Land Rover Defender Challenge at Autosport International

If you think Land Rover Defender, you probably don't think rally car! Off Road racing experts Bowler Motorsport see it differently and have taken Solihull's finest and given it it's very own Rally Challenge. With a raft of technical innovations including an anti-flop gearstick, the Defender is sure to pack a punch on the rally stage. Rosemary John meets up with Jon Chester from Bowler to find out more.

4X4s set off to support Help for Heros

At 10.30am on Saturday 15^th June 2013 a spectacle of 4x4 vehicles crewed by 100 adults (and 7 children) will gather at Littlecote House Hotel, Hungerford in Berkshire ready to start out on the 2013 Help for Heroes 4x4 European Rally; a 12 day, 2,000+ mile adventure following the path of the 1944/5 Allied Invasion through Europe.

The inaugural rally in of 2010 had a goal of raising £20,000 for the charity; it went on to raise £121,000. The rally has since become an annual fixture in the calendar and has grown to become the largest independent event raising funds for H4H the rally – raising in excess of £600,000 for Help for Heroes. This, its fourth year, has already raised £110,000.

This non-speed touring assembly consists of over 40 vehicles and is crewed by serving and ex-military personnel, as well as civilians and families with children. Many of the serving/ex-service participants have served in Iraq and/or Afghanistan. The adventure will be part military history tour (including museums and cemeteries) and part off-road driving, and is open to road-legal 4x4 vehicles. As well as the driving, the teams have to complete daily tasks which include navigation, driving skills, observation, quizzes and competitions.

The organisers rely on the support of supporters such as Land Rover

Tim Price-Bowen, one of the organisers said “The hospitality and assistance we receive across Europe is second to none and everyone involved is so helpful. Some we meet still even remember D-Day itself! The Rally also has a wonderful sense of camaraderie, fun and adventure; and all for such a fantastic cause. Of course, we must also acknowledge the involvement of our event partners such as Jaguar Land Rover, the AA, o2, and others who provide invaluable support each year and who are key to our success.”

The route uses the byways of Salisbury Plain the Rally, and stops at military bases including before embarking on the Brittany Ferries sailing from Portsmouth to France. In addition to visiting WWII historical areas in Normandy, the H4H 4x4 Rally route will take in the WWI battlefields of the Somme and Ypres. It will then visit Arnhem in Holland and ‘Operation Market Garden’ before heading south to Bastogne in Belgium where the Germans made a final push – the famous ‘Battle of the Bulge’. The journey continues to the Alsace region of France - with its Maginot Line fortifications. The route then journeys into Germany and Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial; with its horrors of war. The event concludes 12 days after leaving the UK – the final part being a visit to Hitler's "impenetrable" Eagle's Nest high in the Bavarian Alps at Berchtesgaden.

Every car is fitted with a ‘satellite’ tracker kindly provided by Skytag-GPS. You can follow the rally in real time at; http://www.h4hrally.co.uk/livetracking/

For more information about the Help for Heroes 4x4 European Rally visit www.h4hrally.co.uk or follow them at www.twitter.com/h4hrally (@h4hrally) and www.facebook.com/h4hrally or contact Keith Bowen tel: 07766 712851 email: info@h4hrally.co.uk

To donate please visit http://www.bmycharity.com/H4H4X4Rally2013

4X4 Rally raises over £500,000 for Help for Heroes

Some of the younger rally participants lay wreathes in Ypres

Thanks to a donation of £1,000 by John Christiansen, Head of Credit and Risk at Capital on Tap, the award winning HELP for HEROES 4x4 European Rally has reached the incredible milestone of £1/2m raised for the Help for Heroes charity since the inaugural rally of 2010. It has also become the largest independently organised event supporting the Help for Heroes cause

The story is all the more amazing in that the organisers had planned a one off rally in 2010 where they had hoped to raise £20,000; it went on to raise £121,000! The rally was so successful this is now an annual event. The 2011 and 2012 events each raised even more. With the 2013 rally having already raised over £27,500, the event passes the £500,000 figure for the overall amount raised since 2010.

Don't get too many Willys Jeeps on Overdrive, Here is one with 2 Land Rovers at the Pegasus Bridge, Normandy.

Tim Price-Bowen, one of the organisers, said ‘I have nothing but praise for the efforts of the rally crews that have taken part in the rallies and for the Great British public’s generosity in supporting the Help for Heroes charity. £1/2m is a truly awesome sum. We are very proud of what has been achieved and are also truly grateful to our Corporate Partners for their involvement and support’.

Application can now be made to take part in the 2013 event which will take place from 15^{th –} 27th June. The rally will follow the path and tell the story of the 1944/5 Allied Invasion through Europe. The Allied Forces landed in France early on D-Day morning – 6th June 1944. The Help for Heroes 4x4 European Rally 2013 retraces much of that route.

