HELL’S HALF ACRE, Alamo, Nev. – The second day of competition at the Land Rover G4 Challenge Nevada Passage started with the ultimate test of driving control and teamwork as teams navigated through a challenging trials course in their Land Rover LR3s.

Pitted against some of Mother Nature’s roughest terrain teams were tasked with traversing a tight, narrow, twisting, sandy, uneven and rocky quarter-mile stretch of Nevada’s wide open to see who could complete the course in the quickest time with the fewest penalties.

The course featured 18 gates (orange cones simulating boulders that were positioned on either side of the road) that allowed just inches of clearance on either side to pass through. Each team member drove through nine gates while their partner used hand signals and voice commands to help guide them through and then they switched positions to the finish. The rules were simple; make contact with a cone and one-minute was added to your time.

The accomplished Land Rover driving instructors on site were clear in their advice to competitors… “slow, smooth and steady,” and “as slow as possible, as fast as necessary.”

With huge potential for not only flat tires, but real damage to the Land Rover’s they were driving through a maze of boulders, the entire field avoided both and as a whole performed admirably.

The best on the day was Team Green – Linda Lindsay and Tim Menoher – who traversed the course in eight minutes, 13 seconds while collecting just two penalties for a total time of 11:13.

Just Team Lime Green - Phil Glenn and Laura Home - managed a flawless run, yet their time of 15:48 was only good for seventh place. Jim Perkins and Brandyn Roark-Gray of Team Red, who were first to tackle the trials course, posted the second best time in 13:11 (11:11 plus two penalties). Team Turquoise – Peter Hanson and Sarah McMahan – edged Team Burgundy – Scott Fredricksen and Rachel Cieslewicz – by six-tenths of a second for third place.

THE RUN

Following the trials competition teams continued to work on their off-road driving techniques on their way to Cathedral Gorge State Park in Panaca, Nevada where a surprise 5-mile scramble through the long narrow valley awaited.

Once again Mother Nature was flexing her muscles as a cool and overcast day at Hell’s Half Acre turned into a windy, rainy, and downright cold start for the 4:30 p.m. trail run. The course went along the scenic, rocky and now muddy Juniper Draw trail leading to the top of Miller’s point – a 70-foot stair climb that exposed the magnificent spires of Cathedral Gorge.

At the top racers received another clue sending them into Moon Caves – a dramatic section of bentonite clay columns and walls shaped by the erosional forces of wind, rain, and freezing through time. To reach the finish teams had to crawl through a dark and eerie space barely big enough for an average size person – a test of courage all in itself.

The scramble proved the athletic worth of the entire field, as six of the ten teams finished within minutes of each other. The fastest of the group was Team Gray – Emma Garrard and Dean Kruuse – who came in at 28:28 and just edged Team Purple – Tom Lyons and Lisa Lieb (2nd), and Team Lime Green - Phil Glenn and Laura Home (3rd).

After the run the clouds disappeared, the sun warmed the competitors, teams set-up their tents, then stood around the campfire telling stories from Day 2 of the LRG4 Nevada Passage and wondering what’s in store for them tomorrow.

Note: The Land Rover G4 Challenge scoring system combines a series of written tests for first aid and mechanical knowledge, navigation skills, Time-Speed-Distance, driving skills, brand communication, and athletic skills. Totals will not be revealed until the final day of competition.

The four-day multistage competition, which lasts through Friday, is the United States’ sole qualifying event for the prestigious international Land Rover G4 Challenge. The top two teams will advance to the international selection event at Eastnor Castle in Herefordshire, United Kingdom, in early 2009, where one team will be selected to represent the United States against teams from 17 other countries in the three-week-long finals taking place in Asia mid-2009.

For more information on the Land Rover G4 Challenge Nevada Passage, visit www.landroverG4challenge.com. For daily highlights and photo galleries visit www.nevadapassage.com. Media interested in receiving footage or photos should contact:

Land Rover Nevada Commission on Tourism
Bryan van Gorder or Nicole Marshall Chris Chrystal or Bethany Drysdale
213-926-0378/ 949-838-5957 775-687-4322
bryan.vangorder@cliffordpr.com cchrystal@TravelNevada.com
nmarsh15@landrover.com bdrysdale@TravelNevada.com

LAND ROVER LR3 TRIALS – Hell’s Half Acre
Time taken on course plus penalties for hitting markers.

Team 1 - Green
8:13.16
3:00
11:13.16
1

TIM & LINDA

Team 10 - Red
11:11.33
2:00
13:11.33
2

JIM & BRANDYN

Team 7 - Turquoise
12:02.17
2:00
14:02.17
3

PETER & SARAH

Team 8 - Burgundy
11:02.81
3:00
14:02.81
4

SCOTT & RACHEL

Team 6 - Royal Blue
10:05.90
4:00
14:05.90
5

ADAM & CAROLINE

Team 5 - Purple
9:38.09
5:00
14:38.09
6

TOM & LISA

Team 3 - Lime Green
15:48.33
0
15:48.33
7

PHIL & LAURA

Team 4 - Orange
12:51.91
4:00
16:51.91
8

NATE & SAGE

Team 9 - Yellow
12:51.02
5:00
17:51.02
9

GARRETT & MARNE

Team 2 - Gray
13:15.59
8:00
21:15.59
10

DEAN & EMMA

CATHEDRAL GORGE RUN RESULTS (In order of last team member to finish run)

Team #/Color Place Team #/Color Place
2/Gray 1 (28:28) 1/Green 6
5/Purple 2 9/Yellow 7
3/Lime Green 3 8/Burgundy 8
7/Turquoise 4 10/Red 9
6/Royal Blue 5 4/Orange 10