- Driver Edd Cobley and co‑driver Allan Jackson take the plaudits on first round of new Defender Challenge by Bowler race series
- Rally fans gather on Sweet Lamb hillside to witness the Mid Wales Stages event
Newtown, Wales, March 2014: The inaugural round of the Defender Challenge by Bowler one‑make rally series officially began this weekend as the first teams to enter the competition rolled up to the start line in Newtown, Mid Wales, as part of Sunday's Mid Wales Stages rally.
The culmination of a challenging first round, dogged by consistent rain, saw Edd Cobley and co‑driver Allan Jackson claim a well‑deserved first place after clocking a time of 66.16.5. Also showing decent pace in their first competitive stage rally were Damian Taft and co‑driver Simon Taft, posting a time of 78.13.5, closely followed by Andrew Wicklow and Simon Armstrong in third with 79.05.9.
The 55 mile route saw teams race over forest roads and hillside tracks through areas including Pikes Peak and Sweet Lamb. Across five stages the drivers were able to hone their skills, driving on a mix of terrain including over loose gravel and through muddy tracks, with the rain creating slippery surfaces in places to provide a further test.
The day wasn't without incident, with the wet weather increasing throughout the day to challenge all drivers. On one of the last turns on Stage 4, driver Richard Hayward (car 302) slid out of a corner before mounting a bank and hitting a tree, sustaining transmission damage in the process of trying to return to the course. In the spirit of the Defender Challenge, racer Damien Taft (car 303) had slowed down to check if Hayward needed assistance before continuing, with Hayward and his co‑driver Matt Lister able to get their vehicle back on the road. Hayward was able to complete the stage and, whilst the crew worked through the service to successfully get the car running, it transpired that the time taken to get the vehicle out of the ditch meant Hayward was over his time allocation so couldn't progress to the final stage.
Speaking at the finish point, Edd Cobley (car 301), 34, said: "Today was absolutely fantastic. The Defender performed as it always performs, a brilliant drive and a great car. There were a few interesting moments on some of the hairpins but we had a really good day. We had great support from the organisers and from Bowler and I think we surprised a fair few people by nipping at people's heels on the stage. In these wet conditions the Defender was in its element."
Speaking as he crossed the line, driver Damien Taft (car 303), 47 from Enville, said: "Today's racing was awesome. We really progressed as the day went on and we got better stage by stage. The Defender was fantastic, it performed brilliantly. As our first round in the competition we couldn't have wished for anymore."
Taft added: "For me, this is a first chance to get involved with Land Rover since I last competed which was twenty years ago in the Camel Trophy. I had the idea I wanted to rally again and the Defender Challenge provides the ideal step towards racing in the Dakar."
Speaking at the service centre, Drew Bowler, Managing Director of Bowler Motorsport, said: "We couldn't be happier with how Round 1 of the Defender Challenge by Bowler has gone. The cars performed really well and the drivers have clearly enjoyed themselves, with a number of them developing through the day. The weather delivered some interesting challenges but we all did what we set out to do and the drivers are now up and running on the pathway to rally raid. The organisation of today's event was fantastic and we were all delighted with our welcome from the organisers, the other teams and the spectators."
Across the remaining six rounds, competitors will face a demanding blend of hill rallies and stage rallies spread across South Wales, Somerset, Nottinghamshire, Shropshire and Dorset, before the final round takes place in Scotland in mid‑November. Entrants will also have the option of competing in additional rallies in Europe and North Africa alongside the Bowler Works team.
More teams are set to be added ahead of the second race of the series, with a total of up to 15 cars due to compete in this year's series. Each team must take part in a minimum of five of the seven rounds, with their top five placings counting towards the final standings.
The ultimate aim of the series is to provide a route for teams to progress to top rally raid competitions such as the Dakar and the Africa Race, a pathway previously non‑existent for drivers and teams aspiring to compete in the world's toughest races. Competing in the Defender Challenge by Bowler are drivers with experience of races such as the Dakar, the Dubai Desert Challenge, and drivers for whom this will be their first stage rally. For Damien Taft, this was his first motorsport event since representing the UK in the 1994 Camel Trophy. In addition, Richard Hayward is a previous Dakar competitor and a second place finisher in the former London‑Dakar race. Other drivers, such as Steve Richards and Andrew Wicklow, were racing in their first ever stage rally event, both with the aim of developing their skills and gaining the required licence to compete in the Dakar.
All competitors drive Bowler‑prepared Land Rover Defender 90 vehicles that have been expertly modified for safety, performance and durability. The modifications to the competing Land Rover Defender 90 vehicles include a full MSA / FIA certified roll cage, fire extinguisher system, racing seats and harnesses, light‑weight Bowler wheels, a full Bowler racing suspension system with bespoke springs and heavy duty racing dampers and an engine tuned to 175hp that delivers 450Nm of torque.
The Defender Challenge is a 'class' within existing rally events where total entries of all classes will be between 80 and 130 cars (including the Defender Challenge cars). These events vary in distance and duration, but all will give the team (driver, navigator, service crew) an introductory experience of national level motorsport. Completion of the series will gain the driver their National B rally licence, and attendance at some of Bowlers' overseas races will allow this to be converted into the International licence required for events such as the Dakar.
People wishing to find out more information about the Defender Challenge by Bowler should visit: www.bowlermotorsport.com. Updates during the race can be found on the @LandroverUKPR twitter feed.