Starting from Littlecote House Hotel, Wiltshire, it will be a 2000+ mile adventure through Europe over 12 days. This non-speed touring assembly of 4x4s will be crewed by serving and ex-military personnel, as well as civilians and families with children. It is part military history tour (including museums, Commonwealth War graves etc) plus some fun activities, part off-road driving and part club-type social, and open to road-legal 4x4 vehicles.

2 Land Rover Discoveries on the startline of the fundraising event

The route includes: Salisbury Plain, two MOD installations, Portsmouth, visits to WWII historical areas in Normandy, the WWI battlefields of the Somme and Ypres., Arnhem in Holland ‘Operation Market Garden’, Bastogne in Belgium ‘Battle of the Bulge’, Alsace region of France for the Maginot Line of WW1, into Germany and Dachau - with its horrors of war. The event will conclude after visiting Hitler's "impenetrable" Eagles’ Nest high in the Alps at Berchtesgaden, Bavaria 12 days later.

We formally acknowledge the support of; The AA, Brittany Ferries, Cambrian Fuel Card Services, Challenger 4x4, Cobham Technical Services Ltd, Commonwealth War Graves Commission, Domino’s Pizza, The GGR Group, Harpenden Vans, Jaguar Land Rover, Marshal Military Sales, o2Telefonica, Overfinch, P&O Ferries, Skytag GPS Tracking, Terberg DTS UK Ltd, Warner Leisure Hotels, and seek convey our thanks to numerous others without whom the rally could not have taken place.

Excite Rallye Raid Team goes Televisiual!

Excite Rallye Raid Team is pleased to now be able to release some details concerning recent talks with a major European sports network. 

The documentary series consisting of seven programmes is to be aired in December, during the media build up to the Dakar 2013 Edition in South America.

The commitment to air is another huge boost for the team’s profile and follows the media storm which surrounded the release of the D4_WN5 competition vehicle currently in production with British manufacturer RaBe Race Cars. 

The TV deal provides a higher level of exposure for sponsors and is a welcomed announcement after months of discussion. 

The filming schedule will cover all aspects of team training and preparation, vehicle testing and sponsor involvement as well as corporate hospitality and media events.

An inclusive three step strategy for overall success on the FIA World Cup for Cross Country Rallies Championship and the 2013 and 2014 Editions of the Dakar Rally, has been outlined for sponsors and provides many opportunities during the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and Olympic year alone. 

The calendar of events requires filming to commence in the next few weeks and organisations looking to be a part of this British success story should contact Team Manager, David Jones.

David@DakarRallyTeam.co.uk

Announcing the 3rd Help for Heros European 4x4 Rally

Following on the heels of the hugely successful HELP for HEROES EUROPEAN 4x4 RALLYs of 2010 and 2011, which have raised a massive £300,000+ for the charity, we can formally announce that 2012 will see a third running of the event.

The rally follows the path and tells the story of the Allied Invasion through Europe. The Allied Forces landed in France early on D-Day morning – 6th June 1944. The Help for Heroes 4x4 European Rally 2012 will retrace much of that route.

This event will start from Littlecote House Hotel, Wiltshire, UK on 16^th June 2012. It will be a 2000 mile adventure through Europe over a 12 day period. We anticipate that this non-speed touring assembly will again be fully subscribed with 45 vehicles crewed by serving and ex-military personnel, as well as civilians and families with children. It will be part military history tour (including museums etc), some fun activities, part off-road driving and part club-type social, open to road-legal 4x4 vehicles.

The money raised will be donated to our chosen charity, HELP for HEROES. The goal is to raise more than that 2011 raised in 2011. So £160,000+ is the target

Event Summary: After using byways on Salisbury Plain the rally travels to Portsmouth to embark on the ferry to France. In addition to visiting WWII historical areas in Normandy, the H4H 4x4 Rally route will take in the WWI battlefields of the Somme and Ypres. It will then visit Arnhem in Holland regarding ‘Operation Market Garden’ before heading south to Bastogne in Belgium where the Germans made a final push – the famous ‘Battle of the Bulge’. After visiting the Alsace region of France the route journeys into Germany and Dachau with its horrors of war. The event will conclude after visiting Hitler's "impenetrable" Eagle's Nest at Berchtesgaden, Bavaria 12 days later.

We formally acknowledge the support of; The AA, Brittany Ferries, Cambrian Fuel Card Services, Commonwealth War Graves Commission, DFDS Seaways, Domino’s Pizza, Jaguar Land Rover, o2, Marshal Military Sales, Skytag GPS Tracking, Terberg DTS UK, Warner Leisure Hotels. The GGR Group