Land Rover Freelander Embarks on Its First Camel Trophy
6 August 1998
Land Rover Freelander Embarks on Its First Camel Trophy
Team USA Eagerly Begins Planning a Route Strategy
SANTIAGO, Chile, Aug. 6 -- Months of training and preparation
came to an end yesterday, as the 40 competitors of Camel Trophy Tierra del
Fuego '98 set off on the adventure of their lives. Driving all-new Land Rover
Freelanders, 20 teams will travel more than 3,000 miles south from Santiago,
arriving in Ushuaia, Argentina, on the island of Tierra del Fuego, on August
25.
The two-person teams in this international four-wheel drive adventure
competition, who represent 20 nations from around the world, were chosen from
more than a half-million applicants worldwide. Americans Greg Thomas, 33,
from Santa Cruz, Calif., and Dean Vergillo, 30, from Duvall, Wash., will face
stiff competition from their fellow participants, including the first-ever all
female Camel Trophy team of Patricia Molina, 22, and Emma Roca, 24, from
Spain, and South African brothers John and Mark Collins, aged 24 and 29.
Ernesto Velasco, the mayor of Santiago, presided over the Camel Trophy
Start Ceremony yesterday morning, welcoming the teams to Chile and wishing
them luck on their adventure. The convoy of Land Rovers, each bearing its
team's national flag, was then given a police escort through rush-hour traffic
as the vehicles headed for Valle Nevado, Chile's premier ski resort, and host
to the first Camel Trophy group activity.
"The adrenaline is definitely pumping now!" said Vergillo. "After a
couple of days of organizing and packing the vehicles, driving up to Valle
Nevado was like a dream. The sight of the long line of Land Rover Freelanders
snaking up the Andean mountains is something I've been waiting for, for a long
time."
The participants worked together to compile the Competition Directory,
which contains the vital information on all the locations along the route
where points can be scored.
First, the teams were asked to collect 90 Chilean flags scattered around
the mountainside. Each flag corresponded to a square on a large board, and as
the flags were recovered, the corresponding square was peeled away, eventually
revealing a map of southern Chile and Argentina.
The map was covered with a series of dots representing the Camel Trophy
competition locations. Each competition location is worth a specific number
of points, and teams will need to visit as many locations as possible as they
make their way from Santiago to Ushuaia. Discovery Locations are accessible
by vehicle and act as the jumping-off points for Adventure Locations.
Reaching the Adventure Locations will require technical off-road driving,
skiing, kayaking, snowboarding, mountain biking, snowshoeing or a combination
of these skills. All of the equipment for these activities is carried in
either the team Freelander, or in the Land Rover Defender 110 which follows
each team for support and safety.
Competitors will determine for themselves which locations they will
attempt. The team with the highest overall point total at the end of the
event will win the Camel Trophy, and their names will be inscribed on a
permanent trophy. Awards will also be handed out for the highest point totals
in Mountain Biking, Kayaking, Driving and Andean Sports (skiing, snowboarding
and snowshoeing).
As the teams left Valle Nevado for their first night on the road, Vergillo
and Thomas planned to head immediately for the first Discovery Location,
making camp there and plotting their route for the next couple of days.
Regular updates on the U.S. team can be found at
http://www.best4x4.landrover.com, and the progress of all teams is being tracked at
http://www.cameltrophy.com.
Camel Trophy is organized by Worldwide Brands, Inc., marketers of Camel
Trophy Adventure Wear, and is sponsored by Land Rover, manufacturers of
premium British-built sport-utility vehicles. Team USA is sponsored by Land
Rover North America, Inc., and additional support for the team has been
provided by Michelin Tire Co. and Mountain Hardwear, Inc.