Defender Challenge by Bowler standing after Round 1:
| Position | Car | Driver | Co‑Driver | Time |
| 1 | 301 | Edd Cobley | Allan Jackson | 66.16.5 |
| 2 | 303 | Damien Taft | Simon Taft | 78.13.5 |
| 3 | 305 | Andrew Wicklow | Simon Armstrong | 79.05.9 |
| 4 | 304 | Steve Richards | Kevin Handley | 96.58.9* |
| 5 | 302 | Richard Hayward | Matt Lister | Stage 4** |
*includes time penalties
**finished Stage 4 but outside of time allocation to progress to Stage 5
‑ENDS‑
CONTACTS
LAND ROVER PR CONTACT: Kim Palmer kpalmer@landrover.com 07795 666 169
PR CONTACT: Jim Williams, Fast Track jim.williams@fasttrackagency.com 07814 068349
IMAGE CAPTION
A Bowler‑modified Land Rover Defender competes in Round 1 of the inaugural Defender Challenge by Bowler series at the Mid Wales Stages rally event ‑ 02/03/2014
NOTES TO EDITORS
Defender Challenge by Bowler race schedule
The provisional rounds are as follows :
| 2 March | Mid Wales Stages Newtown, Mid‑Wales |
| 12 April | Somerset Stages Minehead, Somerset |
| 7 June | Dukeries Rally Southwell, Nottinghamshire |
| 19/20 July | Welsh Hill Rally Walters Arena, Swansea |
| 30 August | Woodpecker Stages Ludlow, Shropshire |
| 24/25 October | Rallye Sunseeker Poole, Dorset |
| 22/23 November | Borders Hill Rally Dumfries, Scotland |
About the Defender Challenge by Bowler
The Defender Challenge by Bowler is a one‑make rally series operated by Bowler Motorsport designed to act as a feeder series to the annual Dakar rally and other global rally competitions.
Continuing the strategic partnership announced in 2012 between Land Rover and Bowler Motorsport, the Defender Challenge will see competition‑prepared Land Rover Defenders being used in a one‑make, seven round, rally series taking place across the UK. The series will be regulated by the MSA (Motor Sports Association) and each Defender Challenge car will be FIA (Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile) compliant enabling competitors to compete internationally.
The Defender Challenge will provide both experienced competitors, and those with no prior competition experience, a platform to gain the experience required to compete in world‑class rally events. For those with no or little experience, the series will offer a complete solution for gaining a licence, training and development and ultimately, competition experience.
About Land Rover
Land Rover is supporting the Defender Challenge by Bowler series. Since 1948 Land Rover has been manufacturing authentic 4x4s that represent true breadth of capability across the model range. Defender, Freelander, Discovery, Range Rover Sport, Range Rover and Range Rover Evoque each define the world's 4x4 sectors. Land Rover products are currently sold in approximately 180 global markets.
About Bowler Motorsport
Bowler is a market leader in the production of racing and high performance all terrain vehicles, and has been since 1985. The UK pioneers in Rally Raid cars, Bowler has continually competed at the highest levels and, during this time, has designed, developed and produced some of the most innovative, durable and exciting all terrain vehicles ever seen.
The Bowler Wildcat, Nemesis and now the EXR have all been proven in the toughest race in the world ‑ the Dakar. Each evolution of Bowler has refined the knowledge and experience gained from the previous one.
Based in Derbyshire in the UK, Bowler uses both technology and craftsmanship to deliver vehicles with style, strength, performance and an unrivalled spirit of adventure.
About the Dakar Rally:
The Dakar, an incomparable human adventure whose history has been built in the finest deserts of the planet, is amongst the major sporting challenges of our era. Both a race and a test of navigational skills, it involves not only the leading riders and drivers of the rally raid discipline, but also amateur competitors, who often take part to make their dream come true or to rise to a challenge, behind the handlebars or steering wheel of their bike, quad, car or truck. Fifty nationalities come together each year for this mixture of competition and solidarity whose television coverage is seen by a billion viewers in 190 countries.
The Dakar Rally (or simply 'The Dakar', formerly known as 'The Paris‑Dakar') is an annual Dakar Series rally raid off‑road race, organised by the Amaury Sport Organisation. The race originated in 1978, a year after racer Thierry Sabine got lost in the desert and decided that it would be a good location for a regular rally event. Originally, the rally was from Paris, France, to Dakar, Senegal. However, due to politics and other factors, the course, including origin and destination, has varied over the years. After cancellation of the rally in 2008, the 2009 Dakar Rally was run in South America (Argentina and Chile) ‑ the first time the race took place outside of Europe and Africa. It has stayed in South America since 2009. The race is open to amateur and professional entries with amateurs typically making up about 80% of participants.
Despite its name it is an off‑road endurance race, called a rally‑raid rather than a conventional rally ‑ the terrain the competitors traverse is much tougher and the vehicles used by teams and individuals are true off‑road vehicles rather than the modified on‑road vehicles used in rallies. The majority of the competitive special sections are off‑road, crossing dunes, mud, camel grass and rocks among others.
The recent Dakar 2014 course stretched over 9000km of the world's toughest terrain, beginning in Rosario, Argentina on 5th January, with the course winding north through Argentina, into Bolivia and finishing in Valparaiso, Chile on 18 January.