Last month, Land Rover sent 120 American and Canadian adventure enthusiasts to British Columbia to compete for spots in the Defender Trophy, the modern answer to the revered Camel Trophy. These competitors took part in trials of physical strength, off-roading acumen, and teamwork to decide who would get a chance at the final event, to be held this fall in Africa. Six American and Six Canadian competitors emerged as semifinalists.
These twelve people got together again a few weeks later at Destination Defender, a company-supported weekend retreat for Defender owners, held in Port Jervis, New York, where the finalists were announced.
For the United States:
Nathaniel Biggs: A born-and-bred Texan, Biggs spent his childhood flipping through magazine articles on the Camel Trophy. He now drives a Series III 88”, which he takes off-roading and camping in the Hill Country around his home in Austin. “Growing up, things like this felt like they were unobtanium. At the end I want to look at this and say, it doesn’t matter how old you get, you can still grab hold of that stuff that you dream about when you’re a kid.”
Tirin Cameron: A 23-year-old native of Vail, Colorado, Cameron grew up around Land Rovers. “I’m glad that the competition is not just a competition, but it’s oriented towards helping the planet. We’re not going to go out there and destroy things. We’re going to make an impact and have fun doing it.”
For Canada:
Andrew (AJ) Leveille: From Langley, British Columbia, Leveille has already had extensive experience overlanding in Africa–he has a 1980 Toyota FJ40 converted into a mini-camper, which he took on a 30,000-kilometer, 112-day adventure across the continent in 2024, from Kenya to Morocco. He’s excited to head back to Africa to see it in another way. “The physical and endurance component is going to be dramatically different, and the driving will be different as well, without having our house on the back!”
Adrian Kowryha: Montrealer Kowryha applied on a whim–he was in Mont Tremblant in his Land Rover when his friend saw an application for Defender Trophy on his phone. They made his application video then and there. He’s looking forward to the freeing element of the competition. “I always look for the next challenge, the next opportunity. There’s so many constraints in life–don’t do this, don’t do that. I’m looking for new opportunities, and new journeys. I want to give people the hope and the ability to see they are able to do a journey like this.”
A runner up was designated as an alternate for each country, if one of the selected finalists cannot make it. Charlie Miller from Boston, Massachusetts is the American alternate, Joel Cates from Cochrane, Alberta is the Canadian alternate.
International trials are still going on for the Defender Trophy in other parts of the world. On June 8th, a YouTube film will launch with more details on the event, which will be held in Africa in October. The event is a collaboration with wildlife conservation charity Tusk, which has a long-standing partnership with Land Rover.
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