Land Rover Paramus to Compete in Land Rover TReK '00 Final
7 November 2000
Land Rover Paramus to Compete in Land Rover TReK '00 Final
New Jersey Land Rover Retailer Will Compete in Final Round Of
Four-Wheel-Drive Manufacturer's Off-Road Driving Competition
WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va., Nov. 7 Land Rover Paramus
has won the third of Land Rover TReK '00's six Territorial Trial events. Land
Rover TReK '00 is an annual off-road driving competition currently taking
place on the grounds of The Greenbrier, a world-class vacation resort located
in White Sulphur Springs, W.Va. The Land Rover Paramus team won its place in
the November 16 Final by acquiring the most total points in Territorial Trial
#3's competitions. The Trial #3 events included running; biking; four-wheel-
drive product knowledge; and off-road driving. The team emerged from their
grueling, 12-hour Territorial Trial even more enthusiastic about Land Rover
than ever before.
"Our team was thrilled just to be a part of Land Rover TReK '00," remarked
David Glass, Centre Manager of Land Rover Paramus. "To advance to the Final
is a wonderful achievement. We're very proud of our team." Land Rover
Paramus's TReK team is comprised of staffers Nils Demmert, Billy Dinapoli and
Kevin Biswurm.
Land Rover TReK was created by Land Rover University -- the service
training and development arm of Land Rover North America, Inc. -- 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 the rest of Land Rover TReK '00, a stream of 48 three-person teams-
each like the team from Land Rover Paramus -- from across the U.S. and Canada
will travel to West Virginia to camp and then compete in one of TReK's six
rigorous Territorial Trials. The winning team from each Territorial Trial,
including Land Rover Paramus's team, will return to The Greenbrier for the
November 16 TReK Final.
The TReK Trials and final are daylong competitions consisting of nine
unique skills events. For the competitors, the TReK Trials start 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
seven intense competitions -- including an off-road driving rally, an
autocross and an orienteering exercise -- that put their teamwork to the test.
The teams will also compete in a mountain bike race, a foot race and -- in a
first for TReK -- a specially designed river race conducted using inflatable
kayaks. The team that acquires the most total points in each event will win.
The TReK Final will be even more intense than the Territorial Trials.
The grand finale of each TReK Trial is a timed off-road driving obstacle
course. Each team will drive a specially outfitted 2001 Land Rover Discovery
Series II manufactured by Land Rover Special Vehicles. In the obstacle
course, 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.
The staff of each competing Land Rover retailer knows that TReK's real
payoff is reserved for Land Rover customers. Customers benefit from the know-
how and enthusiasm the highly skilled, TReK-veteran retail staffers such as
Demmert, Dinapoli and Biswurm bring back to their Land Rover retail
facilities. Land Rover Paramus is one of 125 Land Rover retail outlets in the
U.S. Eighty-two of these are critically acclaimed Land Rover Centres. Due in
large part to Land Rover University's benchmark training programs and 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 '00 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.
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 '00, is a world-class, 6,500-acre
resort located in West Virginia's Allegheny Mountains, approximately 260 miles
southwest of Washington, D.C. The Land Rover Driving School at The Greenbrier
was established in 1999.
Land Rover North America, Inc., established in 1986, imports and
distributes Range Rover and Discovery Series II vehicles manufactured for sale
in the United States by Land Rover Group Limited in Solihull, England. Land
Rover's worldwide operations are wholly owned by Ford Motor Company, Dearborn,
Michigan.