TAKING THE TEST

At first we thought people had mistaken us for the main ticket booth. But no, at 8 a.m., on Saturday (Oct. 2, 2010), over 40 people were waiting in line to take a Land Rover test drive, and we hadn’t even opened, writes Nicole Logue, Event Marketing Specialist, Land Rover North America.

That’s been the story throughout the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games (WEG) here in Lexington, Ky., which kicked off Sept. 25 and runs until this Sunday (Oct. 10, 2010).

In the first seven days of the Games, in which Land Rover is the Official Luxury Automotive Sponsor, we organized over 1,500 test drives. By the end, we are predicting the number will be well over 2,500.

Of course it’s a lot of fun. We’ve built a really challenging off‑road track full of near‑vertical drops, deep craters, a mini‑lake where water comes up to the doors, and our famous log “teeter‑totter’ balancing test.

We’ve also brought in 10 of our 2010 model‑year Land Rover LR4s, Range Rover Sports and Range Rovers for people to test‑drive, accompanied by one of our team of top Land Rover instructors. From 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., there are seemingly always 30 or more people in line. Even in the rain, the vehicles have never stopped.

Since the WEG is without a doubt the most important event in the 2010 equestrian calendar, it’s the first time ever the Games have been held in the U.S., and they’ve attracted quite an impressive crowd. More than 50,000 turned up on Saturday to watch the cross‑country action. The total attendance over the 16 days is expected to pass the 400,000 mark.

These are people who are extremely knowledgeable about vehicles and want to experience a test‑drive because they are genuinely interested in our Land Rover models. Many already drive a luxury SUV or high‑end pick‑up, so a lot of the questions we have been getting are about towing capacity, engine torque and our Terrain Response® system.

We’ve also had a lot of people whose last experience of a Land Rover was maybe an old Discovery or LR3. Here at the Games, they have been able to get into a 2010 LR4 and are absolutely amazed at the level of quality, craftsmanship, technology and luxury they now come with.

Although we tend to see more males take part in test‑drives we offer, we've been surprised at the number of women who have signed‑up for test drives here at the World Equestrian Games. Many tell us that it’s their husbands who drive the heavy‑duty pick‑ups with the fifth‑wheel for the horse trailer and the women have the SUVs that pull the smaller trailer.

Without a doubt, equestrianism is an absolutely perfect fit for Land Rover. The more events we’re involved in with our sponsorship and test‑drive program, the more I believe we are reaching the right audience.

After seeing how much enthusiasm our off‑road course has garnered here at the Games, we'll be sure to grab some coffee and be at the park before 8 a.m. to greet people before they can greet us!