Rhino Charge

Vision, Mission and Values

The vision of Rhino Charge is to mobilize the public to raise funds for Rhino Ark, the Kenyan conservation charity. For over 25 years Rhino Ark has been raising funds for the building and maintenance of an electrified fence that encircles nearly 400 km of the Aberdare ecosystem. The fence is a vital management tool for ensuring the ecosystem’s long-term integrity. In 2010 Rhino Ark announced a formal commitment to support conservation of other mountain forest ecosystems in Kenya, starting with Mount Kenya and Mount Mau Eburu. These new initiatives are undertaken in addition to the long term commitment to the Aberdares.

The mission of Rhino Charge is to organize an annual off-road motorsport competition that consistently meets the highest standards of excellence and does not adversely impact on the environment in which the events take place.

The values of Rhino Charge are Sportsmanship, Integrity and Commitment to Excellence.

History

The Rhino Charge was conceived in Nairobi, Kenya when Rhino Ark founder Ken Kuhle asked Rally Enthusiast Rob Coombes whether he would organise a motorsport event to help raise funds for the Rhino Ark Charitable Trust that he had recently formed. The trust was committed to saving the dwindling Rhino population in the Aberdare National Park.

The concept discussed was to hold an offroading competition whereby the winner would drive a vehicle to the highest altitude on Mount Kenya. Rob then discussed the idea with Brian Haworth who was enthusiastic and agreed to join Rob in organising it. Presentations to Kenya Wildlife Service quickly determined that the permission to hold the event on Mount Kenya would not be granted and the concept went back to the drawing board. Some years prior to this, Brian had recced a route around Mount Longonot for an off road event at the request of Derek Gates (Safari Rally organiser). It never took place as they decided to hold a mini event at Hell's Gate National Park instead. Brian’s concept was to use distance, rather than speed as the deciding factor, this was to prove the basis for what would become the Rhino Charge.

Based on this experience and after much discussion, Rob and Brian decided to attempt an event to drive over Mount Suswa in the Rift Valley. Two controls would be sited on either side of the Volcano and whoever did it in the shortest distance would be the winner. One Sunday morning in early 1989 the two set off, with motor bikes, headed for the southern slopes of Mount Suswa. After an exhausting day mostly "carrying" the bikes, and still only halfway up Suswa they had to head back to base, the idea wasn’t going to work! They sat looking across the Suswa plains with Lake Magadi in the distance, several small hills and large luggas in the foreground. Why not put a control on the top of each hill and one at the bottom of the escarpment? The competitors would have to find their way across the luggas to get to the hills! The following weekend, prepared with camping gear, motor bikes and their families, they spent two days driving and riding around the area setting out what eventually became the venue for the first ever Rhino Charge. Thirty-one competing vehicles entered 4 February 1989 event won by Travers Allison in a Suzuki Jeep. Distance was measured with the vehicle’s standard odometer. These pioneers probably had no idea of the huge interest this small event would attract in the years to come.

At the core of the Rhino Charge is a highly dedicated group of individuals that comprise the Rhino Charge Committee. Over 25 years later, many of the original committee members are still deeply involved in the Charge.

Rob and Ken are no longer with us, while Brian is still assisting the preparation of the Rhino Charge in many ways. Their legacy is a concept that has developed into the toughest offroad event on the continent and possibly anywhere. It has gained international acclaim and attracts entries from all over the world. The Kudos of winning the Rhino Charge is highly coveted in Kenya and elsewhere. Few Kenyans are not touched by the event in some way, whether taking part, being involved in the organisation, or digging into their pockets for sponsorship. By April every year, the Rhino Charge Fever hits Kenya. Wherever you go, cars are being prepared in garages, tested on and off the road. Shops are full of camping equipment, and the words "where are we going this time?" are heard everywhere. Then, on the Madaraka Day weekend, the exodus begins, and thousands of enthusiasts head for the hills for another Rhino Charge.

The Competition

The Rhino Charge is a one-day off-road event during which a maximum of 65 competitors are required to visit 13 control points scattered over approximately 100 square kilometres of rough terrain within a 10 hours period. Supplied with a 1:50,000 scale map of the venue and the GPS coordinates of the 13 control points, each competing team decides the route they want to follow. The winner is the competitor who finishes at the control point where he started having visited all the other control points in the shortest distance (GPS measured).

