- New Range Rover Sport set to challenge for fastest recorded time across one of the most treacherous terrains in the world
- 650,000km sq (251,000 sq miles) of hostile, unforgiving desert will provide backdrop for grueling test of man and machine
- Dawn to dusk drive in a standard production vehicle piloted by off‑road racer Moi Torrallardona
(WHITLEY, UK) ‑ October 24, 2013 ‑ This coming week, Land Rover will attempt to set the fastest recorded time for a land vehicle crossing of the 'Empty Quarter' ‑ one of the harshest and most challenging desert environments on the planet, using a standard production 2014 Range Rover Sport.
In the days leading up to the challenge, last minute checks are being made, with the challenge vehicle being prepped at the start line in Wadi Adda Wasir, Saudi Arabia. The route will run from there towards the finish line on the border of the United Arab Emirates, a distance of over 1000km (622 miles) further than the length of France.
The driver will be Moi Torrallardona, a 47 year‑old Spanish off‑road racer with extensive experience of the Dakar Rally, in which he competed for ten successive years with a best finish of 6th overall.
A dangerously arid climate with no reliable water sources and an ever‑shifting terrain, the Empty Quarter in the Arabian Peninsula is one of the most treacherous terrains man and machine could face. The driving conditions will be incredibly harsh, with temperatures of over 50 degrees C (122 degrees F) in the day and towering sand dunes stretching 850ft into the air.
The all‑new Range Rover Sport will be production‑spec, challenging a terrain where usually only specialist sand vehicles are found. Moi will be exercising its breadth of capability to the limit in the process.
A full press release, selection of images from the challenge and b‑roll will be available on November 4, with the challenge vehicle due to be displayed at the Dubai Motor Show on November 5. A short documentary of the record attempt will then follow.
Photography assets, including imagery captured at initial prep days at the Jaguar Land Rover Test Centre in Dubai, are available on request or to download at www.media.landrover.com
Interview opportunities with driver Moi Torrallardona will be available on November 5 at the Dubai Motor Show.
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Editors notes:
The Empty Quarter
The Empty Quarter, or Rub' al Khali as it is known in Arabic, is the largest sand desert in the world and the second largest desert after the Sahara on the planet. It is an enormous and incredibly harsh environment; taking up an area close to the size of North America.
The Empty Quarter spans 4 countries in the Arabic Peninsula: Saudi Arabia, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. Temperatures regularly rise above 50 degrees C (122 degrees F) and any crossing, no matter how well organized, must be approached with extreme caution.
All‑New Range Rover Sport
Developed alongside the highly‑acclaimed Range Rover, the all‑new Range Rover Sport delivers the brand's best‑ever on‑road dynamics together with class‑leading, genuine Land Rover all‑terrain capability, while presenting customers with a more assertive and muscular exterior, more luxurious interior and the flexibility provided by the option of occasional third row seating.
Exploiting Land Rover's breakthrough lightweight suspension design and innovative dynamic chassis technologies, the All‑New Range Rover Sport's first‑in‑class aluminium architecture achieves a weight saving of approximately 800lbs.
Designed and engineered at Land Rover's development centres in the UK, the new model will be produced in a state‑of‑the‑art low‑energy manufacturing facility at Solihull, UK.
About Land Rover
Land Rover, the British maker of Land Rover and Range Rover sport utility vehicles, is renowned for providing its clientele with some of the most luxurious and capable vehicles in the world. Every Land Rover vehicle is equally at home both on and off road, and in any setting; be it in the heart of the city, or traversing the countryside. Today's Land Rover lineup includes the legendary Defender, LR2 (Freelander 2), LR4 (Discovery 4), Range Rover Sport, Range Rover and Range Rover Evoque. Land Rover designs, engineers, and manufactures their vehicles in the United Kingdom. Land Rover is fully engaged with sustainability initiatives and social concerns with continuous involvement in environmental and community programs. For more information visit the official Land Rover website at http://www.landroverusa.com.
About Jaguar Land Rover
• The United States is one of the leading global markets for both Jaguar and Land Rover
• Jaguar Land Rover employs 25 000 people and sells vehicles in 170 countries around the world
• Jaguar Land Rover has two state of the art engineering and design facilities and three advanced manufacturing plants in the UK
• In the 2012/13 fiscal year, Jaguar Land Rover has reported revenues of $23.8 billion, up 17% year on year ($20.4 billion last year)
• Jaguar Land Rover has test facilities across the USA in the following states: California, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Washington D.C.
• Headquartered in Mahwah, New Jersey in the United States, Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC has offices across the USA and Canada. Jaguar Land Rover has offices in the following locations: California, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Washington D.C.
• Jaguar Land Rover is represented by more than 330 independently operated retail outletsin the USA