Jeffrey Aronson
As Land Rover enthusiasts, we don’t view our Land Rovers as separate “brands,” regardless of the corporate dictates emanating from the mothership in the UK. The hundreds of Land Rover events held annually in the US and Canada welcome all Land Rover models: Series, Defenders, Discovery 1–5, Range Rovers and Freelanders/LR2s.
With apologies to Sly and the Family Stone, “We Are Family.”
So we extend a tip of the cap to Land Rover Classic UK’s Mike Bishop and JLR NA’s Jeff Ehoodin for the celebration display of 75 years of Land Rover expeditions at the Pebble Beach Concours last month. Mike Bishop curated an extraordinary collection of Series Land Rovers, Range Rovers, Defenders and a Discovery, all with an eye toward North American treks.
Whereas remoteness or distance once determined the purpose and route of an expedition, motorsport rallying also offers an avenue for challenging individual driving/navigation skills as well as vehicle durability. Gearing up for October, eight teams have entered Land Rovers in the 1,200 mile, 11-day, women-only Rebelle Rally in Nevada and California. As we go to press, the confirmed teams are:
- Jenna Fribley/Liza Beres – ’22 Defender 90
- Stephanie Kowall/Stacey Kaszmarick – ’24 Defender 110
- Dana Benyo/Pam Wright – ’93 NAS Defender 110
- Karen Hoehn/Dana Saxton – ‘13 LR4
- Marie Reyes and Jenn Lee – ’01 Discovery II
- Sue Runnells/Cheri Hudgins – ’00 Discovery II
For the DAKAR 2026, Land Rover will enter a Defender team made up of 14-time DAKAR winner Stephane Peterhansel, world champion FIA driver Rokus Baciuska and motocross and DAKAR stage winner
Sara Price.
Even more exciting, for the 2027 DAKAR Classic, Jenna Fribley and Liza Beres will enter a ’72 Range Rover two-door, an homage to the 1979 Range Rover two-door that won the first DAKAR. We’ll have a full story as the build progresses; in the meantime, you can follow their progress on Instagram, @overland_her.
We applaud the Rebelle Rally teams and JLR Motorsports for their determination and grit in demonstrating the capabilities of our favorite vehicles.
Jeffrey Aronson
Editor
