A MOTOR RALLY novice from Newport has come second in the London-Dakar rally.

The race is a cheaper-to-enter version of the famous Paris-Dakar, but covers much of the same route.

Property developer Richard Hayward, 54, took part in the event with co-driver Kane Athay, 22, who is also from Newport.

The duo tackled the gruelling 20-day event across Europe and North Africa in a Land-Rover Defender 110.

Mr Hayward had never competed in a rally prior to signing up for this challenge.

He said he was motivated by a long-held dream: "For me, signing up for the London to Dakar Rally was more about having an adventure of a lifetime than winning.

"Simply reaching the chequered flag was a massive achievement, and so to come second was just amazing - we still can't believe it!

"It was gruelling, but enormous fun and is an experience that will live with me forever."

Organised by seasoned rally campaigners Martin Clark and Philip Young, the London to Dakar covers 6,000 miles, and to ensure a wide appeal there are three entry categories.

These are: standard cars with engine capacity of up to 1,400cc, 4x4s and classics (pre 1974).

In January, 57 cars left Trafalgar Square in London. After taking a train through the Channel Tunnel the convoy passed through France and Spain before transferring by ferry to Africa, where the real racing began.

The route ran through Morocco, the Western Sahara, Mauritania and Senegal. Many of the timed sections took place on former Paris-Dakar routes.

Mr Hayward said: "Driving across the desert was like sitting in the Pacific in a small rubber dinghy.

"There were absolutely no landmarks at all, notrees, no humps and ever-shifting sand dunes, so we relied heavily on satellite navigation. "Crossing the Morocco-Mauritania border was probably the most challenging part of the drive. Not only is this stretch of land unmarked, it's also a live minefield.

"We were instructed to follow the tracks of previous cars.

"In fact, there were very few, if any, roads throughout Mauritania so it was down to us to plot our own routes."

Mr Hayward said the real hero of the adventure was the Land-Rover Defender, which was prepared by Frogs Island 4X4 in Abingdon, Oxfordshire.

"We had to ensure that the car we chose would cope with driving across inhospitable terrain for 12 hours a day in searing heat. Regulations dictated that we could not modify the cars mechanically, so we just renewed a few components as a precautionary measure.

"We chose the Land-07Rover because it's a simple vehicle to maintain in the type of conditions that we were exposed to.

"During the rally we only had to change the rear shock absorbers and the occasional oil seal.

"There's no doubt that we did so well because of the reliability of the vehicle.

"It's very rugged and does the British car industry proud."