Eric Williams and Kim Morris are repeat winners of the "Land Rover Tailgate Challenge" for a second year in a row at the 2014 Rolex Kentucky Three‑Day Event Presented by Land Rover
(LEXINGTON, KY.) ‑ April 26, 2014 ‑ Phillip Dutton, the top U.S. rider to complete the cross‑country course closest to the optimum time won the "Land Rover Best Ride of the Day" and was presented a 2014 Range Rover Evoque lease by Kim McCullough, Brand Vice President for Land Rover North America at the 2014 Rolex Kentucky Three‑Day Event Presented by Land Rover.
With the time of 11 minutes 12 seconds, Phillip Dutton was spot on to the optimum time of 11 minutes and 12 seconds with no jumping penalties.
"Phillip Dutton took the competition to a new level," said Kim McCullough, Brand Vice President, Land Rover North America. "It's exceptional to hit the optimum time and he and his horse showed the focus, demanding stamina and precision, required to win this year's award of a Range Rover Evoque lease."
Land Rover is renowned for combining unrivalled elegance, unsurpassed capability, unmatched versatility and unquestioned power, which are all of the traits found within the horse and rider combinations that participate in the sport of Eventing. Such similarities make the award winning Range Rover Evoque lease a fitting prize for the triumphant U.S. rider.
"I'm excited to take the keys of the new Range Rover Evoque as I've admired it since it came out," said Phillip Dutton. "It suits my lifestyle; it's outdoorsy, sporty and comfortable on the highway."
The smallest Range Rover model ever, the Range Rover Evoque stays true to the core brand values by providing premium levels of craftsmanship, luxury, performance and multi‑terrain capability. Available in five‑door and coupe versions, the Range Rover Evoque provides generous interior legroom and headroom, a practical trunk, plus highly capable off‑road geometry and ground clearance.
All Range Rover Evoque models are powered by a 2‑liter, 240‑horsepower direct‑injected turbocharged 4‑cylinder engine, which for 2014 is teamed to a new 9‑speed automatic transmission and a new Active Driveline four‑wheel drive system. New efficiency technologies, lightweight materials and environmentally conscious design combine to make the Range Rover Evoque the most fuel‑efficient Range Rover model.
In addition to presenting the vehicle lease, Land Rover hosted a "Land Rover Tailgate Challenge" as part of its continued support of the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF). The winners, for the second year in a row; Eric Williams and Kim Morris took the top prize for the most creative tailgate party.
"We set out to not only defend our title but also to raise the bar at this year's Land Rover Tailgate Challenge," said Eric Williams. "We brought in new elements of design which included Union Jack ottomans, a vintage rug, vintage Vanity Fair prints and a Pimm's cup. Each of these additions were vital elements to our Equestrian and vintage design and were pleased that it impressed the judges again this year."
Williams and Morris, customers of Blue Grass Land Rover in Louisville, won with their vintage theme.Their display impressed the judges ‑‑ Kim McCullough, Brand Vice President, Land Rover North America; and Lee Carter, Executive Director, Equestrian Events Inc., producer of the Rolex Kentucky Three‑Day Event; Scott Carling, Managing Director, Sponsorships and Sales, United States Equestrian Federation and Jim Wolf, Chef d'Mission, United States Equestrian Federation.
"The winners have truly outdone themselves and put together yet another impressive tailgate display," said Kim McCullough, Brand Vice President, Land Rover North America. "It represents the quintessential Land Rover tailgate party, it showed creativity, was well‑decorated and was exceptionally catered."
As their prize, Williams and Morris took home two 2015 Rolex Kentucky Sponsor Pavilion Hospitality tickets, two reserved grandstand seats for the Event, and a premium tailgate space for the 2015 event. Looking toward to next year's Rolex event tailgating will offer the winners an opportunity to defend their title yet again.
Held on the grounds of the Kentucky Horse Park, the 2014 Rolex Kentucky Three‑Day Event, the Western Hemisphere's only Four Star Three‑Day Event, features the 17th Rolex USEF Four Star Championship for the U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation Pinnacle Cup. The event features the world's best horses and riders vying for their share of $250,000 in prize money as well as a shot at the $350,000 Rolex Grand Slam of Eventing.
To learn more about the Rolex Kentucky Three‑Day Event please visit: www.RK3DE.org.
Editor's Note:
The 'Land Rover Best Ride of the Day' award ("Winner" of prize) was presented to the U.S. rider who was closest to the optimum time Cross‑Country with no jumping penalties at the 2014 Rolex Kentucky Three‑Day Event presented by Land Rover. Winner will receive a twenty‑four (24) month lease of one (1) 2014 Range Rover Evoque Dynamic, at 10,000 miles per year. Prize lease includes taxes, shipping and destination fees, pre‑paid one‑time lump sum of lease payments, end‑lease disposition fee, 10,000 miles/year, standard wear and tear and standard manufacturer's warranty. See www.landrover.com or your local retailer for more information on the 2014 Range Rover Evoque.
# # #
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
• Headquartered in Mahwah, New Jersey in the United States, Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC has offices across the USA
• Jaguar Land Rover is represented by more than 330 independently operated retail outletsin the USA
