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Land Rovers galore conquer the gulleys and ravines of the rugged south

Land Rovers galore conquer the gulleys and ravines of the rugged south

A large group of Land Rover heroes descended on the south over the long weekend for the inaugural Land Rover Trophy Namibia event, a contest that tested the cars and their drivers, but also provided lots of entertainment for the offroad aficionados.

The offroad club dedicated to Land Rover ownership, Land Rover Owners Namibia, felt there was a dearth of oil in the Karas region so 76 of its members decided the workweek breather offered just the right opportunity to improve the prospects for oil exploration in the south.

Joining them from south of the Orange were three Landie enthusiasts on a mission to find out why Namibia is considered Africa’s prime offroad destination.

The get-away ran over three days with the formal testing part for the competition spread over two days. Although the route traversed several difficult spots, the organisers said it is not their intention to turn the event into a local Camel Trophy, instead in addition to testing offroad ability, the event also doubled as a Eco, fun-filled trip.

The emphasis was on fun, camaraderie and the experience of each driver’s very capable Land Rover vehicle. For those just wanting to come along for the drive, the Expedition Section filled their dream to be part of the Trophy 2019. For those whose only intention was to separate the sheep from the goats, the competitive elements covered a Time Trail, a Dune Challenge and a Climb the Canyon challenge which required accurate planning and calculation.

Friday was dedicated to arrivals, a Naute Dam outing and a braai during the afternoon. Saturday 24 August saw the official start of the event from Keetmanshoop’s Schützenhaus to Farm Aikanes on the edge of the Karas mountains where the Time Trail, Drag Race and Dune Challenge took place.

For those not taking part in the competitive sections, spectator view points were available to cheer on the Land Rover fraternity. During the day, fun and games were held with awesome prizes.

On Sunday, the group departed via Farm Narenbees to Farm Steinfeld. Here, the Climb the Canyon challenge took place in the afternoon, much to the delight and awe of the many spectators.

The weekend ended with a prize-giving ceremony at Schützenhaus, where Erwin Tietz again came out as the overall winner. He pulled a similar feat in the club’s recent sandpit outing at Tsumeb. Tietz was also the winner in the modified class.

Jona James from Swakopmund won the Standard Class and Erwin Tietz Junior won Open Class. John Blaauw won the Time Trail Trophy and Dune Challenge Trophy, with Rico Bothma winning the Climb the Canyon Trophy.

Land Rover Owners Namibia said the club not only organises training and offroad events, it also places emphasis on social responsibility, supporting environmental, humanitarian and wildlife efforts. Prospective members can join the club by sending a mail to [email protected].


 

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