The Charge is a unique and exciting competition that requires bravery and a high level of skill in off-road driving and navigation. To prevent adverse environmental impacts, entries to the event are limited to 65 vehicles. The popularity of the Charge is such that the organisers have introduced a preferential entry strategy favouring high value fund raisers because would be entrants far exceed available places in the event.

Event Organization

The Rhino Charge is organized by a committee of professional volunteers from various disciplines. Each member of this dedicated team offers his or her time, expertise and resources to ensure that the event is run successfully and to the highest standards. The event is held in a different location each year in some of the most remote and wild areas of Kenya. The preparation requires the search for a suitable venue followed by the negotiations with the resident local community and the actual event organization. Each competition venue is designed with full participation of local community representatives and is sensitive to local considerations. This process takes many months in which the Rhino Charge Committee volunteers their time and commitment to go on Rhino Charge recces in their free time to organize the next event.

The event, supported by event sponsors and raffle donors, takes place at the end of May/beginning of June each year around the Kenyan public holiday Madaraka Day and is open to all, subject to the Rules and Regulations stipulated by the organizing Committee. The Committee keeps the event location secret until the day of the event. The secrecy of the location prevents people from being tempted to look at the site ahead of time. A map of the past Rhino Charge venues can be downloaded here (Courtesy of Microsoft Encarta).

The event is organised with the approval of the local District Commissioner, the Kenya Wildlife Service, the Governing Body of Motorsport in Kenya and the land owner(s) / host community.

Entry Requirements

In the interests of ecological conservation and due to the nature of the ground to be covered, the organisers limit the number of entries to 65 cars. Entries are accepted on a strict policy of "First Come – First Served" within the following categories until the maximum is reached:

1. Before 1 July of each year: Top five sponsorship entries from the previous Rhino Charge to confirm their entry in the next event.
2. Between 1 July and 31 July: Entrants pledging a minimum of KES 1 million can enter.
3. Between 1 August and 30 August: Entrants pledging a minimum of KES 750,000/- can enter.
4. Between 2 September 2013 and 30 September 2013 – Entrants pledging a minimum of KES 500,000/- can enter.
5. From 1 October 2013 onwards - Entrants pledging a minimum of KES 200,000/- can enter.

Any Entrants who have entered in categories 1. - 5. above, and who fail to reach their pledged sponsorship, may be prevented from starting, and may also be refused entry to future events.

The detailed entry requirements can be found in the event's rules & regulations.

Registration is done at the Rhino Ark office, located at the Kenya Wildlife Service Complex off Langata Road, Nairobi. Contact details can be found on the Rhino Ark website.

In 2013 all places for the 2014 event were filled on 8 July - a record as well as another proof for the increasing popularity of the Rhino Charge.

Spectators

The Rhino Charge attracts many spectators who visit the event to watch competitors in action and spend a fun weekend out of town. In general, spectators are allowed to access the event venue 2–3 days before the event day and have to pay an entry fee called the "Vehicle Access Fee" (VAF). The Vehicle Access Fee supports selected projects for the host communities.

ALL vehicles entering the venue must have 4WD and are required to pay the following Entry Fees:-

1. 4WD Car: KES 10,000/-
2. Mini-bus: KES 15,000/-
3. Canter: KES 30,000/-
4. Expedition Truck or Bus: KES 50,000/-

In 2013, the Ol Donyo Nyokie host community received 2,9 Mio KES raised through the VAF.

Spectators are expected to be self-sufficient in food and camping equipment, whether on a self-organised basis or via a camp operator. Information on camping at the Rhino Charge can be found on the website.

Fundraising Efforts

In order to be accepted to the event competitors are required to pledge and raise the minimum sponsorship set by the organizing Committee. Most competitors, however, raise considerably more. In 2013, Car No. 5 (Alan McKittrick team) raised KES 12,098,283. Since Car No. 5 entered the Charge in 1989 till 2013, the team has raised a staggering amount of KES 101,240,535. And this is not the only team...Long-time supporters such as Sarah and the late Mike Higgins have raised a total of KES 39,604,399 over the past 20 years.

