July 2008
Well, thats the reconnoitre done and dusted a most appropriate description as it happens for in places it was extremely hot, sweaty and dusty! That said it also got pretty nippy at times for there was still snow hanging about in the French Alps. Diverse? you bet it was!

In order to create the Road Book for Landy Rally`08, over 3,000 miles was covered in total, although its certain the teams mileage will around the 2,500 miles mark.

What was it like? HEAVEN! The theory of travelling Calais to Calais anti-clockwise this year (as opposed to a clockwise route during the inaugural Landy Rally September 2007) paid handsome dividends as all the really stunning, picturesque tracks and routes were tackled before lunch on most days. A big plus as last year we didnt tackle two of the best sections in the Spanish Pyrenees and The Alps in Andorra until dusk. Still good of course, but not ideal for photography; this has now been rectified.

This is also true of the bonus route this year the fabled Stelvio Pass in Italy. We managed, again before lunch, to tackle all 48 hairpins of the Best Driving Road in the World. This title was awarded by TVs Top Gear motoring programme. Cant say I would disagree, it was awesome.

Strangely though this wasnt the highlight of the recee. For both myself and my co-driver Lee a.k.a. Captain Chaos it was without doubt the sight of upwards of 50, yes FIFTY eagles circling on the thermals above us on one of the mountain roads in the Pyrenees. There were so many in fact we lost count at fifty, thats how many there actually were. I have never ever seen that many before ... truly spectacular.

The long boring first day (well, to us on the reconnoitre at least for the teams it will be 100 times better what with all the CB chatter going on) it now means that for everyone on Day 2 will be right into the action as we tackle the off-road section which all the teams missed out on last year the much talked-about dust bowl in the Spanish Pyrenees. This too will have its surprises, as the surfaces range from gravel to dust, with hard compact clay in between. Well, unless we have a localised thunderstorm of course, in which case it will have the bonus of mud! Although highly unlikely, one night we could hear thunder in the distance, so doubtless somewhere in the mountains it was peeing down.

This off-road section was a delight too. Nothing too taxing of course, just public tracks miles from anywhere that felt as if they had been especially reserved for us. When I tell you that in 49.3 miles we didnt see a single soul, let alone another vehicle, you begin to realise what a joy it was.

On the other hand, when we arrive at Val dIsre in the French Alps, a massive private area has been reserved exclusively for us! Upon arrival well be met by the local off-road club who provide a sumptuous lunchtime barbeque before we tackle the very same pistes (ski runs) utilised in the winter when the snows arrive by some of the worlds top skiers. Er yes, in case youre wondering, we will be driving them!!! As you can imagine this too is pretty special, but be warned youll need an extremely wide angle lens to fit all this in the area in question is over 200 hectares! Told you it was massive.

In a nutshell, those who tackled the inaugural Landy Rally last September and are with us again will not even recognise 75% of the overall route if not more! In addition, with a whole new set of tasks this year, that too will be a first for them. As for the virgins amongst you, have you got a treat in store?!?!

Yep, all in all it was a stunning success, and with the Rangie performing admirably from start to finish, thoroughly rewarding. You're gonna love it!

1st May 2008
CHARITY RAFFLE FOR A PAIR OF TOURING ADVENTURER TICKETS IN THE RAINFOREST CHALLENGE 2008. Please have a bash at this raffle. If you win but can't go yourself, your two RFC tickets can easily be auctioned and the winning bid donated to the charity of your choice.

Encompassing 5 continents, Malaysians in Motion is a 2½ year round-the-world expedition about to be tackled by a couple and their 3 year old son in a Nissan Patrol 4x4. Departing from London May 2008, the first leg covering Europe finishes in Calais September 2008.
To raise funds for their chosen charity - Petpositive (www.petpositive.com.my - a Malaysian pet-therapy charity involving disabled and elderly people) Luis J.A. Wee, the Founder and Creator of The Rainforest Challenge (RFC), has generously donated 2 Touring Adventurer places for this year's RFC, taking place in Trengganu, Malaysia from 5-14 December 2008. These limited places worth approx. £500 each are being offered as a prize in this raffle with all proceeds going to Petpositive. We invite all 4x4 enthusiasts to enter the raffle, and at the very reasonable rate of £5 per entry or buy 2 entries for £10 and get a 3rd entry FREE! The more entries you have, the greater your chance of winning these much sought after tickets, plus you will also be helping a good cause. But, be forewarned, RFC is not for the faint-hearted. You will need to come physically and mentally prepared as the event is at the very pinnacle of off-road adventure. With jungle tracks all but impassable in the monsoon season, at times 'Touring Adventurers' have to work just as hard as the actual competing crews merely to get their 4x4's through the liaison stages, that's how difficult it can be. See for yourself at www.rainforest-challenge.com and if you do have a look at the 1997 archive, the section entitled Champions of 1997 to be precise, and be prepared for a surprise for there's a name you just may just recognise!

