- Edd Cobley takes his second podium top spot
- Race2Recovery follow their previous win with a second place
- Challenge for the title wide open with four rounds remaining
Southwell, Nottinghamshire ‑ Saturday 7th June, 2014: Sherwood Forest came alive this weekend as the Defender Challenge by Bowler delighted spectators at the 55th Dukeries Rally in Nottinghamshire.
Seven teams lined‑up in their Bowler‑prepared Land Rover Defender 90 vehicles for Round 3 of the series, which aims to provide a pathway for teams who aspire to compete in the toughest races in the world, such as the Dakar and the Africa Race.
Edd Cobley and his co‑driver Allan Jackson took top honours after a thrilling day's racing through the tough forest gravel tracks and dirt roads of Nottinghamshire's famous Sherwood Forest.
Teams set off from Southwell Racecourse before 44 miles of stage racing saw the skills of drivers and co‑drivers tested across a route incorporating forest areas such as Watchwood, Sherwood Pines and Blidworth Woods. Heavy rain throughout the morning meant track conditions were very slippery with all competitors reporting difficult stretches requiring absolute concentration. So difficult were the conditions, that the overall rally had a 30 per cent DNF (Did Not Finish) rate. All seven Defenders completed the entire course.
The popular Race2Recovery, well‑known for their previous record‑breaking Dakar exploits, had been looking to build on their debut victory in Round 2. Driver Quin Evans, and navigator Stephanie Boddez took 2nd place in class. The team is using the series to train up new recruits including civilians and people from the military who have suffered injury or illness and are looking for a way to inspire their rehabilitation.
Speaking at the finish line, Edd Cobley said: "I had a fantastic day and despite the conditions, felt really comfortable in the car. The surfaces were a real challenge varying from loose tarmac to gravel to pine leaves which feel just like ice. Allan has been brilliant and we have overtaken quite a few of the rally cars out on stage.
"To take a second win after three stages is absolutely brilliant and above all the atmosphere and camaraderie between all the competitors is fantastic ‑ it's been a really enjoyable event."
Reflecting on a strong day of racing, Quin Evans from Race2Recovery who finished second said: "Another great day and another great result. Stephanie has been learning to read the pace notes and we have performed really well. There really is no better way to pick up the skills and build confidence."
Speaking at the finish line, Jon Chester, Brand Director, Bowler said: "The weather made conditions remarkably challenging today and everyone experienced the fine balance between pace and finishing the race. The Defenders performed exceptionally well with all seven vehicles making it to the finish line in a race where there was a very high level of attrition.
"We look forward to the next round in July which will be the Challenge's first Hill rally and will further test the driving and navigation skills of all the competitors."
With four rounds still remaining, the teams are set to meet further challenges across a demanding blend of hill rallies and stage rallies spread across South Wales, 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.
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 results from Round 3:
| Position | Car | Driver | Co‑Driver | Time |
| 1 | VK13 ULY | Edd Cobley | Allan Jackson | 0:54:09 |
| 2 | VK63 XEF | Quin Evans | Stephanie Boddez | 0:58:13 |
| 3 | VK63 XEU | Damian Taft | Simon Taft | 0:59:45 |
| 4 | VK13 ULX | Richard Hayward | Mathew Lister | 1:06:19 |
| 5 | WP63 FPL | Matt Mills | Jon Chester | 1:08:32 |
| 6 | WN62 XRD | Simon Armstrong | Aynslie Morrow | 1:09:17* |
| 7 | VO63 XYW | Steve Richards | Kevin Handley | 1:10:41 |
*includes 1 min penalty
‑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
NOTES TO EDITORS
Defender Challenge by Bowler race schedule:
| 2 March | Mid Wales Stages, Newtown, 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 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 license 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 tune 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 license, and attendance at some of Bowlers' overseas races will allow this to be converted into the International license required for events such as the Dakar.
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.