- Edd Cobley tops the podium for third time in 2014 as series takes on first hill rally
- Race2Recovery finish second to claim third podium finish in a row
- Wet weather challenges six teams over eventful weekend of racing
The Defender Challenge by Bowler rally series lit up the Brecon Beacons National Park this weekend as teams competed in Round 4 of the one‑make championship at the 2014 Welsh Hill Rally.
The fourth round saw six teams line‑up in their Bowler‑prepared Land Rover Defender 90 vehicles as they returned to Wales after previously competing in Round 1's Mid‑Wales Stages event back in March. This was the first two‑day rally of the series as it continues 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 co‑driver Kevin Handley took top honours after two days of enthralling racing to secure a hat‑trick of 1st place finishes inside the first four races of the Defender Challenge by Bowler series. To make the win even sweeter, the Welsh Hill Rally results across all classes showed Cobley and Handley as the highest placed 'production based' car, 2nd in Diesel class and 9th overall.
Rally enthusiasts and team supporters braved the conditions, watching at various points along the course, with the racing offering superb entertainment as the Defender Challenge by Bowler teams pushed their skills to the limit chasing a spot on the podium.
Teams set off from Walters Arena and raced across 100 miles of the stunning forest and hillside landscape on the edge of the Brecon Beacons National Park. The abilities of drivers and co‑drivers were severely tested as the terrain switched from quick forest tracks to muddy inclines with no Tarmac stages to offer respite. Weather conditions over the weekend presented a major challenge to all teams as storms moved in and rain and wind lashed the course, resulting in more water along the tracks and slippery muddy terrain.
Speaking after crossing the finish line, Edd Cobley said: "It was phenomenally rough out there but the Defender loves these conditions. What Bowler and Land Rover have done is amazing. We've built a good lead so we want to keep that and manage that gap. The Defender is doing us proud again."
The Race2Recovery team, well‑known for their previous record‑breaking Dakar exploits, had been looking to make it three podium finishes in a row and were delighted to take second spot after battling hard against a superb drive from winner Cobley. 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 focus their rehabilitation.
Reflecting on a solid performance, Race2Recovery driver Ben Gott said: "The last stage was epic. Sideways rain, sideways car and all the ditches had disappeared and become puddles. We had to back off a bit, I knew we weren't going to catch Edd. It was just a case of bringing it home safely in one piece. It was a fantastic result. The car was faultless all weekend."
Other notable incidents during the weekend's racing included the retirement of two teams, with Damian Taft's weekend finished after a crash mid‑stage on Sunday, whilst driver Matt Mills dramatically rolled his vehicle on Stage 14.
After the accident, Mills said: "Everything was going well but there were a lot of rocks and we bounced off a rock which threw us into the air and sent us into a tumble. We're both absolutely fine and it's just cosmetic damage to the car."
Drew Bowler, MD of Bowler Motorsport, said: "We're absolutely delighted with the results from this weekend ‑ the championship is developing really well, and the first hill rally provided exactly the sort of drama and excitement we expected and hoped for. It was a real test for the drivers in terms of variety of terrain, weather and duration ‑ this was the first two day event in the championship.
"The conditions and duration also tested the service crew, and reminded us all of the long distances races that the Defender Challenge is building up to. It was inevitable that we'd encounter some damage to the cars ‑ it's all part of the learning curve of racing ‑ but most importantly, no one was injured, the Defenders ran extremely well, and the organisation was superb."
With three rounds still remaining, the teams are set to meet further challenges at rallies spread across 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.
‑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
STANDINGS
Defender Challenge by Bowler overall standings after Round 4:
| Vehicle | Team | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Round 4 | Total | Position |
| WVK13 ULY | Harford | 21 | 11 | 21 | 11 | 64 | 1 |
| VK63 XEF | Race2Recovery | 0 | 21 | 16 | 16 | 53 | 2 |
| T44 AFT | Taft | 16 | 16 | 11 | 9 | 52 | 3 |
| VO63 XYW | Richards | 10 | 7 | 7 | 21 | 45 | 4 |
| VK13 ULX | Hayward | 1 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 29 | 5 |
| WN62 XRD | Wicklow | 11 | 9 | 8 | 0 | 28 | 6 |
| WP63 FPL | Mills | 0 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 27 | 7 |
NOTES TO EDITORS
Defender Challenge by Bowler race schedule:
| 2 March 12 April 7 June 19/20 July 30 August 24/25 October 22/23 November |
Mid Wales Stages, Newtown, Wales Somerset Stages, Minehead, Somerset Dukeries Rally Southwell, Nottinghamshire Welsh Hill Rally Walters Arena, Swansea Woodpecker Stages Ludlow, Shropshire Rallye Sunseeker Poole, Dorset 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.
