Team saluki has been loved by rally fans in the UAE. In this instalment of Real Cars, Real People, members Tim Ansell and Mark Powell talk to Paolo Rossetti about the thrill of being on the team and the challenges they face.
The Saluki Team have been the sweetheart of UAE rally fans, and a few elsewhere as well, since they began entering the Desert Challenge in 1997.
It's not just that they race in one of the most gruelling stages of the International Rally Circuit, shoulder to shoulder with professional racing teams, but the fact the two Englishmen were so deeply the underdogs that there were bets whether "the two crazy amateurs" would just get lost in the desert and never be found – and instead they consistently place high!
So, who are the two Salukis?
Tim Ansell: Co-Driver since 2004, Land Rover enthusiast. Takes care of the team's publicity, website and even writes the occasional song.
Mark Powell: Founder, owner and driver for Team Saluki.
Started as a marshal and got bitten by the bug way back in 1994. It would take three years to realise the dream and enter as a competitor.
Bit of Saluki race history
Mark: I only look forwards.
Tim: I took over as navigator from Paul Richards in 2004 – Paul had run with Mark in 2002 and 2003, and in 2002 they finished 5th – the team's best ever result.
Mark and I came 7th overall in 2004 and were the highest placed privateer team winning the "First in the Gulf" title.
In 2005 we were running in 4th place on Day Three, our highest ever position in the Challenge, when a broken gearbox ended our chances and we finished 14th overall.
In 2006 I had a personal disaster on Day Two when, due to sickness and dehydration I had to be taken by helicopter back to the bivouac for medical attention.
Although we continued for the next three days, the massive time penalty meant we finished 21st – very disappointing.
What amazes me is how a pair of otherwise normal-looking people such as yourselves would for the past 10 years keep up what can only be described as an insane double-life. Is there any rational way you can describe this affliction you have?
Tim: I've always loved motor-sport! I regularly went to Silverstone, Thruxton, Brands Hatch and Le Mans for years and also to the Daytona 500.
When the chance came to co-drive in international rallies against world champions and Dakar winners, I could hardly say "no thanks".
It's definitely an adrenaline thing with me. The rationale behind it is simply that I hate losing and motor-sport is all about winning!
I like the challenge of taking on the world's best teams in this sport and at least being able to get in among the leaders.
Mark: There is no rational answer to this: I guess that once you have a passion for something it's up to you to take it to the next step – nobody else will do it for you – at least not at my age!
There must be a hefty price to pay for all the action you've been getting: what's the downside? What's the hurt?
Mark: Sleepless nights? No time to relax? Fortunately I have a very supporting and understanding family, otherwise I would never have been able to manage to get this far. Financially it does take its toll, but there is a method to my madness.
Tim: It has definitely cut down on the time I have spent with my family, but that tends to be more of an issue in the weeks before the Desert Challenge, and is not so bad for the rest of the year. I'd probably be unbearable at home if I didn't race, and I'd be out supporting the team anyway, so my wife indulges me! (Thank you, Carole.)
Emotionally it's a roller-coaster, but that's like any sport, you have your good days and bad days, though the highs you achieve on the good days make up for all the others.
So it's not always fun and games zooming along in souped up cars... I'll get on to the celebrations later, but what was your most heart-wrenching moment?
Tim: In terms of racing, breaking our transmission just 7 kilometres from the end of the 2004 Desert Challenge, after Mark had raced for 2500km and even driven for 100kms in two-wheel- drive to battle to the finish.
As it turned out, we were the only non-finisher to get to the last two passage controls so we had fewer penalties than anyone else and our race position, 7th overall, was unaffected by the breakdown – but I didn't know that for three unbearable hours.
Mark: Let's see, and let me count on my fingers: perhaps flipping the car over a dune two weeks before our inaugural event, necessitating the installation of a complete new roll cage?
Or maybe writing off the new car at 140 kph one day and 20 minutes into the 2000 UAE Desert Challenge, driving along on the front two wheels looking at the ground and wondering which way we are going to come down!
In the meantime, though, and sorry for all the gloomy questions, you've been doing phenomenally well for an independent team. Just so our readers can appreciate the scope of this, what are the differences between the Saluki Team and say an official car brand team?
Tim: Oh, about $250,000 per car, per race.
A works team will have three cars entered, each of which will have cost the best part of $1 million to build.
They'll have two 6-wheel-drive support trucks, each carrying enough spare parts to rebuild every car twice. They can change the gearbox (probably $30,000 each, minimum) and the clutch every night after racing, to make sure they don't break the next day.
They'll have at least a dozen professional engineers working on the cars throughout the night.
Plus the drivers can simply race at 100 per cent of their abilities at all times, at incredible speed. If they break the car, then they just walk away and there's a spare car for the next rally.
We, on the other hand, will take three or four years to pay off a buggy that was already 4 years old (albeit rebuilt in 2006) when we bought it.
If we break it, our race is over and we have to finance the repairs ourselves, so we drive at about 95 per cent all the time to preserve the car.
We have a single pick-up truck loaded with the few spare parts we can afford, and a lot of willing volunteers to help us out and service the car.
But we know the dunes better than the visiting pros, so we make up for unlimited funds with experience, ridiculous enthusiasm and terrific local support from sponsors and family alike.
It must feel sooooo good getting ahead of the pros. Is that something that spurs you on, or where else do you find the strength to keep going under such harsh rally conditions?
Mark: The feeling that you are taking on world champions and splitting the pack, so to speak, is tremendous.
To sit there at the start of day two and be the 4th car in the line-up certainly puts the fear of God into us!
That and the fact that we are now contenders for a good finish helps us to focus our minds on the job in hand.
Tim: At the end of the day, I simply want Team Saluki to do as well as possible – the whole team, not just Mark and I. It takes dozens of people's efforts to get us to the start line on Day 1, so the desire to do well is as much about not letting them down as it is about beating the pros.
A 10-year career must have cost a fortune, so the key to anyone wanting to start out in rally racing would be to either have a very, very rich Dad or to immediately seek out sponsors ...
What would your advice be for a young rally enthusiast ?
Tim: You'll have to be a very good salesperson to attract sponsors without some sort of track record and a proposal full of pictures of you racing, so you may have to just take the plunge, buy the car and then start looking.
Or do as I did and volunteer to help an existing team and work your way up the ranks.
The search for next year's sponsors starts two weeks after the previous Desert Challenge and there's simply no substitute for hard work and perseverance – the same qualities you'll need for the race itself.
Mark: That would be a dream – have a rich Daddy to finance the sport! However, would that person really appreciate the true value of his efforts? We have had to work hard for the last 10 years to get to where we are today and therefore know from experience how tough it is.
Contrary to popular belief, obtaining sponsorship in the Middle East is not so easy. In fact it is getting more and more difficult as the UAE grows and other events come online.
For would-be rally drivers, I would most definitely say that they should get involved in local events as marshals.
This would allow them to be in the action and to meet people who may eventually give them advice and possibly, assistance.
