(EMAILWIRE.COM, December 17, 2002 ) For more than 50 years, Land Rover vehicles have inspired adventurers from around the world to seek out new places and push the limits of both man and machine. That tradition will be reaffirmed on March 30, 2003, when the inaugural Land Rover G4 Challenge begins. This global adventure competition will pit 16 international competitors from 16 nations against each other as they spend five weeks driving on- and off-road in Land Rover vehicles. While mountain biking, skiing, snowboarding, climbing and rappelling, they will make their way across three continents in their quest to take first place for the nations they represent and to win the grand prize - a new Range Rover worth $71,200.

"The Land Rover G4 Challenge epitomizes the spirit of Land Rover," says Bob Dover, Chief Executive Officer. "The competition was designed to reward teamwork, ingenuity, strategic thinking, athleticism and, most of all, a positive, can-do attitude. While in the end there can be only one winner, in a sense, all 16 competitors will win simply by finishing this grueling event."

All Land Rover Models To Be Integral Part Of Competition

The Land Rover G4 Challenge is so named because it is a global competition in which entrants will drive all four Land Rover four-wheel-drive models - Range Rover, Discovery, Defender* and Freelander - in four consecutive stages in four different time zones. The different stages will test the competitors' physical capability and mental alacrity as they are called on to navigate a wide variety of terrain (by whatever means they deem most appropriate) in their quest to reach electronic location markers with preset point values.

The competition vehicles, in their striking "Tangiers Orange" paint scheme, are specially equipped to carry a full complement of equipment - from kayaks and mountain bikes to skis and a GPS system. These highly functional vehicles will also be home to the competitors who will "live" in their Land Rovers during each of the stages. It is an intense competition that will last five weeks and cover almost 4,000 miles of the eastern U.S., Australia and South Africa. The final leg of the Land Rover G4 Challenge will take place in the western desert region of the United States.

National Selections

The selection process to find the 16 competitors is well underway. Each nation will hold its own National Selection event to choose two finalists. Thousands of qualified adventurers from around the United States and Canada competed at the U.S.-based trials which were held near Las Vegas, Nevada, from December 8 through 13, 2002. The two U.S. and two Canadian finalists will then move on to participate in the International Selection competition where the 16 individuals who will ultimately represent their nations will be picked. The second-place finishers will serve as alternates.

The Land Rover G4 Challenge will test the competitors in major urban centers as well as in remote, rural areas. By including large cities in the competition's "playing field," many more spectators will have the opportunity to view segments of the event. That's not to say the competitors are being let off easily - there are terrific adventure recreation opportunities within the city limits of major urban areas.

Teamwork is an essential component of the Land Rover G4 Challenge. During each segment of the Challenge, the 16 international competitors will be divided into eight bi-national teams. The pairings will be shuffled at the beginning of each stage, testing competitors not only on their ability to work well with others, but also on their ability to quickly adapt to new teammates.

First Of Four Stages Starts In New York City

Stage One of the Land Rover G4 Challenge will find the competitors driving Land Rover Freelanders from New York City to New England, beginning on March 30, 2003. The Challenge will then move on to Cape Town, South Africa, where competitors will pick up Defenders and take on Table Rock in the heart of Cape Town before moving on to tasks in the wilds of the Great Karoo desert. Australia and Stage Three are next, where competitors will pick up Range Rovers in Sydney and make their way into the great Australian Outback. The competition will wrap up back in the United States where competitors will call Discovery home as they search for markers in Moab, Monument Valley, Death Valley, the Grand Canyon and Las Vegas.

Keeping Track Of The Competitors

The scoring for the competition is quite straightforward. During each stage of the Land Rover G4 Challenge, teams will have several location markers to choose from as they make their way to each day's overnight stop. GPS devices will help guide the teams to the exact locations of the markers. It is up to the team to choose which - and how many - markers they will attempt to reach. Each location will be assigned a predetermined point value. Harder-to-reach locations will have the highest point totals. To score well, teams will need to determine the best combination of location markers to attempt, given their skills and strengths.

The nations represented in the Land Rover G4 Challenge are Australia, Canada, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Russia, Spain, United Kingdom, Belux (Belgium & Luxembourg), France, Gulf Region (UAE, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon), Italy, The Netherlands, South Africa, Turkey and the USA.

"The Land Rover G4 Challenge is the ultimate adventure," notes Dover, "and it adds a fresh, thoroughly modern chapter to Land Rover's already storied history of adventure competitions."

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Produced for Land Rover

Contact: Deborah Sandford
949-341-6184

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