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Land Rover G4 Discovery and Range Rover Sport
For
over 50 years, Land Rover has been the world’s leading
manufacturer of 4x4s. In
recent months Land
Rover has experienced unprecedented launch activity and two all-new
models, the Discovery 3 / LR3 and
Range Rover Sport, have been
launched to media and public acclaim. These two vehicles will take on the majority of the
competitive action through the course of the 2006 Land Rover G4
Challenge, to be joined by the best-selling
Freelander in Rio de
Janeiro.
In
total there will be 134 Land Rovers – including Range Rover and
the iconic Defender, working in a variety of roles to support the
2006 Challenge.
In Southeast Asia the competitors will use
only one vehicle – the all-new Range Rover Sport in 4.4-litre V8
HSE. The new sports tourer’s breadth of capabilities are ideally
suited to the long road section that will follow the spectacular
urban competition in Bangkok, before travelling into rural Laos,
where its off-road pedigree will become abundantly clear.
 Arriving in Brazil for the urban competition
in Rio de Janeiro, the competitors will drive the Freelander 3-door
2.5-litre V6 SE model, and then finally the wilds of Bolivia will be
tackled in the 4.4-litre V8 Discovery 3 HSE.
Both the new Discovery 3 and Range Rover Sport boast
innovations such as air suspension and the electronically-controlled
Terrain Response system. Such technology may be far removed from the
simple, rugged engineering associated with Land Rover’s past, but
the Challenge will prove the breeding in its new generation of
products and show both Discovery 3 and Range Rover Sport as
‘real’ Land Rovers.
Among the 134 vehicles on the Land Rover G4
Challenge fleet a number of Defender 110s will be fully kitted-out
as ambulances in both Southeast Asia and South America, at the
disposal of the travelling medical team.
The legendary Defender will also serve as the principal
workhorse for the competitions and logistics teams.
Also working behind the scenes will be the
supremely capable Range Rover. The 4.4-litre V8 Vogue vehicle takes
on a new personality in Tangiers Orange paintwork, working
throughout the Challenge, both in Southeast Asia and South America,
as media, film and photographic transport as well as the high-tech
communications vehicle for journalists in the field.
The Range Rover Communications Vehicle will
be equipped with a wireless satellite broadband connection amongst a
host of communications technologies. With over 300 journalists
following the action from out in the field, the equipment carried by
the Range Rover means that, no matter how remote the location, they
will still be able to write and file copy through the wireless
connection.
 All the Land Rover G4 Challenge vehicles are
prepared for duty by Land Rover Vehicle Operations. Once the
Challenge paintwork is completed, however, there is little major
work to be carried out as the vehicles are kept as close to showroom
specification as possible. Only
the equipment needed for the competition is fitted – which means
the roof racks and ladders, spotlights, WARN winches, ‘snorkel’
raised air intake and sump guards etc.
The important thing to remember in this
spectacular global adventure is that the vehicles have such breadth
of capabilities because they are Land Rovers, not because of
anything that has been done to them.
 2006
Land
Rover G4 Challenge Vehicles:
Range Rover Sport – V8 HSE Petrol
(Competitor Vehicle, Bangkok &
Laos)
Freelander – V6 HSE Petrol (Competitor
Vehicle, Rio de Janeiro)
Discovery 3 / LR3 – V8 HSE Petrol
(Competitor Vehicle, Bolivia)
Range Rover – V8 HSE Petrol
(Support Vehicle)
Defender 110 CSW 5-Seat TD5 Diesel
(Support Vehicle)
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All
Land Rover models will be used during the 2006 Challenge, including Discovery
3 and the Range Rover Sport. These near-standard vehicles will form
the base of operations for the competitors as they bike, climb,
kayak and 4x4 drive their way towards victory.
