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Against the Grain does the Australasian Safari – Day Eight

Sat, 27 Sep 2014 04:42:00 GMT

Today, we finished the Safari that I started 29 years ago. I can’t tell you how pleased Rex and I are to cross this one off the bucket list. A huge thanks to everyone who has supported us and, of course, our sponsors. We would never have been able to finish the Australasian Safari without that support and I really do appreciate it so much.

Off to celebrate with a beer and reflect on the week that was.

Cheers everyone! Another adventure done and dusted.

Jim & Rex

Against the Grain does the Australasian Safari – Day Seven

Fri, 26 Sep 2014 04:40:00 GMT

A bit of drama and panic with flat tyres and broken belts getting to Carnarvon, but we managed to finish the stage thanks to the support of other teams who stopped to help us out when we were in a bit of strife.

Today was the last real tough stage and we head into Kalbarri tomorrow to finally cross the finish line. Spewing we’ll miss the AFL Grand Final, though!

Against the Grain does the Australasian Safari – Day Five and Six

Thu, 25 Sep 2014 04:39:00 GMT

We left Gascoyne Junction on the 24th headed towards Exmouth, and it really was a bugger of a day. About 100km into the stage, we found our oil was low and we risked doing more damage to the vehicle if we kept going, so we got towed in. Unfortunately, that meant we had to cop the brunt of a lot of penalties. Today, we were lucky to have one of our great supporters from Titan Australia donate an engine to us so we could replace the one in the buggy. We’re crossing our fingers that everything will be alright from now on after this fairly significant repair! So although we didn’t compete today, and we had to surrender in yesterday’s stage, we came into this race wanting to finish it and we still expect to do that.

After a couple of nights here in Exmouth, we move on to Carnarvon tomorrow. Looking forward to the drive (well, Rex is – I better get hold of my anti-nausea tablets again) and taking in some of WA’s most spectacular coast line. Hoping to enjoy it briefly, though, and not for an extended period with a broken buggy!

Against the Grain does the Australasian Safari – Day Four

Tue, 23 Sep 2014 11:06:00 GMT

Great news today – Rex was driving and I managed not to soil the inside of my helmet!!

Horrible start to the morning with a fuse blown, so we copped a penalty for being a bit late to the start line after mucking about trying to figure out what was wrong. Not long after the first stage started, the steering wheel came off. Rex was not a happy chappy about it as you could expect and you can check out the blooper on our Facebook page if you’re alright hearing a fair few expletives. After that incident, the rest of the stage went great out to Mt Augustus. We had a few navigational issues in the second stage coming back to Gascoyne Junction, but at least we’re both feeling pretty good.

Off to Exmouth tomorrow!

Against the Grain does the Australasian Safari – Day Three

Mon, 22 Sep 2014 11:05:00 GMT

Made it to Gascoyne Junction today, which is where our bivouac is for the next couple of days.

Today Rex was navigating and using a pretty flash technique which I believe is called “Just Follow the Dust”. (“Yeah, but it worked. And we didn’t start spewin’ today, did we?” – Rex).

The first stage was a bit horrendous with a couple of mechanical failures, which meant Rex had to hop out and change a belt and a tyre. Meanwhile, I had nothing to do ‘cause I’ve finished all my Sudoku puzzles so I just had to sit around and eat dust as the vehicles passed us. Even though these sorts of failures do put you behind a bit no matter what sort of pace you’ve set before you have a hiccup, we did end up being the first buggy across the line for the second stage of the day.

Our strategy at the moment is to take things steady to keep our mechanics in tact…

Against the Grain does the Australasian Safari – Day Two

Sun, 21 Sep 2014 11:03:00 GMT

Got into Murchison tonight after a pretty interesting day. Well, we started off alright but things escalated quickly as I (Jim) started to feel a bit crook thanks to Rex’s rough driving (“yeah, alright, it was rough terrain, mate” – Rex). When Rex drives it’s very, very rough! And I had a lot of trouble trying to hold me stomach together…I started strong and I felt really good during the morning and then I started to feel car sick and eventually it had to come out...it wasn’t a pretty sight. I was destroyed! So we got the chopper in to come and pick me up for a rest. I was very appreciative of Rex because I was thinking ‘I can’t let him down, I’ve got to stay in here’! (“But I told him his mum would never forgive me!” – Rex)

Fifty-four years old and he’s telling me ‘You’re mum will never forgive me!!’…so he called the chopper in and I’m glad he did. Although I was hoping Rex would’ve been a bit bigger hearted ‘cause he knows I get crook, so he should’ve offered to navigate for the rest of the trip ;)

Other than that, the buggy felt really good today.

I’m at the helm tomorrow!

Against the Grain does the Australasian Safari – Day One

Sat, 20 Sep 2014 11:02:00 GMT

Today, we started at Ginger’s Roadhouse in Perth ready to head up to Geraldton. We had to do the prologue today and we’re happy with how the buggy’s feeling. A few mechanical issues here and there – a problem with my (Jim’s) throttle on the steering wheel that we managed to sort out so thank God I don’t have to be a passenger for Rex for the rest of the week!

