Land Rover North America, Inc. Announces Land Rover TreK 2000
18 October 2000
Land Rover North America, Inc. Announces Land Rover TreK 2000
Off-Road Driving Competition for Land Rover Retailers
Will Take Place at the Greenbrier Resort in W.Va.
The Real Winners are Land Rover Customers
LANHAM, Md., Oct. 17 Land Rover North America, Inc. today
announced that Land Rover TReK 2000 will take place November 1 through
November 16 on the grounds of The Greenbrier, a world-class vacation resort
located in White Sulphur Springs, W.Va. Land Rover TReK is an annual off-road
driving competition created by Land Rover North America to build product
knowledge and brand enthusiasm among the sales and service personnel of Land
Rover's nationwide network of retail outlets. The Greenbrier is home to one
of only two permanent Land Rover driving schools in North America.
During Land Rover TReK 2000, 48 three-person teams from across the U.S.
and Canada -- each consisting of sales and service personnel from the staff of
a participating Land Rover retail outlet -- will travel to West Virginia to
camp and then compete in one of the six rigorous 12-hour TReK Trials. Eight
teams will compete head-to-head in each TReK Trial competition, with the
winning team from each Trial returning to The Greenbrier for the November 16
TReK Final.
The TReK Final, like each Trial, is a day-long competition consisting of
eight unique skills events. For the competitors, each TReK day starts early
-- at 5:00 a.m. -- with a written quiz that challenges retailers' knowledge of
Land Rover history; Land Rover vehicles; four-wheel drive systems; and even
competitive products. Following the quiz, the teams compete head-to-head in
four intense competitions that put their teamwork to the test. The teams will
compete in a mountain bike race, a foot race and -- in a first for TReK -- a
specially designed river race conducted using inflatable rafts.
The centerpiece and grand finale of each TReK Trial-and the Final-is a
timed off-road driving competition. The teams each drive identically prepared
2001 Land Rover Discovery Series IIs in these events. Team members are
required to carefully maneuver their Discovery Series IIs through an obstacle
filled path; physically move any obstacles that cannot be driven over (or
around); stop and swap drivers along the way; and, at all times, adhere to
proper and safe driving techniques. In this competition, it is skill -- not
speed -- that can help to ensure victory.
"Land Rover TReK is the ultimate team-building exercise," said Bob Burns,
training and development manager for Land Rover North America, Inc. "Our
retail personnel sell, service and maintain Land Rover vehicles every day.
They have to be enthusiastic about the product and about the brand. TReK
provides them with the opportunity to literally compete head-to-head with each
other in the areas of off-road driving ability and overall Land Rover product
knowledge. It's hard work, but it's fun and it builds the enthusiasm that
Land Rover customers see every day."
Indeed, TReK's real payoff is reserved for Land Rover customers. They
benefit from the know-how and enthusiasm these highly skilled, TReK-veteran
retail staffers bring back their Land Rover sales facilities. There are 124
Land Rover retail outlets in the U.S., 81 of which are the critically
acclaimed Land Rover Centres. Due in part to team-building events like TReK,
Land Rover retailers continue to score near the top of the industry in
critical retailer-focused customer satisfaction studies. Land Rover retailers
also benefit from very low employee turnover rates.
The 48 teams chosen for Land Rover TReK 2000 were culled from Land Rover's
network of North American retailers. To qualify for TReK, each participating
retailer must have scored a 90 or better in Land Rover North America Inc.'s
most recent internal Customer Satisfaction Index research, among other
requirements. Entry was offered to the qualified Land Rover retailers on a
first-come, first-served basis.
Land Rover TReK 2000 Trials will be held on Nov. 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12.
The winning team from each of the six Trials will return to TReK 2000 for the
Nov. 16 Final. Last year's champion, Land Rover North Point (a Land Rover
Centre located near Atlanta, Ga.) will defend its title in Trial 4.
The first Land Rover TReK event was held in Social Circle, Ga., not far
from Atlanta, in 1996. Subsequent TReK events have been held in Manchester
Village, Vt. and Bodega Bay, Calif. The Greenbrier, home to Land Rover TReK
2000, is a world-class, 6,500-acre resort located in West Virginia's Allegheny
Mountains, approximately 260 miles southeast of Washington, D.C. The Land
Rover Driving School at The Greenbrier was established in 1999.