Land Rover cancels G4 Challenge and Trek Events

[Expedition Pictures]

Regarding the G4 Challenge:

Land Rover has today confirmed that it will cancel the Land Rover G4 Challenge programme in order to focus more on product launches in 2009.

"Given the severity of the global economic downturn and trading conditions, we need to make some tough decisions and that means prioritising our budgets on new product launches. We are disappointed for the competitors who have shown so much commitment and put tremendous effort into succeeding as representatives of their nation. We have and will continue to take swift and decisive actions for the benefit of the business; unfortunately that means the Land Rover G4 Challenge has to come to an early close," said Phil Popham, Managing Director Land Rover.

Popham continued: "We want to thank the suppliers and sponsors who formed an integral role in the Challenge to date. The Challenge played a part in bringing the adventurous spirit of our brand and products to life. We will continue to look at other opportunities which will enable us to engage with our customers and reach new audiences."

A key part of the Land Rover G4 Challenge was its commitment to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. The Challenge was utilised as a fund generating activity for the charity, with the aim of generating £1million over the course of the next two programmes. Despite cancelling the Challenge, Land Rover remains committed to this partnership.

Paul Jenkins, speaking on behalf of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, said: "The International Federation's partnership with the Land Rover G4 Challenge has already had a substantial impact on the lives of vulnerable people in many countries and we are well ahead of the targets we set. We highly value the support we have received and look forward to strengthening relationships between Land Rover and national Red Cross Red Crescent Societies around the world."

"This relationship is something Land Rover highly values and we are proud that it helps to save lives. We will continue to build on the incredibly successful partnership we have with the International Federation and the funds generated to date prove this success,” said Popham.

Original press release: http://tinyurl.com/7co9wc

Regarding the dealer Trek event:

After much consideration, we have decided to postpone this fall’s G4/TReK event. We have struggled with this decision and have carefully evaluated it from all angles. In the end there are a few key factors that led us to the decision to postpone from this year.

Most telling is the fact that upon announcement of the program, we received enrollments online from 78 interested Retailers – a fantastic and enthusiastic response. In the following months, and most particularly in recent weeks, we have received numerous cancellations from Retailers citing the need to keep the focus on the daily operations of their stores. Those cancellations combined with the several Retailers that did not complete the on-line training requirement netted only 44 qualified teams from that original field of 78.

Additionally, not only are we faced with the on-going task of migrating the business under our new owners, current market conditions strongly indicate that we should invest available marketing funds and efforts into traffic-driving and customer-focused programs. Make no mistake, we do see the value of investing in our employees and understand their integral role in the success of our business. Programs like G4/TReK are part of the Land Rover Way and will continue to be a crucial part of our culture.

Many of our committed G4/TReK teams and Retailers have hosted fundraising activities to support the American Red Cross’ Disaster Relief Fund. Please do not cancel any upcoming planned events. We ask that you continue these events and submit the funds for the American Red Cross effort. We will keep track of your donations and will give credit for your efforts when G4/TReK is rescheduled. Look for further communication regarding the American Red Cross effort later this week.

We will keep you updated on the latest news on TRĕK/G4 in the coming months. We look forward to your support and participation in this uniquely Land Rover adventure.

Original press release: http://www.landrovertrekna.com/home/

 

[Z O O R O P A]

Bummer


Consequently there is a really nice 2004 Trek 4sale on Ebay right now for $20K

 

[C Red]

That's sad but a sign of the times. Hopefully it will be back in the future.

 

[1leglance]

as someone who see a glass 1/2 full I think there is a chance to offer something like this in place of the G4 for someone...
There is a desire in the marketplace and maybe not as grand as the G4 but more back to the Camel Trophy style event but on a regional/local scale.

 

[Rock FJ]

Here are more news
http://www.autoblog.com/2008/12/19/land-rover-cancels-g4-challenge/

I am not sure Lance. You know I love the camel trophy and I will do it tomorrow if asked. Unfortunately/fortunately environmental issues wouldn't like camel trophy event. Remember that it was MAN vs NATURE

I know you are thinking of a "green" Camel Trophy.

If it is bridge building, train like towing through miles of mud, fording rivers and 2 weeks in the jungle type of thing, I am sure there will be many takers,

I think the key component is to do it in a jungle environment were the damage done (if any) regrows in 6 months. If you do it on the desert, it takes decades. What do you have in mind?

 

[SafariPacific]

Maybe this in an opportunity to create a new type of event. I like the Camel Trophy over G4 in regards to the driver challenges vs. extra activities. One thing I would like to see is an event where all makes and models are accepted, even though Land Rovers are cool. Perhaps an international branch Expedition Trophy? :sombrero:

 

[jcbrandon]

Perhaps an international branch Expedition Trophy?

http://expedition-trophy.com/

 

[Alaska Mike]

The nice thing about the Camel Trophy was that competitor vehicles were all identical, mostly stock rigs. That made it a driver and teamwork competition, as opposed to a "who can build the biggest rig" battle, like most other competitions. Very tough to single out what is the driver and what is the rig, especially over varied and extreme terrain. The Camel Trophy leveled the playing field.

