — and then be capable of doing the Desert Challenge!
Bio
- Name Malcolm Anderson
- Job Airline pilot
- From Kenya
- Wheels 1990 Range Rover Vogue Classic
- In the UAE 15 years