From 1989 to 2013, the Rhino Charge has raised over KES 814 million. In order to ensure that the funds raised by the competitors go to conservation, the Rhino Charge itself is organized mostly based on in-kind support provided by many volunteers, event sponsors and raffle donors. Since 1989, the funds raised have been used for the construction of the Aberdare Electric Fence and supporting conservation activities within the Aberdare ecosystem. With Rhino Ark formally committed to supporting conservation in Mt. Kenya and Mau Eburu ecosystems, funds raised are now used for fencing these two mountain ecosystems, in addition to maintaining the Aberdare Electric Fence and engaging fence-adjacent communities in conservation.

The Rhino Charge Raffle

The Rhino Charge Raffle was introduced in 2002 as a tool to assist Rhino Charge entrants with fund-raising and to thank competitor sponsors for their support. The Raffle offers every donation of KES 2,000 a chance to win a prize, which is a key motivation for the public to support competing cars. The Raffle is organized by a Raffle Committee that voluntarily works towards securing generous prizes from over 100 donors.

UK Rhino Charge

A partner event, the UK Rhino Charge, is held every year in September in Pippingford Park, East Sussex in the United Kingdom. The event has been held every year since 1997, however it is neither as big nor as arduous as its big brother in Kenya but it does allow all types of 4x4 and entrants from enthusiastic novices to hardened experts to enjoy a very different type of day out in the country. All funds raised go towards Rhino Ark, too. In 2013, over £7.000 were raised.

Other related Events

Other events held to raise funds for Rhino Ark are, amongst others, the Athi 4x4 Challenge, the Quattro Charge (a 4x4 trials event) and the Hog Charge (a children's mountain bike race).

Environmental Impact

As a conservation organization, Rhino Ark is deeply sensitive to minimizing any environmental impacts that could derive from its operations. This extends to the Rhino Charge, Rhino Ark’s main fund raising event to support the conservation of Kenya’s ‘water towers’. The Rhino Charge always has and always will take great care to minimise and monitor its footprint. Together with Stanbic, who have enabled independent Environmental Impact Assessments at Rhino Charge venues, it is ensured that the monitoring is comprehensive and scientifically precise. This double check, conducted to exacting standards, is welcomed by the organisers, participants and sponsors alike, not only as an assurance that the Rhino Charge does no harm but also as an insurance that any negative impact which might arise in future can be rapidly identified and remedied.

Mitigating the impact of the competition cars

The format of the Rhino Charge was developed towards minimizing the impact of the competition cars on the environment:

In 2008 Rhino Ark commissioned an environmental and social impact audit of representative samples of venues where the Rhino Charge event has been held. The venues assessed were Tassia Ranch (Mukogodo Division, Laikipia), Swuari Lagha (Wamba Division, Samburu), Ol Kinyei Group Ranch (Mara Division, Narok), and Lorongoswa Group Ranch (Kajiado). The audit was carried out by African Conservation Centre. The audit found that there were minimal impacts on the sites arising from Rhino Charge activities. Recommendations arising from the audit were incorporated into subsequent event venues and course designs.

Recycling the waste generated on the venue

One of the main environmental challenges of organizing an event with close to 3,000 participants and spectators in the most remote wilderness areas of Kenya is the management of waste. Keeping with Rhino Ark’s conservation mission, the Rhino Charge Committee is committed to leaving each venue as it was found. To this end, stringent rules have been set by the Committee to ensure that no waste is left in the entire Rhino Charge venue. This includes a fine system that is strictly implemented to address wastes by competitors. In addition, with the support of key sponsors, wastes are collected across the venue, including in the Spectator Camp and at the Gauntlet. To promote waste recycling, a Waste Sorting Station is set up at the venue. Glass, cans and tins, plastic bottles, among others, are separated and brought back to Nairobi for recycling. In the 2013 event, almost 50 cubic metres of waste were properly sorted and removed from the venue for recycling.

Finally, comprehensive post event reviews of each event site are undertaken in collaboration with the local communities. The team aims at leaving each venue as it was found.

Awards

In 2013, the Rhino Charge received a special award for fundraising efforts towards the conservation of Kenya’s water towers by the Total S.A. Eco Challenge.