Katt Min“Are you freaking kidding me,” I said?
“I have to run?”
“Yeah,” I thought,
“That’s not happening!”
When our Editor asked me if I would like to represent Rovers Magazine at the 2023 TReK, held last October at the Hidden Falls Adventure Park near Austin, TX, he spoke of the excitement of forming an ad hoc off-road team with other media people. He said nothing about running or excessive physical exertion.
Surprise, I did run – a little – and I’m still alive! And yes, it was awful!
Other than the running, I had a spectacular time. JLR placed me on a team with Jered Korfhage, Motor Trend, and Jeremy Nichols, Offroad Extreme.
Since the first TReK in 1996, Land Rover has sought to educate their dealers fully about their vehicles’ capabilities. After a pause in 2003, JLR fired up the TReK again in 2020. Competition locales have included Atlanta, GA; Tinmouth, VT; Bodega Bay, CA; Greenbrier, WV; Trinchera Ranch, CO; Palm Springs, CA; Asheville, NC; Manchester, VT; and this year, Austin, TX. Dealers have used the TReK competitions as an opportunity for the various departments of a dealership – sales, service, parts, marketing, customer relations, administration – to bond around a common purpose, forming a team for regional and national competitions.
To level the playing field, JLR provided each media team with a lightly modified 2023 Defender 130 P400 SE. This model features a 3.0 liter, mild hybrid inline 6-cylinder, producing 395 hp and 406 lb-ft of torque. Its wheelbase is 119 inches, and its overall length grew to 211.7 inches, yet somehow its turning circle is only 42 ft. In addition, JLR decided to provide a winch, minor suspension lift (for additional ground clearance) and “off-road tires.” (As an experienced off-roader, I found the tire choice left a lot to be desired.) I will note, I found the off-road camera features helpful for the team navigator and, at crawling speeds, useful for me as the driver. The additional interior room made a big difference for carrying our gear.
While too many Defenders live as “mall mashers,” take one to an adventure park, drive on dirt roads and trails, tackling rocky terrain utilizing the tools on the vehicle, and you will learn the breadth of a Defender’s capabilities. For example, being able to get first-hand experience in a controlled environment to winch something out of the way will stick with you and better prepare you for when something happens out on the trail.
JLR tasked Sean Gorman, Boulder, CO to create, design and organize the 2023 dealer event, and he used some of the same challenges in creating a somewhat less intensive challenge for the media teams. Sean has worked with the Land Rover Driving Team and has dreamt up numerous competitions and special events.
The media teams had many tasks to choose from, but as time and space were limited, we had to decide which task to tackle on the fly. We began by having to find a “treasure” which hid the key to our vehicle, and the fun began when we discovered the key fob. Another challenge called upon us to change a tire, but first, we had to paw through a collection of tools: a bicycle pump, a tire iron, a valve removal tool and a battery-operated electric pump. Then we had to remove the tire, deflate it, roll it around the Defender, and finally figure out the fastest way to inflate it and replace it on the Defender. Time and safety mattered [hint – the electric pump was deceptively slow]. As for other options, I love winching, but I’ve never used a winch to help load a filled water barrel onto a trailer, hitch the trailer to a Defender, and then drive it through a ridiculously twisted and narrow trail. There were many challenges to choose from, including plenty of off-road driving.
The Media “TReK-Light” version gave me insight into the greater challenge confronted by the dealer teams. The winning team came from Land Rover Tulsa (OK), with members Josh Loehr, Service Manager; Jack Pritchard, Sales; Rhett Parnell and Grey Kilborn. Second place went to Land Rover Mission Viejo (CA), with members Brian Smith, Sales Manager; Robert Shepherd, Sales Advisor; Anthony Salazar Service Tech and Chris Gojny, Service Tech. Third place was earned by Land Rover Denver (CO), with members Socorro Chavez, Service Tech; Sam Goodell, Service Tech; Ryan Armstrong, Sales Guide and Josh Streeter, Sales Guide.
Matthew Smith, JLR Retailer Training Program and Event Lead, noted that 103 dealerships signed up to compete this year and even more bought TReK vehicles for their inventory. He believes that “people understand how incredible our vehicles are, but the TReK is really about bringing people together. We come into the event as colleagues but leave as brothers and sisters. The event is huge in keeping the history of TReK and the Camel Trophy alive and adding awareness of the lifestyle possibilities with the Defender. I feel as though we’re preserving the history of the marque.”