This link will take you straight to the competition website:
www.malaysiansinmotion.com/raffle.html
Entries will close on Friday 19th September 2008 and be drawn at the Landy Rally`08 prize-giving dinner, Café de Paris, Calais, France by the Mayor of Calais or his appointed representative. The result will be announced on the Malaysians In Motion website (www.malaysiansinmotion.com) and the winner will be notified by email, so please make sure your details are entered correctly.

26th March 2008
Big improvements to the itinerary this year. As good as Landy Rally`07 was last September, lessons learnt have resulted in a route that will see more off-roading for those who want it (and more options for those who don't), plus the most scenic parts of the route will be driven mostly in the mornings. For instance, it was a crying shame that for many the stunning route into Andorra was undertaken at dusk or in the dark, with the majority of crews taking the tunnel instead of the favoured option of driving over the Col (mountain pass). The new route now allows for the Col to be driven in guaranteed daylight plus a couple of other tasty treats.

Remember the dust bowl in North Western Spain talked about in 2007? Well this time around everyone will have the opportunity to tackle this amazing wilderness. 40 miles of gentle but awesome terrain - heaven!

And still more! Do you recall the presenters of Top Gear driving a Porsche, Ferrari and an Aston Martin along what they described as the Best Driving Road in the World - the Stelvio Pass in Italy? Well we're going there - via mountain tracks!!!!!!!

Last but not least, you know the strap line of Landy Rally / Bofa 4x4 Rally is 8 COUNTRIES IN 7 DAYS, well just to add a bit of spice to the proceedings, make that 10 COUNTRIES IN 7 DAYS!

Yep - TEN countries! Have a look at the new proposed route in the ITINERARY section on the home page and you'll see exactly why.

9th November 2007
Entries are now open for Landy Rally 2008, the event dates being 13th to 19th September 2008.

10th September
The placeholder pages for the results for the 2007 event and the online diary have been added to the lefthand bar. Here we will, technology allowing, update daily with the results and some annecdotes and progress reports. check back daily to see how we are getting on.

9th July
Although there are many more to come, this is the latest list of charities and good causes being supported by the teams entered in Landy Rally 2007:-
 

Aid For Children	www.aidforchildren.info
Air Cadets (Askgro Squadron)	www.aircadets.org
7th Ashford Cub/Brownies Spelthorne District Scout Group
Bow Arrow Riding School for Disabled Children
British Stammering Association	www.stammering.org
Burma Star Association	www.burmastar.org.uk
Cash For Kids	www.cashforkids.org.uk
Chernobyl Children’s Project	www.chernobyl-children.org.uk
Cystic Fibrosis Trust	www.cftrust.org.ukk
Diabetes UK	www.diabetes.org.uk
Farm Africa	www.farmafrica.org.uk
Farm Aid	www.farmaid.org
Handicapped Community Fellowship	www.handicappedcommunity.org
Highway Colts Junior FC
Kent Air Ambulance	www.kentairambulance.co.uk
Make a Wish Foundation	www.make-a-wish.org.uk
Manchester Kids	www.manchesterkids.com
Medicine and Chernobyl	www.medicine-chernobyl.org
Murry Foundation	www.themurryfoundation.com
Sassofortino School & Kindergarten, Italy
St Elizabeth Hospice, Ipswich	www.stelizabethhospice.org.uk
Thames Valley & Chiltern Air Ambulance	www.airambulancetvac.org
Tommy’s, The Baby Charity	www.tommys.org/landyrally
When You Wish Upon a Star	www.whenyouwishuponastar.org.uk

Importantly, Land Rover Owner International (LROI) goes on sale today and it’s very good news. Not only has the magazine included Landy Rally™  within its Events pages as discussed, it has also featured the event as their ‘Pick of the Month’. I have to thank Editor John Pearson for this announcement, as true to his word Land Rover Owner International is backing the event all the way (to date the only publication to do so, let’s hope others will soon follow suit). Within this small but highly-influential piece it was announced that no less than LROI Senior Staff Writer Neil ‘Watty’ Watterson will be participating in the drive, both reporting on the event under the LROI banner and competing himself in his own right. It is after all his own Defender 110 CSW, so he will be eligible for the prizes and awards on offer just the same as any other entrant.