Landy Rally Euro Charity Drive 2008: live tracking!

So, with only two days to go before Landy Rally`08 (incorporating Bofa 4x4 Rally this year encompassing all 4x4’s alongside the Land Rovers … rocks will be thrown!!!) some exciting news. If you get yourself along to www.ventureoverland.com at the top right-hand corner of their home page can be found ‘Landy Rally Tracking’. Here you can follow progress of the event via this free mapping link.

Apparently the tracking device fitted to my Range Rover Classic updates every couple of minutes with the larger red dot on the map being me, with the two small red dots where the RR has been in the last 20 minutes … or so I’ve been told. For heaven’s sake, what do I know? They don’t call me ‘Technology Tom’ for nothing!

As I’m very often leading the pack, I’m told the idea is that wherever I am, the actual participants will be fairly close by. Mmmm, fine in theory …

With a flag-off start in Calais near the seafront at 9am 13th September 2008, the ‘non-speed event’ (as opposed to a proper race) travels 10 countries in 7 days tackling a heap of treasure hunt-type tasks en route, and 2,500 miles later arrives back at Calais Friday 19th Sept for a prize-giving dinner at the prestigious Café de Paris (owned by an off-roader incidentally). 30 separate charities were supported last year, so you can see it’s not just all about us. The charity side of things can be found at www.landyrally.com and within the event forum. By all means either join us at the start line or for the BIG party after prize-giving … or simply follow our progress through the Pyrenees and the Alps via ‘Landy Rally Tracking’.

The itinerary is:-

Saturday 13th September (DAY 1)
France (Start at Calais) – 680 mile drive!!!

Sunday 14th September (DAY 2)
Spain - off-roading in the Pyrenees, Andorra

Monday 15th September (DAY 3)
Andorra, France

Tuesday 16th September (DAY 4)
France (Val d’Isére off-roading), Italy

Wednesday 17th September (DAY 5)
Italy

Thursday 18th September (DAY 6)
Italy – driving the Stelvio Pass (voted the “best driving road in the world” by Top Gear. With 60 hairpins you can understand why!) Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria, Germany

Friday 19st September (DAY 7)
Germany via The Black Forest, Luxembourg, Belgium, France (Finish at Calais)

Last but not least, you are also most welcome to join us at the launch of the Landy Rally Club at Abingdon 4x4 Festival 27-28 September 2008 ( Abingdon 4x4 Festival ) and the BIG party Saturday night in our very own marquee – well, it's actually owned by Thames Valley 4x4 Club (thanks for the loan) but it’s ours to cause mayhem in for one night. Plenty of free grub, BYO booze. Start time? After the beer tent closes! Party on!!!

That’s it, and thank you one and all for making Landy Rally`08 special already … you know who you are!

so when yer say "non speed " event what yer actually mean is keep the speed above the national limit as much as possible?

this bloke int got caught up in the tunnel fire has eee?

Nah ... survived! Glad I went on the ferry though. Most Land Rover owners tend to plump for the ferry as (1) Eurotunnel don't like LPG vehicles, and (2) They also don't like jerricans - even empty!

For those who did follow the live tracking ... wasn't it awesome? Whilst en route I got a text from a mate of mine saying he'd clocked me via the tracking doing 102 mph. I sent one back to say, "WRONG, it was 115 mph!" This of course was on a German autobahn, not a French autoroute! Ahmmmmmmm!!!

The routes through the Pyrenees and the Alps were quite stunning, as you would have seen with the satellite images.

BTW, instead of turning up on the start line at Calais with his off-roader – a 1949 5-litre V8 88” Series 1 on 44” tyres - this year one of our mechanics turned up with his sparkling new Disco 3 … and a dinky little caravan the size of a matchbox! I kid you not, and he drove all the forest tracks and off road sections with said ‘van. Apparently he couldn’t be bothered erecting a tent every night, so simply went out and bought an old caravan, spayed it orange (the Landy Rally livery) which made it look like a Terry’s chocolate egg, and off he went. Without a hint of a problem, the D3 covered over 3,000 miles spanning 10 countries in 7 days. Now that’s what you call improvisation, I’d call it FUN!!!

Hey Tom.

You wouldn't be the same Tom Mc who organised the Landy World Record attempt a couple of years ago are you??

If you mean the Guinness World Records Land Rover Attempt in 2004 where the parade of 260 Landies established a new world record ... then that would be me (proud of that I am!)

BTW, just last month a Frontera World Record was attempted at the prestigious Rockingham Raceway. Despite over 50,000 hits on their forum about the event, just 43 owners turned up on the day to show their support – need I say more? I'm not gloating you understand, 'cause if they had of beaten our record it would have been a good excuse to go out and recapture it, but it just goes to show how hard it is to attain a new record.

Were you one of the participants that day in 2004 BD?

Tom Mc said:

If you mean the Guinness World Records Land Rover Attempt in 2004 where the parade of 260 Landies established a new world record ... then that would be me (proud of that I am!)

BTW, just last month a Frontera World Record was attempted at the prestigious Rockingham Raceway. Despite over 50,000 hits on their forum about the event, just 43 owners turned up on the day to show their support – need I say more? I'm not gloating you understand, 'cause if they had of beaten our record it would have been a good excuse to go out and recapture it, but it just goes to show how hard it is to attain a new record.

Were you one of the participants that day in 2004 BD?

Click to expand...

Glad to say I was.
The boys and I had a great day out. Would love an excuse to do it again.

So if yer plannin to, give me a Holla you can count me in

Good stuff! Just waiting for 'Johnny Foreigner' to break our record then we'll have another go and bring it back to where it belongs. They (the Belgians and the Dutch) have tried twice so far ... and failed twice!