Brits Take Land Rover Challenge at Equestrian Games

Team GBR Overtakes Team USA

Off-Road at FEI World Equestrian Games

Edited by JOSEPH V. KUCA

LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY, September 27, 2010 – Today was a day for horsing around at the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games. In a light-hearted competition, the U.K.-based Team GBR beat the local favorites from the U.S. as they took top-honors in today’s Land Rover Test Drive Challenge.

The two teams swapped their customary single horsepower for an entirely different kind of horsepower, behind the wheel of identical 375 hp Land Rover LR4 (Discovery 4)s in an off-road challenge on a specially designed test track set up at the Kentucky Horse Park.

In a friendly competition between the two nations – both supported by Land Rover – the competition went down to the last round, before the British team came out on top. Team GBR posted a final score of 24 minutes and 50 seconds, to the U.S.’s 25 minutes and 33 seconds.

"It’s been a fun challenge and I’m thrilled the Brits won; I hope that's a sign of good things to come this week," said Will Connell, Chef de Mission, Team GBR. "It's always good to do something different during the build up to a major competition, and it was super to celebrate with Land Rover. Their support makes it all possible for us."

Run under standard equestrian cross-country rules, each rider from each of the two teams drove one lap on the challenging course. Time penalties of 10 seconds added for touching a gate, and 20 seconds for each missed gate, provided each driver’s ending score.

"We hope our horses perform as well the rest of the week as the Land Rovers did in the mud today,” said Jim Wolf, Executive Director, Sport Programs, United States Equestrian Foundation. "The Brits are great competitors and we look forward to going head-to-head again on Saturday."

"Congratulations to the British team for edging out the U.S., but as the Games start to get serious, all of us at Land Rover wish both teams the best for this weekend's competition,” said Finbar McFall, Vice President, Marketing, Land Rover North America. "Having both nations competing here at the Games, as well as being able to demonstrate Land Rover’s legendary capabilities in the mud, has allowed us to bring a little fun to what we hope will be an exciting and yet tense week here at the World Equestrian Games."

Members of the U.S. Event team include Chef d'Equipe, Capt. Mark Phillips, Boyd Martin, Kim Severson, Buck Davidson, Becky Holder, Karen O'Connor and Phillip Dutton. Members of the Team GBR include Chef d'Equipe, Yogi Breisner, Piggy French, Tina Cook, Pippa Funnell, William Fox-Pitt, Nicola Wilson and Mary King.