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Land Rover's TReK
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| Annual Dealer Competition Won by Land Rover Eden Prairie |
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| Updated |
Jun 10, 2004 22:29:56 |
| Rating |
 646 ( 71 +10.99% ) | | Author | Sue Mead |
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Description:
Land Rover's TReK
Annual Dealer Competition Won by Land Rover Eden Prairie
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Fort Garland, Colorado: When the dust settled recently at the Forbes Trinchera Ranch, it was Land Rover Eden Prairie, of Eden Prairie, Minnesota that was seat-belted into the winner's seat of Land Rover's 2003 TReK competition. The three-man team of Wayne, Pisinski, Ross Corey and Ryan Krause won top honors in a 24-hour-long event in which navigation, athletic and grueling 4WD skills took the place of negotiation tactics, sales and repair skills used in automotive dealer settings. Thirty-nine other North American retailer teams representing this British retailer competed, as well.
TReK, which started in 1996 as an ultimate team-building and brand-training exercise, is dubbed "Camel Trophy Light", after the legendary month-long 4WD event sponsored by Land Rover for nearly twenty years. Held from July 26 - August 9 at Malcolm Forbes' Trinchera Ranch in Ft. Garland, Colorado, TReK trials included driving challenges similar to those used in Camel Trophy , as well as mountain bike, orienteering and kayak trials - all at an elevation of 8,000 feet. All teams drove the 4.6-liter 2004 TReK Discoverys, with its manually locking center differential.
Dealer teams consisting of one representative each from the retailer's mechanical team and sales team, along with one from another department compete in full-day-long events, that include off-road driving skills, as well as using accessory winches and making vehicle repairs on the trail. Typically rising before dawn and sleeping in tents during exhausting training and competition days, the teams are eliminated in waves, with the regional winners returning at the end of the two weeks for the final round of competition.
The Forbes Trinchera Ranch, the setting for the 2003 dealer competition, is tucked into the stunning scenery of the southeastern Colorado Rockies. Located some 200 miles from Denver and 200 miles from Albuquerque, the ranch is a world away from the high-stress hustle many dealers face each day.
And that is exactly what Malcolm Forbes designed the ranch to be back in 1969, when he acquired the property and began hosting political dignitaries, businesspeople and others seeking a place whose wide-open spaces and natural beauty were a stimulant for thought, reflection and relaxation. Trinchera, which still operates as a ranch, now has conference facilities, accommodations for up to 50, and activities such as fishing, hiking, mountain biking and cross-country skiing.
Created by Land Rover's training unit, Land Rover University, this year's event in Colorado is the fifth of its kind to be held in North America. The first event, which featured Discovery Series I vehicles, was held in 1996 in Social Circle, Georgia on a farm owned by an Atlanta-area Land Rover dealer. In 1997, Vermont served as the host for 4.6-liter Range Rover HSE vehicles; after a hiatus in 1998, TReK was held in 1999 in California, where teams drove Discovery Series IIs. The competition went decidedly upscale in 2000, when it was held at the famously posh Greenbriar resort in West Virginia.
TReK went global in 2001, when Land Rover executives observed an increase in dealer morale and vehicle sales as a result of the competition. That year, it was staged in South Africa and featured 11 teams, from countries around the world. The team from the U.S. came in third, while South African dealers took first place.
"TReK is a unique motivational competition that gives Land Rover an edge in the marketplace," said Sally Eastwood, vice president, marketing land Rover North America. " Competitors return to their retail facilities with the enthusiasm of adventure inherent in Land Rover brand values."
--Photos Courtesy of Land Rover
--Story by Sue Mead
Sue Mead works as a photojournalist and features writer for more than two dozen publications. She has written for Parade, Popular Science, Open Road, the Road & Track Buyers Guide, Men's Journal, Popular Mechanics and Diversion and she has worked as an auto editor for CNN/fn. Sue has co-driven in two of the world's toughest off-road races, the Baja 1000 and the Paris-Dakar Raid. She attended four Camel Trophy adventures for Land Rover North America and has participated in several long-distance adventure drives. She recently completed her first book, "Monster Trucks and Tractors" published by Chelsea House. Sue lives in New England. |
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