I don't think any manufacturer is going to step up and put on that kind of event, at least until the economic situation is better. Out of all of them, I think Jeep would be the logical ones to pick up the ball, since it fits into their rugged image and marketing scheme. Their own weak footing at the moment pretty much means they won't jump at the chance. Most of the others (with the possible exception of Toyota) have moved to luxury as their selling points. Land Rover is in too much of a flux to really invest the capital.

 

[SafariPacific]

http://expedition-trophy.com/

I've seen those guys before. Very cool, but they only run in Russia. (from what I've seen)
I was thinking of Scott's Expo Trophy. expeditiontrophy.com

The nice thing about the Camel Trophy was that competitor vehicles were all identical, mostly stock rigs. That made it a driver and teamwork competition, as opposed to a "who can build the biggest rig" battle, like most other competitions. Very tough to single out what is the driver and what is the rig, especially over varied and extreme terrain. The Camel Trophy leveled the playing field.

There can still be a set of rules that keep the vehicles on an even playing field. Suspensions, tires, drivetrain configurations can be restricted to a particular size/type. The Outback Challenge is a good example. I'm into the having fun aspect of the event, not necessarily the win. Although a nice trophy would be cool.

 

[Michael Slade]

There can still be a set of rules that keep the vehicles on an even playing field. Suspensions, tires, drivetrain configurations can be restricted to a particular size/type. The Outback Challenge is a good example. I'm into the having fun aspect of the event, not necessarily the win. Although a nice trophy would be cool.

Hyundai's are pretty good.

 

[Alaska Mike]

There can still be a set of rules that keep the vehicles on an even playing field. Suspensions, tires, drivetrain configurations can be restricted to a particular size/type. The Outback Challenge is a good example. I'm into the having fun aspect of the event, not necessarily the win. Although a nice trophy would be cool.

Certainly, but different vehicles excel at different things. A Suzuki Samurai is quite a different animal than a H1, and each has a place where it would best the other. A coil spring suspension is different from leaves, IFS is different from a live axle... it can go on and on. If you limit classes down to those lines, you might as well have a one-platform event (like the Camel Trophy). Despite appearances, there is a wide variety of capability levels in the Outback Challenge, and vehicle build plays a large role in how, and if, you finish. Ask Madizell about his transfercase sometime.

This was a classic example of the type of event you were talking about, but the fact is that it takes a great deal of energy to organize and run such an event. Without corporate backing, it usually ends up being a couple guys who do all of the real work. The burnout rate can be huge. The fact that Scott and friends are putting on the Expedition Trophy deserves a thumbs up, since they make a real effort to level the playing field. However, anyone who comes in a completely stock Subaru would be at a disadvantage to someone in a built Toyota pickup, all other factors being equal. A great driver will still beat a bad driver, but if the great driver is driving the stocker he's going to have to work that much harder to win the overall.

Again, the beauty of the Camel Trophy was that the results were based on driving skill, teamwork, problem solving, spirit, and a measure of luck, not a choice of locker or tread pattern.

 

[Rock FJ]

I agree that the Camel Trophy was indeed a level field for a competition. We would never see this kind of races if there is no backup from BIG companies. We spend many many millions of dollars for the G4 Challenge in 2006. But again more than 120 million has been generated in indirect exposure so far. So it is a good investment at the end of the day, but you need to have those X millions to start with.

You guys should check http://www.funrace4x4.com/

Unfortunately pics are hard to find, but I have seen a couple of their videos and it is very very similar conditions or even worse than Camel Trophy !

Mostly Land Cruisers that run like submarines...

 

[Yorker]

Certainly, but different vehicles excel at different things. A Suzuki Samurai is quite a different animal than a H1, and each has a place where it would best the other. A coil spring suspension is different from leaves, IFS is different from a live axle... it can go on and on. If you limit classes down to those lines, you might as well have a one-platform event (like the Camel Trophy). Despite appearances, there is a wide variety of capability levels in the Outback Challenge, and vehicle build plays a large role in how, and if, you finish. Ask Madizell about his transfercase sometime.

Remember the Fellow from Red Rhino? I think he broke his swivel ball on his Disco- someone must have pics of that- That was the year Keith from Rovertracks did the Outback Challenge too. 2006?

You aren't going to have a truly level playing field until you find a manufacturer that hands a vehicle over to each team again. Apparently no one thinks te exposure is worth the $ involved to make it happen.

[edit- found the pics]

Until then we'll have to be content with events where competitors bring their own vehicles and are bound by whatever standards the organizers deem appropriate- I don't think that is a bad thing, it is still very interesting.

 

[Christophe Noel]

This event was on a crash course with some sort of major rehab or cancellation eventually. Adventure racing was a flash in the pan fad. The Eco-Challenge had a good run and the Raid Gauloises adventure race was certainly exotic, but none of those events had much staying power. Adventure racing eventually became ultra fringe and attracted sort of a weird crowd.

Perhaps if Land Rover had kept it more of a vehicle based competition that would have been best.