Tomorrow we head out to Murchison with Rex behind the wheel. We’re keen to put ourselves towards the top of the leaderboard (“Righto…” – Rex), but one thing is for sure…we’re already doing better than one of the buggies here, which ended up on fire today! Poor fellas!

“Against the Grain inspires me!” – Cody Crocker, international rally driver

Wed, 10 Sep 2014 07:36:00 GMT

I’ve managed to make a living driving cars all over the world as an international rally champion. Motorsport has always been in my blood and I have great memories of tearing up my family’s property in Victoria when I was a teenager. I chased the thrill then, and to this day everything about my sport still excites me.

When I first met Jim Cairns, I could see immediately he had the same sense of adventure I had. You can see him light up when he’s talking about smashing around in vehicles on his property, or what his next adventure is. He’s always chasing the next opportunity to challenge himself and rev his engine (both literally and figuratively!). Jim’s greater team, Against the Grain, has completed a number of adventures deemed tough for abled-bodied people, let alone a group of mates with disabilities.

Jim gets around in a wheelchair day-to-day as a paraplegic, but this has never stopped him from doing things that on the surface seem “too difficult” for someone with his disability. When he told me he was going to do the 2014 Australasian Safari as Against the Grain’s next adventure, I knew he’d give it his all to finish that race.

The Safari is a 3500km grueling journey across Western Australia’s rugged outback – it’s not for the feint-hearted. Even for the able-bodied, finishing isn’t guaranteed because the journey is just so tough on man and machine alike. The level of concentration that is required every day for the seven-day event, where teams navigate up to 500km a day, is far more than what I’ve ever encountered in rally driving. It’s an exhausting, challenging drive and I admire Jim for committing to it fully. Not only is Jim the first paraplegic to compete in the side-by-side vehicle class, this is the same event during which he acquired the injuries that rendered him paraplegic 29 years ago.

Whether Jim finishes the race or not, though you can tell he’ll do everything he can to get across the finish line, he’s demonstrating that people with disabilities can be involved in mainstream sporting activities. It’s an inspiring message for disabled or mentally ill people, and their families and carers alike, and I’m honoured to be an ambassador for Jim’s efforts.

I urge you to get behind Jim and his mate and co-driver, Rex Baker, for this tremendously challenging event. It takes a few special modifications and extra considerations for disabled people to do these kind of things, so every bit of support for these guys is appreciated by their whole crew.

The Australasian Safari kicks off on September 20, with a public ceremonial start on Septmeber 19 at Wanneroo Showgrounds, and you can follow Jim and Rex’s live progress at againstthegrain.com.au.

In the meantime, get behind them on Facebook and if you’d like to donate to support their preparations, you can do that here.

Cody Crocker is an Australian rally and racing car driver. Cody won seven titles between 2003 and 2009 and with 24 wins and four consecutive championships is the most successful driver in the history of the Asia-Pacific Rally Championship. He currently races a Polaris RZR XP1000 in the Australian Rally Championship and won both the 2012 and 2013 SxS series.

Make My Day, Don’t Take My Bay!

Tue, 09 Sep 2014 10:29:00 GMT

We had the opportunity today to take the buggy down to Forrest Place in the Perth CBD to promote the Count Me In message. We were also there to help launch the National Disabilities Services WA’s newest initiative – Make My Day, Don’t Take My Bay.

Russell Woolf and Lord Mayor Lisa Scaffidi joined us as we chatted to the public about how parking in marked ACROD bays can really put people like Jim out. You might think you’re only popping into the shops for five minutes, or that there are heaps of bays available and you won’t be inconveniencing anyone. However, the space an ACROD bay gives a disabled person is often hugely important. For Jim, he needs a bit more space to get into his vehicle, and if he can’t have that space then he has to give his keys to a stranger to reverse his car out for him – not ideal (and try explaining that to the coppers if someone were to take off with the car)! Some people might not look disabled to you, but everyone with an ACROD parking permit has a legitimate reason and need for those blue bays.

So, Make [Jim’s] Day, Don’t Take [His] Bay!

Against the Grain Tackles the Australasian Safari

Mon, 01 Sep 2014 07:14:00 GMT

The Against the Grain team is comprised of disabled and able-bodied adventurers who advocate the Count Me In message of inclusion. Together, they inspire people with disabilities and mental illness, as well as their carers and families, to embrace life and continue to do the things that bring them joy and excitement.

This month, Against the Grain team members Jim Cairns, a paraplegic and Count Me In ambassador, and Rex Baker, a former carer and disability support advocate, will compete in the side-by-side class of this year’s Australasian Safari. The grueling seven-day event will see them navigate more than 3500km of Western Australia’s rugged outback in a vehicle they are constructing themselves.

Jim is the first paraplegic to compete in the side-by-side class, and both he and Rex defy the odds by crossing the finish line.

If you would like to support Jim and Rex in their preparations for the Safari by making a donation, click here.

The Australasian Safari runs from September 20-27. You can keep up-to-date with Against the Grain’s progress during the event at againstthegrain.org.au.

You can connect with Against the Grain on Twitter via @ATG_WA, and on Facebook here.

Fairholme Disability Support Group is proud to be supporting Against the Grain in the upcoming 2014 Australasian Safari.