Camel Trophy Land Rover Defender 110 '91 Tanzania-Burundi Communications Unit
A pre scout expedition in 1991 in Guyana to explore the route for the Trophy 1992 planned to happen there. The vehicles are Land Rover Defender 110.

Camel Trophy was an off-road vehicle oriented competition that was held annually between 1980 and 2000,[1][2][3] and it was best known for its use of Land Rover vehicles over challenging terrain. Occasionally called "The Olympics of 4x4",[4] the event took its name from its main sponsor, the Camel cigarette brand.[5]

Vehicles

Camel Trophy originated in 1980 with three Jeep-equipped German teams exploring the Amazon Basin.[6][4] After that first event, the organisers turned to Land Rover for support and over the course of the next twenty years, all of the Land Rover vehicle range were used.[7] Range Rover, Land Rover Series III, Land Rover 90, Land Rover 110, Land Rover Defender, Land Rover Discovery, and Freelander vehicles all appeared in the distinctive "sandglow" colour scheme.

The cars were heavily modified by Land Rover Special Vehicles[8][5] with a range of expedition, recovery, and safety equipment, including:

  • Safety Devices roll cages
  • Under body protection (skid plates) and steering guards
  • Modified electrical systems
  • Winches
  • Dixon Bate tow hitches and recovery points
  • Mantec snorkels
  • Transmission breathers
  • Michelin XCL or BF Goodrich Mud Terrain tyres
  • Upgraded suspension and transmission components
  • Auxiliary fuel tanks
  • Webasto fuel burning heaters
  • Brownchurch / Safety Devices roof racks
  • Hella driving, spot, fog, convoy and work lamps
  • Brownchurch Bull bars and bush wires
  • Flag poles
  • Event plaques, decals and sponsor logos (including Camel Trophy Adventure Wear/Bags/Boots/Watches, Lee Cougan, Perception, Sony, Scott USA, Safety Devices, Land Rover, Fjällräven, Warn, Malaysia Airlines, Superwinch, Royal Dutch Shell, Shell, Avon)
  • Expedition tools, Jerry cans, Pelican cases, Zarges boxes, high lift or New Concept air jacks, sand ladders, axes, ropes, drawbars, spades.
  • Garmin, Terratrip and other navigation and communication equipment

Generally speaking, except for support and specialist vehicles, the Land Rovers were only used for one event. Some competitors purchased their vehicles and many remained in the host country. Consequently, those vehicles that returned to the United Kingdom were highly sought after as they were low mileage - but they were "Camel Trophy miles". They were stripped of most of their equipment by Land Rover before they were released and restoring the vehicles to their original condition is expensive and time-consuming.

List of events and vehicles used

Year Location' Team Vehicles Support Vehicles[9]
1980BrazilFord U50's (License built Jeep CJ5's)
1981Indonesia/SumatraRange RoverRange Rover
1982Papua New GuineaRange RoverRange Rover
1983ZaireLand Rover Series III 88"Series III 109"
1984BrazilLand Rover 110Land Rover 110
1985Indonesia/BorneoLand Rover 90Land Rover 110
1986AustraliaLand Rover 90Land Rover 110
1987MadagascarRange Rover TDRange Rover TD
1988Indonesia/SulawesiLand Rover 110Land Rover 110
1989BrazilLand Rover 110Land Rover 110
1990Siberia USSRDiscovery 200tdi (3-door)Defender 110 & 127"
1991Tanzania BurundiDiscovery 200tdiOne Ten
1992Guyana[10]Discovery 200tdiDefender 110 200tdi
1993Sabah-MalaysiaDiscovery 200tdiDefender 110 200tdi
1994Argentina Paraguay ChileDiscovery 200tdiDefender 110 200tdi
1995Mundo Maya [11] (Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Mexico)Discovery 300tdiDefender 110 300tdi
1996KalimantanDiscovery 300tdiDefender 110 300tdi
1997Mongolia[12]Discovery 300tdiDefender 110 300tdi
1998Tierra del FuegoFreelanderDefender 110 300tdi
2000Tonga-SamoaRibtec 655Defender 110 HCPU and Honda CRV

Event results

Over the 18-year period in which the Camel Trophy featured Land Rover vehicles, Italian teams ultimately won the Camel Trophy three times[13] - in 1982,[14] 1984,[15] and 1987.[16] Teams from the Netherlands, France, Germany, and Turkey all won the Camel Trophy twice.[9]

