By Camelrover (Camelrover) on Tuesday, March 06, 2001 - 10:18 am: Edit

Adventure Team Challenge

The North American Land Rover Club Rally Championship, is a week-long competition rally which is designed to give Land Rover clubs (big or small) the opportunity to have a representative team test their driving, navigation, and endurance skills against other Land Rover Clubs in the United States and Canada. The winning team earns the title as the North American Land Rover Club Rally Champions

Land Rover Clubs from United States and Canada will be sending representative teams, to compete for the title, in the week-long event. Will yours?

Currently holding the 2000-year title are Houston Land Rover Club members Sam and Jacque Simpson in a 1997 Special Edition County D-90 along with Stephen Gill and Fraser Gourlay in Stephen’s 1992 Range Rover Classic. ( Feb 2001 Issue of Land Rover World Magazine)

The 2001 event will take place the week of May 28 - June1, 2001 and will start from the Tuttle Creek off road area, located north of Manhattan, Kansas, on the western side of Tuttle Creek Lake. From there we will travel to a new event location at the end of each day until reaching the final destination near Montauk State Park in the Mark Twain National Forest in central Missouri. The terrain the event will be covering is diverse; ranging from steep rocky trails through wooded areas, tight trials courses, classic prairie conditions (flat open expanses with deep mud sections), heavily overgrown section roads, water crossings, forests, etc.

Teams are scored in Special Task Events such as; driving skills (gymkhana courses, trials courses, maneuverability exercises, etc.), navigation exercises (locating or following Waypoint locations using GPS coordinates, or using tulip charts to reach the task finish line), winching tasks (these might be on their own or in conjunction with a driving task) and physical challenges (this is where fast, sometimes creative thinking comes in to use setting up and executing command task assignment using vehicle carried or provided equipment).

Each clubs’ representative team must comprise of two Land Rover vehicles, each vehicle having a driver and navigator competing. Vehicles must carry their own insurance and be street legal. At least one of the vehicles must be equipped with a winch and the four person team must also have at least one GPS unit between them to aid in some of the navigation tasks (driving as well as on foot). Team members should also be familiar with orienteering skills using map and compass. Each team will be responsible for their own camping equipment and provisions, however, opportunities will be given for the teams to replenish fuel and supplies as needed.

There will be at least three special tasks per day and we will split the fifteen teams up into groups and rotate them throughout the day. At the end of the day when all the teams have completed the special tasks they will be given instructions (via GPS coordinate waypoints) as to the next event location. They must make their way to the new site that night set up camp and be ready to go first thing the next morning at the new location.

The event locations between the start at Tuttle Creek and the finish at Montauk State Park will be kept under wraps because navigating to those locations each night (via the GPS waypoints) will be part of the event (sealed Emergency Maps will be furnished to the teams if they become lost, but points will be subtracted if they are opened).

Teams entering the competition will be subjected to 5 days of grueling challenges as they strive for the honor of victor on the Adventure Team Challenge. The event is suited for all levels of skill but will challenge even the most experienced teams.We look forward to many clubs from all across North America competing this year. I’m sure everyone attending will have a challenging and memorable experience.

Registration for the 2001 event will be limited to 15 teams (30 vehicles ) so if you want to attend this event, sign up early! The cost of the event is 200 dollars per team with a deposit of 50.00 for registration and the balance due before May 15, 2001.

We all look forward to meeting your team and wish you all the best of luck on the Adventure Team Challenge.

To reserve a spot for your club or for an information packet please contact

James Merriam
Adventure Team Challenge Rally Coordinator
843 Greenway Court
Derby, Kansas USA 67037
(316)789-8155 or E-mail
camelrover@aol.com