Year Camel Trophy Winners Winning Competitors' Names Team Spirit Award Special Tasks Award Land Rover Award
1980N/AKlaus Karttna-Dircks and Uwe MachelN/AN/AN/A
1981West GermanyChristian Swoboda and Knuth MentelN/AN/AN/A
1982ItalyCasare Geraudo and Giuliano GiongoN/AN/AN/A
1983The NetherlandsHenk Bont and Frans HeijN/AN/AN/A
1984ItalyMaurizo Levi and Alfredo RedaelliN/AN/AN/A
1985GermanyHeinz Kallin and Bernd StrohdachBrazilN/AN/A
1986FranceJaques Mambre and Michel CourvalletAustraliaN/AN/A
1987ItalyMauro Miele and Vincenzo TotaSpainN/AN/A
1988TurkeyGalip Gurel and Ali DeveciUKN/AN/A
1989UKBob Ives and Joe IvesBelgiumN/AN/A
1990The NetherlandsRob Kamps and Stijn LuyxSpain - Canary IslandsN/AN/A
1991TurkeyMenderes Utku and Bulent OzlerTurkeyAustriaN/A
1992SwitzerlandAlwin Arnold and Urs BruggisserUSAFranceN/A
1993USATim Hensley and Michael HusseySpain - Canary IslandsFranceN/A
1994SpainCarlos Martinez and Jorge CorellaSouth AfricaSpainN/A
1995Czech RepublicZdenek Nemec and Marek RocejdlRussiaCzech RepublicN/A
1996GreeceMiltos Farmakis and Nikos SotirchosSouth AfricaRussiaGreece
1997AustriaStefan Auer and Albnecht ThousingSwedenN/AMihai Mares and Manu Cornel, Romania.
1998FranceWilliam Michael and Marc ChallamelSouth AfricaN/ASpain

Camel Trophy's successor: the "G4 Challenge"

In 2003, competitors representing sixteen nations helped Land Rover fill the gap left after the demise of Camel Trophy.[4] Surprisingly, the inaugural Land Rover G4 Challenge contained many of the elements of Camel Trophy 1998, which Land Rover had reportedly been disappointed with. The "ultimate global adventure" was a test of skill, stamina, and mental agility in four separate stages, each in a different time zone. The prize was a top-of-the-range Freelander or Range Rover. The winner Rudi Thoelen declined a Range Rover, and opted for two Defenders instead.

The 2006 Land Rover G4 Challenge promised to be tougher than the inaugural event and delivered a more vehicle-based focus. The competitors, working in bi-national teams faced thousands of miles of vehicle-based activity in Thailand, Laos, Brazil, and Bolivia.

The 2008-9 G4 Challenge, supporting the Red Cross and based in Mongolia, was cancelled in December 2008 in the middle of the selection stages due to the current global economic downturn. Land Rover were forced to end the event as a cost saving-measure to allow them to focus on product launches in 2009.[2]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Camel Trophy Club - History".
  2. 1 2 "A brief history of the Camel Trophy". drivetribe.com. Archived from the original on 28 December 2021.
  3. ↑ "Gallery: Land Rovers in the Camel Trophy over the years". 12 February 2021.
  4. 1 2 3 "Camel Trophy Adventure: The Olympics of 4x4". 14 May 2020.
  5. 1 2 "The Camel Trophy Was Land Rover's Tastefully Adventurous Overland Challenge". 3 February 2016.
  6. ↑ "Camel Trophy Club - Transamazonica 1980".
  7. ↑ "Camel Trophy Club - Vehicles".
  8. ↑ "An Original Camel Trophy Land Rover Defender". 12 October 2021.
  9. 1 2 "Camel Trophy Owners Club - One Life. Live It". Cameltrophy.co.uk. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
  10. ↑ Camel Trophy Chat episode 1: What it takes to be selected for Team UK. Camel Trophy Club. 6 December 2020. Archived from the original on 28 December 2021. Retrieved 24 January 2022 – via YouTube.
  11. ↑ Camel Trophy Chat episode 2: Camel Trophy is not a race... So what is it?. Camel Trophy Club. 6 December 2020. Archived from the original on 28 December 2021. Retrieved 24 January 2022 – via YouTube.
  12. ↑ Camel Trophy Chat episode 3: From Outer Mongolia to the middle of the Pacific. Camel Trophy Club. 6 December 2020. Archived from the original on 28 December 2021. Retrieved 24 January 2022 – via YouTube.
  13. ↑ Camel Trophy Chat episode 5: Team Italia. Camel Trophy Club. 21 March 2021. Retrieved 24 January 2022 – via YouTube.
  14. ↑ "Camel Trophy Club - Papua New Guinea 1982".
  15. ↑ "Camel Trophy Club - Brazil 1984".
  16. ↑ "Camel Trophy Club - Madagascar 1987".
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